I bought "Inferiority and Transcendence" after reading Hiroshi Ogura's "The Courage to Accept Imperfection" and learning about Adler. I couldn't praise it more. After reading this, I very much agree with the core point of Adler's individual psychology: everything depends on yourself.

There is a passage in "Inferiority and Transcendence" that reflects the above core point of view:

Napoleon Hill, who was considered a contemporary of Adler, was the founder of Success Learning. What he said - "All wealth and all success in the world begins with the change of one person's concept." - is similar to what Adler said above.

Chen Jianping's core point in "Dialogue between the Rich and the Poor" - "There is nothing wrong with being born poor, but it is a pity to die poor." -, and Adler and Napoleon Hill You are also consistent.

Adler's individual psychology is a psychology that brings courage to people. He upholds the concept that "people can transcend the limitations of the environment and become a better version of themselves", which has influenced countless people and brought countless The courage of people to change.

In the first chapter of "Inferiority and Transcendence", Adler abstracted the three major problems of life:

These three major problems of life can be embodied in three questions:

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The three questions after concreteness are still a bit abstract, so Adler mentioned the three major questions in a simplified way many times in the book:

The solutions to these three questions, They influence each other, but their basis is cooperation. Therefore, he proposed: Personal meaning has no value. The real meaning of life exists in the interaction between an individual and others. Then he said that the true meaning of life lies in dedication and cooperation.

The first chapter raises three major questions in life and determines the true meaning of life. The following second chapter - "Mind and Body" discusses the relationship between the mind and the body. He points out:

Perception and lifestyle are not opposed to each other. When the goal is established, perception will cooperate with the goal. Adjustments are made automatically.

Adler believed that the spirit is responsible for controlling direction, and a person's mental model and life attitude will have a lasting impact on his body. Personal behavior is always restricted by the meaning of life.

With this cognitive foundation, we can continue reading and accept the view that "everything depends on ourselves".

"Inferiority complex" is a major discovery in individual psychology. Adler defined it as:

An inferiority complex refers to a person who realizes that he is going to face someone. He was at a loss when faced with a problem he couldn't solve.

He also said: Each of us has varying degrees of inferiority complex, because we all want to make ourselves better and live a better life. If we keep moving forward, we can change our lives in direct, practical ways and gradually shed our feelings of inferiority. No one can suffer from inferiority complex all his life. People can seek reasonable solutions to release their inferiority complex.

Everyone is pursuing their own unique sense of superiority. It depends on the meaning people give to their lives. This meaning is not just on the surface, but is reflected in a person's attitude and life style. It runs through a person's life like a unique life tone.

People release their inferiority complex by pursuing a sense of superiority, which comes from the meaning of life. Only when we set positive and meaningful life goals can we successfully obtain a sense of superiority and transcend inferiority complex.

Adler has an in-depth analysis of memory in the chapter "Childhood Memory" (Chapter 4). Here is an excerpt:

I once wrote some words to record my primary school days. An incident from that time:

When I was in college, I wrote a five-character poem on the Terracotta Warriors and Horses about that scene in the wheat field. The above text should be the second time I wrote about it. , and that scene is still fresh in my memory. What does it mean to me?

This memory of mine initially caused me stress: I didn’t want to disappoint my parents and relatives. When I was in junior high school, I cried in front of my uncle when he took me home because I ranked third in the school. Probably because I was afraid that they would be disappointed. But the value of this memory is even more: it makes me strive to become a useful person. This is my more confident explanation after watching "Inferiority and Transcendence".

When we form a certain perception from our experience, we are accustomed to using this perception to explain everything we encounter in the future. This is people's inertial reaction mode or conditioned reflex thinking. Therefore, a person's memory will not run counter to his life pattern. Because those long-lasting memories are the key nodes in the formation of his life pattern.

Starting from Chapter 4, Adler begins to specifically discuss the impact of various environmental factors on individuals, such as childhood family environment, school, and adolescence.

In addition, it also discusses how adults mine dreams and childhood memories on our life attitudes and life patterns, and what impact our life attitudes and life patterns will have on children (this is endless recursion).

The discussion throughout the book covers childhood memories, family environment, dreams, adolescence, school influence, crime and prevention, career issues, individuals and society, love and marriage. After reading, you will not only be able to understand Interpreting your own life patterns can also guide you on how to influence and educate your children to prevent bad patterns from being passed on. In this sense, this is also a book that parents should read. For example, if the country now relaxes the two-child policy and young parents decide to have a second child, it will have a huge impact on the eldest child, and it is likely to form a psychological shadow. If not handled properly, the eldest child's entire life may take unexpected twists and turns. , causing irreparable pain.

The "Influence of Schools" (Chapter 7) contains some views that seem to be commonplace now, but we parents and schools have never achieved them. These views may even have a negative impact on children's life. key impact.

For example, he mentioned that "interest is the biggest factor affecting intellectual development":

For example, he said, "There are no children with poor abilities, only children whose interests have not found a direction": < /p>

To give the simplest example, Qiong Yao got a zero score in math when she was in school. Later, she became a big star in romance novels and TV series, and became famous for Brigitte Lin, Zhao Wei, Ruby Lin, Wang Yan, Lin Fengjiao, Sylvia Chang, and Zhang Jiani. , Xiao Qiang, Qin Lan, Jiang Qinqin and other female stars.

There are many excellent theories and interpretations in the book, which have strong guiding significance for our lives. If you are interested, you can read them. I won’t go into them one by one here.

"What life should mean to you", this is the English name of "Inferiority and Transcendence". It is printed on the cover as the background. Under the title of the book, there is a corresponding Chinese sentence: You have to know yourself. How to live this life well.

After reading this book, you may understand. However, knowing it is just the beginning, and you still need to practice it.

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