Individual Psychology and Systems Theory: Heinz L. and Rowena R. Ansbacher Memorial Lecture

I am going to start off tonight by proposing some specific language to be used in our work as Individual Psychology practitioners. We know that the language we use can shape how we think about things. For example, over the years, the American Psychological Association has modified and updated its guidance on the use of pronouns, and now, reading some older articles can be somewhat disorienting as we try to figure out which specific person the word he is referring to in the writing or wonder if that is even their chosen pronoun. Next, I want to revitalize some of our Individual Psychology core constructs, emphasizing how they give us insight into the complexities of human life. Finally, I will suggest some ways systems theory thinking can strengthen and extend our theory.