Books / Psychodynamic & attachment
Über den nervösen Charakter
Alfred Adler’s 1912 work presents an early account of individual psychology. It appeared in English in 1917 as The Neurotic Constitution.
Book details
Author of listed edition: Alfred Adler
Edition: 1912 German edition
Publisher: J. F. Bergmann
Edition year: 1912
Language and origin: German (Austria)
Form and genre: Clinical & Theoretical Monograph
Level: Advanced
Historical era: Pre-1919 · Asylum Reform & Early Psychoanalysis
Covers: Adler’s early account of individual psychology; Inferiority, compensation and a guiding idea in Adler’s theory
APA 7th reference: Adler, A. (1912). Über den nervösen Charakter: Grundzüge einer vergleichenden Individual-Psychologie und Psychotherapie [The neurotic constitution: Outlines of a comparative individualistic psychology and psychotherapy]. J. F. Bergmann.
What it is & historical context
Über den nervösen Charakter was published by J. F. Bergmann in Wiesbaden in 1912. An English translation by Bernard Glueck and John E. Lind appeared in 1917 under the title The Neurotic Constitution.
Core clinical themes & arguments
In the preface to the English translation, Adler describes a comparative individual psychology concerned with feelings of inferiority, compensation and an imagined guiding idea. These are elements of his historical theory, not established explanations of every person’s difficulties.
Questions for critical reading
The book is a historical source for Adler’s developing individual psychology. Its clinical terminology and theoretical interpretations should be read in their early twentieth-century context.
Who it may suit
Readers interested in the history of individual psychology and psychotherapy.
Scope & clinical limits
The library catalogue and the title page and preface of the 1917 translation were consulted. The complete German work, translation and paired book were not reviewed. This entry does not establish the effectiveness of a treatment.
Paired academic and clinical scholarship
Paired work: The Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler: A Systematic Presentation in Selections from His Writings (Heinz L. Ansbacher and Rowena R. Ansbacher, 1956)
Reference: Ansbacher, H. L., & Ansbacher, R. R. (Eds.). (1956). The individual psychology of Alfred Adler. Basic Books.
A later selection of Adler’s writings edited by Heinz and Rowena Ansbacher. The complete book was not reviewed for this entry.
Source-mapped claims and evidence notes
Claim 1: The German work was published by J. F. Bergmann in 1912. (The Wellcome Collection catalogue was consulted; the complete German work was not reviewed.) [Source 1: Wellcome Collection. Über den nervösen Charakter: Grundzüge einer vergleichenden Individual-Psychologie und Psychotherapie, catalogue record.]
Claim 2: An English translation by Bernard Glueck and John E. Lind appeared in 1917. (The title page and preface of the translation were consulted; the complete translation was not reviewed.) [Source 2: Adler, A. (1917). The neurotic constitution: Outlines of a comparative individualistic psychology and psychotherapy (B. Glueck & J. E. Lind, Trans.). Moffat, Yard and Company.]
Sources and inspection notes
Supports: Catalogue identifies Adler, the German title and the 1912 J. F. Bergmann publication in Wiesbaden.
Supports: Title page identifies translators, publisher and 1917 date; preface describes Adler’s theoretical account. The complete translation was not reviewed.