Running Head: CONCEPTUALIZATION
Conceptualization and Treatment Plan 1: Great Gatsby
Debbie Horn
Liberty University
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Running Head: CONCEPTUALIZATION
Abstract
The Individual Psychology Theory presents an approach that should be used along with Christian
Counseling because this theory is based on “an optimistic view of the human condition”
(Murdock, 2017). This theory is also based on the fact that “social interest” is very important to
the individual. Humans are born with a feeling of needing to belong. The human motivation in
this theory is to strive for superiority.
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Running Head: CONCEPTUALIZATION
Case Conceptualization Using Individual Psychology Therapy
Alfred Adler, the Developer of Individual Psychology
Adler knew Freud, was a colleague of Freud’s, but Freud was more established and much
older than Adler, and Adler was not a follower of Freud. There were four people, including
Freud and Adler, that started Wednesday Night Meetings, which became the first
“Psychoanalytic Society.” Adler was the president of this society and coeditor, with Freud, of the
journal which they started. They began to differ on certain issues: Repression and the masculine
protest. When Freud realized that Adler was not a follower, he kicked him out of the society.
Even other members who believed in Adler, were unwelcome in this society (Carlson, J.,
Maniacci, M.P., 2011).
Adler soon established his own society which he named “Individual Psychology,” where
Adler and his members started meeting. During his enrollment with the Psychoanalytic Society,
he wrote one book; Study of Organ Inferiority and Its Psychical Compensation: A Contribution
to Clinical Medicine. This book was popular and even Freud approved. Adler wanted to be a
professor to train other physicians, so he could develop his theories of Individual Psychology.
Adler worked diligently to get his theory out by starting clinics for the poor, teaching teachers,
counselors, social workers in his theory, lecturing to anyone that would listen, churches, meeting
halls, community organizations, and mental health clinics. He worked with prisons, sanitariums,
mental institutions, magazines, and newspapers to get his ideas to the public. He wrote several
self-help books that became best sellers, he became a media sensation, and became famous.
(Carlson, J., Maniacci, M.P., 2011).
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Running Head: CONCEPTUALIZATION
Human Nature and the Counseling Process
Adler believed that human motivation was based on the drive to be superior. He also
believed that human beings were social animals. At birth, human beings are the most dependent
for their survival, so they must be cared for until they can survive on their own. It is best to
understand a human being by their interactions with other people. We need to feel that we have a
place in this world. As children grow and learn about their environment, “their first impressions
of the world are predicated upon contact with and through other people. These early impressions
develop into rules about life that are used to help them understand, predict, and manage their
world” (Sweeney, 2009).
The therapist is positive that the client can change, which is guided by three elements:
faith, hope, and love. The client needs to have faith in the counselor, and the therapist shows that
the client should place faith in the relationship, by showing that there is non-judgmental listening
and through the therapist’s self-confidence (Murdock, 2017). There are four phases of advancing
through this type of counseling when using the Individual Psychology process: a) establishing
the relationship, b) assessment, c) interpretation and insight, d) reorientation (Murdock, 2017). It
is crucial for the counselor to put themselves in the other person’s shoes, called empathy. The
counselor has to develop a trusting relationship with the client and does so by using active
listening, and making sure that the client feels understood. The counselor must encourage the
client in the beginning and throughout the process of therapy. The counselor and client need to
discuss what the client wants to accomplish during their time together. They need to clarify the
goals (Murdock, 2017).
The second aspect of therapy is to assess the client’s lifestyle by asking questions about
the client’s life and goals. The counselor is watching to see how the client works toward their
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Running Head: CONCEPTUALIZATION
goals and is trying to understand the client’s thought processes (Sweeney, 2009). According to
Dinkmeyer, et al (2014), one way to assess the goals of a client is to grasp “the individual’s
number one priority.” A human being’s number one priority is one aspect of this person’s life
style. This priority can answer two questions for that individual: “What is most important as I
strive to belong? And, what do I seek most urgently to avoid?” (Dinkmeyer, D., Sherman, R,
2014).
The third stage in Adlerian therapy is for the counselor to help the client to
understand their lifestyle and how it influences their decisions, how they function as a human
being, and why. These interpretations should be tentatively discussed. Sometimes the counselor
will help the client to see and laugh at themselves, because life is not supposed to be that serious
(Murdock, 2017).
When the client understands the insightful stage, and is aware of their mistakes and
deficient goals, then the counselor will start the reorientation stage. In this stage the counselor
and the client will work together to find new ways to change that behavior. They will establish
realistic, and socially acceptable goals (Murdock, 2017).
Research of Individual Psychology
One test of a time-limited therapy (maximum 20 sessions) where one of the theories was
Individual Psychology, and the other was Person Centered Therapy. The clients were to make
two piles of adjectives explaining their “real” selves vs. their “ideal” selves. After therapy, it was
reported that the “real” selves and the “ideal” selves matched more closely than before therapy.
This indicates that Individual Psychology is supported (Shlein, Mosak, and Dreikurs, 1962).
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Running Head: CONCEPTUALIZATION
Watkins and Guarnaccia (1999), studied research on the four constructs of Individual
Psychology: birth order, social interest, early recollections, and lifestyle. They concluded the
research supports Individual Psychology, but this information could be biased because all of the
research has been done by advocates of this theory (Murdock, 2014). Another study by Johnson
et al, (2003), where they tested the relationship of birth order, family characteristics of conflict
and cohesiveness with social interest. They found that birth order was not associated with social
interest, but family characteristics of conflict and cohesiveness was related. These results do not
fully support the Individual Psychology Theory (Murdock, 2017).
Depression/Anxiety Diagnosis
McBrien, (1985) started working with a client who was terribly depressed. The counselor
and client decided to do an experiment which meant doing some volunteer work at the local
hospital for one month. According to the Individual Psychology Theory, Adlerians believe that
when a client lets go of their “taking” behaviors and learns to develop “giving” behaviors, the
client will have pleasant experiences. “After her first Sunday night shift, she was elated. ‘I left
the hospital and floated to my car,’ she told me” (McBrien, 1985). The experiment helped my
client to see that being useful to others will give the most positive feelings that she had felt in
years (McBrien, 1985).
Paradoxical interventions were used by Alfred Adler, one of the first counselors thought
to use this technique. Adler believed that there was a power play against the counselor that
resulted in patient self-esteem and improvement. Knight Dunlap was another counselor who
used this technique which he called “negative practice” which involved purposefully using the
behaviors that an individual wanted to discard rather than avoiding them (Dowd, E.T. (2008).
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Running Head: CONCEPTUALIZATION
Appropriate for Jay Gatsby
Jay Gatsby had problems with self-esteem, lying about his whole life, and being
delusional. As shown above, Adler had techniques that improved this type of behaviors such as
paradoxical interventions, showing love, giving a client work to do that removes the taking
behaviors, and replaces them with giving behaviors.
Ethical Issues
There do not seem to be any ethical issues with this theory. The counselor must abide by
the Code of Ethics, but this theory is based on love, caring, faith, and social interest. This theory
wants to make each individual a responsible, loving, and caring individual.
Multicultural Issues
This theory seems to be less biased because Adler was one of the first to acknowledge
class differences and was an advocate of “equality between the sexes” (Murdock, 2014). The
“focus on social involvement and the importance of relationships is consistent with the values of
cultures that hold collectivistic as compared to individualistic worldviews, such has Asian and
Native American cultures.” Even though adaptations can be made to fit a certain culture, it still
works with many countries. He emphasized cooperation among people and society (Murdock,
2014).
Crisis Situations
According to Tedrick, et al, (2011) it seems that Individual Psychology seems to work
well with clients who experience traumatic events in their lives. Crisis happen in everyone’s life
at some point, which is normal. Understanding crisis intervention is an essential tool for
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Running Head: CONCEPTUALIZATION
counselors working with clients going through a traumatic event. A fire in a Cocoanut Grove
night club started the study of the survivors of the fire and their families which led to the Crisis
Theory, and one of the psychiatrists was Alexandra Adler. Adler studied (1943) 500 survivors of
the fire and created the psychological construct of post-traumatic stress (Parikh, S.J.T., (2011).
There are two phases to the Six-Step Model of crisis intervention: Listening phase and
acting phase. The first stage, the counselor defines the problem, makes sure the client is safe,
and then provides support. The action stage, the counselor and client work together to examine
ideas for goals, making plans, and getting a commitment from the client (Parikh, S.J.T., (2011).
Interventions
Jay Gatsby, the client, has several presenting problems. First, he is ashamed of his true
family and has concocted a totally different picture of himself. He has always wanted to be from
a wealthy family, and he was not. The main problem is that he fell in love with a wealthy girl,
and the money he did not have, kept them apart. He lies about his whole life. He is in love with
a girl that is already married. He worked with a very wealthy man, who taught him how to dress,
to live, and to act wealthy. When his mentor died, he expected to receive the inheritance, but his
mentor left his money to his own children. Gatsby was delusional about receiving money from
his mentor. His whole life is based on winning Daisy back. Everything he has accomplished is
based on Daisy.
Interpretation – Technique #1
Jay Gatsby has several problems: He is ashamed of his previous life, he was delusional
about receiving an inheritance from his mentor, and everything he has accomplished is to win
Daisy back. He has already made his fortune, Jay needs to confront his delusions about the
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Running Head: CONCEPTUALIZATION
money he did not receive from his mentor, and he needs to work through the issues he has from
his real family. He is a self-made man, so he has the ambition, drive, and all that he needs to
accomplish any goal. He needs to realize that he is not really in love with Daisy anymore, just
the idea of her.
Encouragement
As Jay’s counselor, he needs encouragement to understand his real strengths, what he has
to offer others, and the power he has to influence the world. This encouragement is to give Jay
hope that he can move on to have a better life with another chance at love. There would be a
discussion of his accomplishments, and what he has to offer the world. He needs to accept his
true identity and to understand that is what has made him who he really is.
Creating Images
This technique is to help the client use imagery to illustrate his faulty goals. Jay needs to
realize that getting Daisy back is a faulty goal because she is already married. He needs to see
that he is in love with the idea of Daisy and not with Daisy, herself. He really would not like
Daisy because she is a spoiled, self-serving brat who does not really understand the meaning of
true love.
Spiritual Application
Spiritual Challenges
The biggest challenge in Jay Gatsby’s case is the fact that he is working for Organized
Crime in the 1920’s with prohibition. A major problem, I see is that Gatsby never speaks about
spirituality, and probably has not put much thought into that aspect of life.
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Running Head: CONCEPTUALIZATION
If he decided that he wanted to learn about Christian Counseling, then we would discuss
topics in the Bible. As his counselor, I would try to teach him about the true love of our Lord
Jesus Christ, without preaching. He would do homework to learn about Jesus, and what needs to
be done for his relationship with God. I would encourage him to ask any questions or for any
guidance that would help him to understand the truth.
Spirituality and Individual Psychology
The first reason that Individual Psychology would be compatible with Christianity is
because the measure of the individual is the degree to which he cares about his society.
Christians care very much about the society that we live in and the society in our religious
organizations that we are a part of. There is a sense of belonging and the opportunity of working
with others for the good of the society (Murdock, 2017).
The second reason that Individual Psychology would be compatible with Christianity is
that family influences are very important to the individual, and parents model the beliefs and
values. If the parents are from Christianity, they are modeling the beliefs and values that the
child needs (Murdock, 2017).
The third reason is that there are some people who have very unhappy experiences in life,
but they overcome that difficulty, and choose not to dwell on those. These people make the best
of their lives. According to Adler, the father sets an example by “being a good companion to his
wife, to his children, and to society” (Murdock, 2017).
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Running Head: CONCEPTUALIZATION
References
Adler, A., (1929) The Science of Living, Retrieved from:
https://archive.org/details/scienceofliving029053mbp
Carlson, J., Maniacci, M.P., (2011), Alfred Adler Revisited, Retrieved from:
https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/lib/liberty/detail.action?
docID=957570 .
Dinkmeyer, D., Sherman, R, (2014), Systems of Family Therapy: An Adlerian Integration,
Taylor and Francis, ProQuest Ebook Central, Retrieved from:
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=1594994 .
Dowd, E. Thomas (2008), "Paradoxical Interventions." Encyclopedia of Counseling, edited by
Frederick T. L. Leong, et al., vol. 2: Personal and Emotional Counseling, SAGE
Publications, 2008, pp. 719-721. Gale Virtual Reference Library, Retrieved from:
http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/apps/doc/CX3074200245/GVRL?
u=vic_liberty&sid=GVRL&xid=2c7d8a99
Fall, Kevin A., et al, (2010) Theoretical Models of Counseling and Psychotherapy,
Taylor and Francis, 2010. ProQuest Ebook Central, Retrieved from:
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=646559.
McBrien, R. J. (1985). Managing depression: An adlerian approach. Individual Psychology,
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41(4), pg. 480. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-
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Murdock, N.L., (2017), Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy A Case Approach, Individual
Psychology, pg. 111, 113.
Parikh, S.J.T, Morris, C.A.W., (2011), Integrating Crisis Theory and Individual Psychology: An
Application and Case Study, The Journal of Individual Psychology, (67)4, 364 – 379.
Retrieved from: https://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/C_Morris_Integrating_2011.pdf
Shlien, J.M., Mosak, H.M., Dreikurs, R., (1962), Effect of Time limits: A comparison of two
Psychotherapies, Journal of Counseling Psycholoty, 9, pg. 31 – 34, Retrieved from:
https://link-springer-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/content/pdf/10.1007%2F978-3-7091-1382-
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Sweeney, T.H., (2009), Adlerian Counseling and Psychotherapy: A Practitioner's Approach,
Fifth Edition, Taylor and Francis, 2009. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral-
proquest- com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=668556.
Watkins, C. E. (1982). A decade of research in support of adlerian psychological
theory. Individual Psychology, 38(1), 90. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-
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