Compensation and life-style

Paper presented at the XXIII S.I.P.I. National Congress – “The network of the compensatory functions in the Adlerian theory and practice”, Milan, 2012.

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Summary. The Love of Our destiny and the neurosis. Life-style is the kind of particular complex relations leading to an unaware design that characterizes the structure of the Adlerian personality. Compensation is a fundamental mechanism in the personality organization and in each individual life style . This is an exquisitely adlerian concept, even if borrowed, added with great originality, by the thought of the “as if “ philosopher, VAHINGER .As according to Adler and other authors the human condition consists of a fragile and insecure nature, men have , in order to build their future, to use tools and instruments enabling them to overcame their real or supposed inferiorities either from a practical point of view or connected to the existence of the knowledge that allows human beings to understand the world. These essential instruments, i.e. the compensations, must have characteristics which are positive and useful to allow us to overcome practical and personal difficulties we come across in various life circumstances. Alternatively whenever the compensations, far from being positive tools, turn out to be inefficient to reach the desired aims with balance, life-style, carrying along an unsolved conflict, shows the marks of the discomfort and the disease. The author believes in the acceptance of love for our destiny as the solution to the overwhelming neurosis, which, instead of using hyper-compensatory ways ,is bound to lead us to failure. This acceptance can only unwind in a context of freedom and confidence, which means the psycho-sexual acceptance of the adult individual. The purpose and the end of the psychotherapy can’t be found outside this setting absolutely necessary and highly meaningful, that lies at the root of the choice between freedom and neurosis. This is a dilemma that must be solved only by following the process described above, which an individual can reach only in a context of freedom regained and of a destiny not only accepted but beloved.

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