Adler's working with criminals

>I don't know what steps if any Adler took in working >with criminals

I remember reading in Adler's "What Life Should Mean To You" something to the effect he had visited a prison and noticed that there were basically two types of individuals. The good looking individual, and the ugly. Adler said (going by memory) that the good look- ing one's were the pampered one's and the ugly were the neglected. Two basic personality types in Adler's psychology. The late student's of Adler, Margarette and Willard Beecher, in their brilliant book "Beyong Success and Failure" would say the criminal's behavior is one lacking in self-reliance, or initiative. As the Beecher's pointed out the basic illness of the mind is the leaning dependent habit of mind. The Beecher's pointed out that the individual need not look far, or deep,for the cause of his pain, he stumbles over it all the time. It is his own childishness. He must learn to "be a help and not a burden" on people. The problem then is how do you get the criminal to excercise his own initiative, and unlearn his leaning, dependent ways of meeting the world around him. A giver not a taker. As the Beecher's put it learning to stand up on his own feet. "You begin with initiative, you keep initiative, you end with initiative."

I just found your web page, and I'm happy to see Adler's psychology is alive and well. I do think that the Beecher's crystalized Adler's theories in a brilliant light. In my opinion the Beechers contributed greatly to the Science of psychology.

Again, good to see Adler is still alive and well.

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