Adlerian work / ADL-A18-2
Values behind Striving — Practice worksheet
Distinguish a valued aim from a need to prove superiority or avoid shame without labeling either motive as your whole identity.
15 minutes · Worksheet · Adults; supported use as appropriate
Fictional example: Morgan wants a promotion for security and also fears being overlooked.
Use an ordinary or fictional example, with a clinician when appropriate. Ambition can be examined for meaning, social context, and personal cost.
1. Choose a workable example
Use the fictional example below or an ordinary situation of your choosing. Keep identifying details out of shared copies.
2. Try the practice
Distinguish a valued aim from a need to prove superiority or avoid shame without labeling either motive as your whole identity.
3. Compare possibilities
Generate at least two interpretations or options. Mark what you know, what you are guessing, and what remains outside your control.
4. Decide together
Which motive would you like to give more influence? Choose one small action, a support request, or no action. Review the fit with your clinician when relevant.
Prompts for this resource
- My chosen or fictional situation, and what I know about it:
- My response to the practice task above:
- Which motive would you like to give more influence?
- An optional next step, support, adaptation, or reason to stop:
Conceptual background
Alfred Adler: Theory and Application — Adler Graduate School
Background on the approach only. Original exercises and wording are by More Than Therapy with AI assistance; the source does not validate or endorse these materials.