Adlerian work / ADL-A18-5
Values behind Striving — Review journal
Review an attempt at values behind striving and choose what to keep, change, or leave aside.
10 minutes · Journal prompts · 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.
Before looking back
Choose one ordinary attempt or decide to review the fictional example instead. This journal has no scores, required disclosure, or expectation of progress.
Revisit the practice
Distinguish a valued aim from a need to prove superiority or avoid shame without labeling either motive as your whole identity.
Notice context and impact
Record what actually happened, including an unhelpful or neutral outcome. Note resources, power differences, accessibility, and changed conditions rather than attributing everything to personal effort.
Choose a revision
Which motive would you like to give more influence? Keep the approach, change one part, ask for support, or set it aside. A mismatch is useful information.
Prompts for this resource
- What I tried, or what happened in the fictional example:
- What I noticed before, during, and after; what remains uncertain:
- What helped, did not help, or was outside my control:
- Which motive would you like to give more influence? My optional adjustment or support request:
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.