The science of living / by Alfred Adler.

  • Alfred Adler
Date:
[1930]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The science of living / by Alfred Adler. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    shall find that the criminal always looks upon his crimes as both clever and heroic. He believes that he has achieved a goal of superiority—namely, that he has become more clever than the police and is able to overcome others. He is thus a hero in his own mind, and does not see that his actions indicate something quite different, something very far from heroic. His lack of social interest, which puts his activity on the useless side of life, is connected with a lack of courage, with coward¬ ice, but he does not know this. Those who turn to the useless side of things are often afraid of darkness and isolation; they wish to be with others. This is cowardice and should be labeled as such. Indeed the best way to stop crime would be to convince everybody that crime is nothing but an expression of cowardice. It is well known that some criminals when they approach the age of thirty will take a job, marry and become good citizens in later life. What happens? Consider a burglar. How can a thirty- year old burglar compete with a twenty-year old burglar? The latter is cleverer and more power¬ ful. Moreover, at the age of thirty the criminal is forced to live differently from the way he lived 50 1 jC
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