Rudolf Dreikurs

Rudolf Dreikurs (1897 to 1972) was an Austrian psychiatrist and educator who developed Alfred Adler's system of individual psychology into a practical method for understanding the purposes of troublesome behaviour in children and for encouraging cooperation without punishment or reward. He suggested that misbehavior results from a feeling of lacking belonging to one's social group, and that the child then acts from one of four mistaken goals, which are undue attention, power, revenge or avoidance through displayed inadequacy. His aim was that students would learn to cooperate reasonably because they felt themselves valuable contributors to the classroom. In 1952 he organized followers of Adlerian psychology to found the North American Society of Adlerian Psychology and led it actively until his death. His books include Psychology in the Classroom, Maintaining Sanity in the Classroom, Discipline Without Tears and Children: The Challenge.