In what way(s) did Vaihinger’s philosophy of “as if’ influence Adler’s theory of personality? How does Adler’s theory relate to Nietzsche?
Hans Vaihinger’s philosophical theory of “as if” was readily influenced the Adler’s theory of personality. Adler believed that the life has a specific meaning and goal that are personally created by the relationship between the individual traits. One of the earliest experiences of life was the viewpoint of worldview concept that marks the influence of Vaihinger’s philosophy towards Adler’s personality theory.
Vaihinger was specifically concerned with notable fictions in mathematics, science, philosophy and religion that make the possibility of complex social life. Like Vaihinger, Adler identified that life is meaningful and must be assigned by the individual that develops the nature of worldview in a hypothetical manner. Worldview gives rise to guiding fictions (future goals) and then guiding fictions give rise to a lifestyle context of approach that encompasses the activities of social interest.
Life is meaningless that are virtually free to accept the context of “as if” that are true in the mind of Adler’s concept of the creative self. Thus, a well-known psychologist, Nietzsche, believed that the humans have the ability to choose their own destiny and a path that related towards the Nietzsche’s ideas towards the Adler theory in a more rational manner.