Life is Simple: Adler's Cognitivism and Subjective Reality

Introduction: What Color is Your World?

“Life is suffering.” “The world is unfair.” “People are selfish.” Do you often have these thoughts? Many people view life as an arduous journey, endlessly carrying a heavy burden. Watching the news, terrible accidents seem never-ending, and looking around, everything seems to be a problem that makes life difficult.

But Adlerian psychology makes a surprising claim: “The world is incredibly simple. And so is life.”

I know you might want to shout, “No way! My life is so complicated and hard!” But Adler would ask in return: “Is it the world that is complicated, or is it you who are seeing the world as complicated?”

Today, through Cognitivism, one of the core principles of Adlerian psychology, we will talk about how we view the world through a distorted lens and how we can reclaim that simple and peaceful world.

1. Objective Fact vs. Subjective Interpretation: Well Water at 18 Degrees

The most important premise of Adlerian psychology is that “we do not live in an objective world, but in a Subjective world that we have given meaning to ourselves.”

There is a famous analogy. Consider a well. The temperature of the well water remains constant at 18 degrees Celsius throughout the year (objective fact). However, someone drinking this water in summer feels, “Wow, it’s cool!” On the other hand, someone drinking the same water in winter feels, “Oh, it’s lukewarm (or warm).”

The water has not changed. What has changed is the ‘weather (environment)’ and ‘you (the subject)’ perceiving it. Life is the same. Events that happen in the world are merely ‘facts’ with no inherent meaning. It is you who assigns meaning to those facts, saying, “This is a misfortune,” “This is an opportunity,” or “This is the worst.”

We often say we are struggling because of “unavoidable circumstances,” but in reality, we are struggling because of our ‘perspective’ on those circumstances.

2. Take Off Your Tinted Glasses

If you are wearing glasses with pink lenses, the whole world will look pink. You might insist, “The world is naturally pink!” but it is actually because of the glasses you are wearing. If you take off the glasses, the world reveals its true colors.

We all view the world through our own ‘glasses.’ Adler called this Private Logic. A person wearing glasses that say “People ignore me” will think, “They are ignoring me,” even if a friend is just too busy to answer a call. A person wearing glasses that say “I am unlucky” will despair at even a small mistake, thinking, “See, I can’t do anything.”

The problem lies not in the world (fact), but in the glasses (interpretation) you are wearing. If life feels complicated and hard, it might be because you are wearing dull gray glasses that say “Life must be hard.” The good news is that we can take off these glasses or change them for a different color at any time.

3. Inferiority: Is Being 160cm Tall a Vice or a Virtue?

Let’s assume my height is 160cm. Someone might feel inferior, thinking, “I’m small and unimpressive.” In this case, the height of 160cm becomes a ‘disadvantage.’ However, Adler himself was short, but he thought, “Because I am short, people can relax their guard and approach me comfortably.” In this case, 160cm becomes a powerful ‘advantage.’

The objective fact of ‘160cm height’ has not changed. But depending on the meaning assigned to it, it can become a complex that torments me or a weapon unique to me.

The feelings of inferiority that torment us come not from objective facts (physical conditions, poverty, education, etc.) but from the subjective interpretation of comparing those facts with others and evaluating ourselves poorly. Poverty is not misfortune; interpreting poverty as “shameful” is misfortune.

4. Your ‘Interpretation’ Creates Your Future

We cannot change past events, but we can change our interpretation of those events.

Two people have the experience of being bitten by a dog in childhood. Person A thinks: “All dogs in the world are dangerous. I hate animals.” (Remains as trauma) Person B thinks: “The dog was just startled back then. Thanks to that, I learned how to handle animals.” (Sublimated into experience)

Person A will live in fear avoiding animals all their life, while Person B might become a veterinarian living with a love for animals. It is the same event, but life becomes 180 degrees different depending on the interpretation.

If your life is hard right now, stop for a moment and think. “What glasses am I wearing to view this situation?” “Is there no other way to interpret this situation?” “Can I not assign meaning to this crisis as an opportunity for growth?“

5. Conclusion: The World Looks As You Determine It

Adler says: “The world of reality is a world to which we have attributed meaning.”

If you believe “The world is warm and livable,” you will start noticing truly kind people. If you believe “I can do anything,” obstacles will start to look like challenges.

Life is inherently simple. And life is inherently enjoyable. Cut the thread of thoughts you have twisted intricately. Put down the heavy backpack of ‘victim mentality’ and ‘pessimism’ you are carrying on your shoulders.

Think simply. Love yourself, trust others, and enjoy today. The world will smile at you exactly as you look at it.

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