Namely, Alfred Adler developed a belief that human motivation goes way deeper than sexuality and low instincts. According to his inferiority theory, we are all born with an inferiority complex: the inner feeling that you are never good enough at what you do—not even by your standards.

According to Adler, the associated lack of self-esteem, doubt in one’s value, and the desire to prove ourselves and create value for others is the strongest drive among all. Just as William Faulkner likes to say, the human heart in conflict with itself is the only thing to write about.

Influenced by the work of Jan Smuts, Alfred Adler developed a strong belief that as humans, we don’t consist of parts—such as Freudian id, ego, ad superego—but rather, we are holistic, creative beings who are in control of their lives, and responsible for who they become.

He decided to call his approach to psychology “Individual Psychology” where the keyword “individual” means “undivided.” He believed that, rather than staying under the strong influence of subconscious drives, we are aware of what we are doing and why.

Rather than being the prisoners of our past, we are free decision-makers motivated by our future and determined to achieve our unique personal goals.

Personality vs Lifestyle.

Adler used to avoid the traditional concept of personality and preferred talking about people’s way of life or lifestyle, meaning the unique ways in which one handles problems and interpersonal relations.

According to his school of Individual Psychology, we aim to create the ideal versions of ourselves (the idea somewhat related to the self-actualization theory rooted in Abraham Maslow’s work). There are as many ways of achieving this personal goal as are people.

To one person, the best way is to demonstrate their full dedication to their employer and their team and to become the employee of the year. To someone else, the best way would be to create the funniest and the most colorful fairy tale book for children.

To yet someone else, perhaps becoming the wealthiest or the most physically appealing person in their neighborhood is the way to go. Or, writing a popular blog. Or, creating a popular Instagram account.

Adler was putting a strong emphasis on the social side of human psychology—regardless of which way of proving ourselves and building value we choose, the value that we produce becomes meaningful only in the context of others, never in isolation.

In other words, the real value is what we can offer to other people, not just what we can do for ourselves. And, to feel truly accomplished, we need positive feedback from our environment.

Finding Motivation and Career Management Are Hard! You Need To Discover What Your Natural Way of Creating Value Is.

Despite this internal sense of control, in practice, overcoming the inferiority complex is still hard! We are our own biggest critics, and no matter how far we get, we always feel that we might have done better. It’s just a never-ending fight with yourself, with your mind playing tricks on you all the time. Most people only win this game in old age—or never.

So, how to find your natural way of creating value as a professional? And then, improve on your career management skills, and choose a career that will allow you to get the most satisfaction and thrive. 

In general, there are three pillars to your identity as a professional. (please also find more information in the article “3 Steps To Find Your Edge in the Job Market: On The Ontology of Value Model”) Here, we will focus on one of these pillars – the way we naturally build value for others as professionals.

On The Ontology of Value Model: How Do We Build Value?

In Ontology of Value, we conducted a broad, two-year-long study to reveal the most common ways to build value as a professional in our society. Our findings revealed that there are at least eight ways in which you can create value in the job market: