Ichiro KishimiIchiro Kishimi

Ichiro Kishimi

Philosopher, Adlerian psychologist.

Ichiro Kishimi was born in Kyoto, where he currently resides. He writes and lectures on Alderian psychology and provides counseling for youths in psychiatric clinics as a certified counselor and consultant for the Japanese Society of Adlerian Psychology. He is the translator, into Japanese, of selected writings by Alfred Adler—The Science of Living and Problems of Neurosis—and he is the author of Introduction to Adlerian Psychology, in addition to numerous other books.
Author Website

Philosopher's Notes on Ichiro Kishimi's Books

The Courage to Be Disliked
LockedPhilosopher's Notes

The Courage to Be Disliked

by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga

This is a book about Alfred Adler's approach to psychology. Adler was a contemporary of Freud and Jung. Although not as widely known these days, he was one of the most influential psychologists of the twentieth century. As per the sub-title, the book was originally a “Japanese phenomenon.” It was written by Ichiro Kishimi (an authority on Adlerian psychology who translated a couple of Alfred Adler’s books into Japanese) and Fumitake Koga (an award-winning professional writer). Big Ideas we explore include the primary difference between Freud and Adler (hint: etiology vs. teleology), the importance of "separating tasks" (aka: stay out of other people's business and don't let them in yours), the ticket to freedom (hint: the courage to be disliked), the center of the world (<- is not you), and Adler's guiding star (happiness defined as contribution!).

Quotes by Ichiro Kishimi

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Adlerian psychology is a psychology of courage. Your unhappiness cannot be blamed on your past or your environment. And it isn’t that you lack competence. You just lack courage. One might say you are lacking in the courage to be happy.
Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
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To quote Adler again: ‘The important thing is not what one is born with but what one makes of that equipment.’ You want to be Y or someone else because you are utterly focused on what you were born with. Instead, focus on what you can make of your equipment.
Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
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A healthy feeling of inferiority is not something that comes from comparing oneself to others; it comes from one’s comparison with one’s ideal self.
Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
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First, there are two objectives for behavior: to be self-reliant and to live in harmony with society. Then, the two objectives for the psychology that supports these behaviors are the consciousness that ‘I have the ability’ and the consciousness that ‘people are my comrades.’
Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
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There is no need to be recognized by others. Actually, one must not seek recognition. This point cannot be overstated.
Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
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That is why in Adlerian psychology, self-reliance as an individual and cooperation within society are put forth as overarching objectives. Then, how can one achieve these objectives? On this point, Adler speaks of surmounting the three tasks of work, friendship, and love, the tasks of the interpersonal relationships that a living person has no choice but to confront.
Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
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As a result of having received counseling, what kind of resolution does the client make? To change his lifestyle or not. This is the client’s task, and the counselor cannot intervene.
Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
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As Adler says, ‘Children who have not been taught to confront challenges will try to avoid all challenges.’
Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
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Do you see it now? In a word, happiness is the feeling of contribution. That is the definition of happiness.
Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
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When one is not following through with one’s tasks, it is not because one is without ability. Adlerian psychology tells us that the issue here is not one of ability but simply that ‘one has lost the courage to face one’s tasks.’ And if that is the case, the thing to do before anything else is to recover that lost courage.
Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
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