Life Tasks

There is a task in life which no individual can escape. It is to solve a great number of problems...I have divided them for clarity into three parts: problems of behavior toward others; problems of occupation; and problems of love. The manner in which an individual behaves toward these three problems and their subdivisions – that is his answer to the problems of life. (Adler, 1982, p. 4)

The three problems that Adler noted have been widely discussed in the literature, and are frequently known as the “Adlerian life tasks” or a similar term. For our purposes, they are summarized from Oberst and Stewart (2003): work, one’s vocation or occupation; love, emotionally intimate relationships; community, caring about and for the welfare of others. Several important points must be made regarding the life tasks.

Of paramount importance is the creative and individual nature of how the tasks are carried out; it represents the individual’s own “answer to the problems of life” rather than a nomothetic standard. However partitioned and defined, the life tasks are carried out under the direction of the individual’s life style (Adler, 1982) and thus are consistent with the unity of the individual’s personality.

Also, by noting that his division of the whole into three parts was “for clarity” and by reference to further “subdivisions”, Adler may have been acknowledging the possibility of other, equally valid conceptualizations of the life tasks. In any event, others have proposed additions and modifications.

For example, Mosak and Dreikurs examined Adler’s cumulative writings on the subject and proposed that the addition of two more tasks was justified: self, the task of relating to one’s self; spirituality, the task of determining meaning for one’s own life (Dreikurs & Mosak, 1967; Mosak & Dreikurs, 2000). Mansager and Gold (2000) challenged these two new tasks, claiming that Adler’s writings did not in fact support Dreikurs and Mosak (Mansager & Gold, 2000; Gold & Mansager, 2000). Their challenge seems to have been largely ignored, as a list of five tasks appears frequently in the literature (e.g., Eckstein and Kern, 2003) and is referred to as the Adlerian/Mosak life tasks.

An alternative framework of life tasks, based not on Adler but rather on the bagua, an element of Chinese philosophy important in feng shui, was proposed by Snyder (2010).

Make a Connection

Spirituality, the task of determining meaning for one’s own life, is probably the most broadly defined of the life tasks. Assuming that you view the task as appropriate for inclusion in the list of life tasks, how would you define it in the context of your life?

References

Adler, A. (1982). The fundamental views of individual psychology. Individual Psychology: The Journal of Adlerian Theory, Research & Practice, 38(1), 3-6. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Dreikurs, R., & Mosak, H. H. (1967). The tasks of life: II. The fourth life task. Individual Psychologist, 4(2), 1967, 51-56.

Eckstein, D., & Kern, R. (2003). Psychological fingerprints: Lifestyle assessment and interventions. Dubuque, IA: Kendall-Hunt.

Gold, L., & Mansager, E. (2000). Spirituality: Life task or life process?. Journal of Individual Psychology, 56(3), 266-276. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Mansager, E., & Gold, L. (2000). Three life tasks or five?. Journal of Individual Psychology, 56(2), 155-171. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Mosak, H. H., & Drelkurs, R. (2000). Spirituality: The fifth life task. Journal of Individual Psychology, 56(3), 257-265. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Oberst, U. E., & Stewart, A. E. (2003). Adlerian psychotherapy: An advanced approach to individual psychology. New York: Routledge.

Snyder, L. L. (2010). Feng shui bagua: An alternative assessment of social interest. Unpublished manuscript. Available from author.

Copyright © 2011 Leonard Snyder