3.25 stars- my dad bought this book for me a few years ago when i was in high school as a joke and i finally got around to reading it now that my academic career is over lol (i am graduating from uni in a few weeks hehe). this is the first Chinese book i have read in seven years lmao. i understand the purpose of this book is to simplify life’s difficulties to make people deal with their mental issues and emotions and accept their imperfections in a simplistic way okay so to that extent adler succeeded. yes he got the key to success in life DOWN: everything in life - your education, employment, love, depends on your own determination and framing of mental state. in that respect, he pointed out the underlying secret to this phenomenon that we deal with in life. his stance on people’s inferiority complex as a whole is very valid and i felt called out (complimentary) when i was reading his quotes regarding those topics. his main focus on personal agency, encouragement, and community contribution is incredibly influential till this day. HOWEVER, I can’t see how his views on how children should not be “pampered” and his views on how people with trauma/ mental health issues only lack autonomy because they only crave attention are not problematic and outdated. to put it frankly, i was a bit disgusted with how dismissive he is to reduce all mental health issues as things that are merely within one’s self-control without any scientific backing lol. ofc this comes from a white cis man but i guess his views can be justified since his theories were published ages ago but it really pmo bc as someone who struggles with my mental health a lot the last thing i want is to burden others or broadcast my issues to the world when i find it very difficult to open up or even admit to myself i struggle in the first place. his generalised take is incredibly damaging in this day and age and rage baited me to finish the book quickly for the last few chapters even though I enjoyed the book at first um😭 whatever i guess we move