The Split That Changed Psychology The split between Alfred Adler and Sigmund Freud in 1911 was not just a personal falling-out between colleagues. It was a fundamental disagreement about human nature, the causes of neurosis, and the path to psychological health. Freud believed humans are driven by unconscious sexual and aggressive instincts that must be repressed by civilization, creating inevitable neurosis. Adler believed humans are driven by the desire to overcome inferiority and contribute to society, and neurosis occurs when this drive is blocked by faulty beliefs and lack of social interest. Freud looked backward to childhood trauma and unconscious...