Scope and Content Note
The papers of Alfred Adler (1870-1937) span the years 1885-2001, with the bulk of material dating from 1928 to 1997. The papers are in English, German, and Russian and are organized into the following series: Alfred Adler Papers , Adler Family Papers , Closed , Oversize , and Digital Files .
The Alfred Adler Papers series contains correspondence, lectures, articles, the manuscript of a book, an appointment book, patient case studies and record books, reports, notes, photographs, certificates, clippings, and printed matter. It chiefly consists of letters written by Adler to his wife and children between 1897 and 1937 and drafts of lectures and articles, many of which Adler wrote while residing in the United States. Correspondence with people outside the Adler family includes a letter written by Albert Einstein in 1937 comparing the theories of Sigmund Freud and Adler. A small amount of material was added to the Alfred Adler series in 1996 and 2001, and includes correspondence, congratulatory letters on Adler's sixtieth birthday, lecture drafts, a photograph, and correspondence concerning Adler's death.
The Adler Family Papers series is organized into the following subseries: General Family Papers, Alexandra Adler Papers, and Kurt A. Adler Papers. The General Family Papers consist chiefly of correspondence, photographs, writings, printed matter, and other materials concerning Alfred Adler, his wife, Raissa Epstein, and their four children: Valentine ("Vali") Adler Sas; Alexandra ("Ali"); Kurt; and Cornelia ("Nelly"). Family correspondence is mostly in German, with some letters from Raissa's family in Russian. There are several letters written by Valentine from her home in Moscow. Photographs consist of portraits and snapshots of the Adler family, his students, and colleagues. Writings include a manuscript copy of the English translation of Social Interest: A Challenge to Mankind. Other material documents his trips to Europe after immigrating to the United States in 1929. Phyllis Bottome, a former student and biographer of Adler, and her husband, A. Ernan Forbes-Dennis, were active in arranging lecture tours for Adler in England during the summer of 1936 and 1937. Material from the lecture tours includes correspondence regarding scheduling, invitations, patrons, travel arrangements, and expenses. Adler's sudden death in 1937 led to the decision to engage Alexandra Adler to fulfill her father's lecture committments. Other items relating to the death of Adler include programs from his funeral, a certificate of cremation, condolence letters, and obituaries. At the time of her father's death, Valentine Adler's whereabouts were unknown, having been arrested in January of that year in Moscow on charges of association with Trotskyists. Letters describe the Adler family and friends' efforts to locate Valentine and transport her out of Russia. Photocopied documents, released from Russian archives in 1956, reveal that she died in a labor camp in 1942. Other materials include Bottome's correspondence discussing her books about Adler, and several German translations of Russian works by Raissa.
The papers of Alexandra Adler are comprised of correspondence, writings, research, and other materials that document her personal life and career as a psychiatrist in Austria and the United States. Correspondence is in German and English, and includes letters from psychoanalysts and mentors in Vienna, her husband, Halfdan Gregersen, Kurt A. Adler and his wife, Freyda, and various colleagues and professional organizations. There is a significant amount of correspondence regarding her early challenges in obtaining a position in neurology or neuropsychiatry in the United States. In correspondence from 1934, there is some discussion of the Fatherland Front, the ruling austrofascist political organization in Austria, and the forced closure of her child guidance center in Vienna. Other material from Vienna is comprised of documents regarding her clinical work, student identification cards, passports, driver's licenses, and school and university report cards and diplomas. Later correspondence primarily concerns the work and legacy of Alfred Adler. Writings include research and publications on post-traumatic stress disorder, psychological causes of industrial accidents, and instances of multiple sclerosis and visual agnosia in victims of Boston's Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire in 1942. There are also articles on her psychiatric work with female offenders in the New York Department of Corrections. Other materials include program and publicity information for events commemorating the centennial of Adler's birth, addresses given to the International Congress for Individual Psychology, and documents regarding her work with the Alfred Adler Mental Hygiene Clinic.
The papers of Kurt A. Adler consist of professional correspondence, speeches and lectures, publications, writings and research material, notes, and other printed matter. Correspondence is in German and English, and primarily concerns publications about Alfred Adler, and translations and edited collections of Adler's works. There is also correspondence regarding various Adlerian professional organizations and individual psychology conferences. Speeches and lectures span several decades and include multiple speeches on schizophrenia and the legacy of Alfred Adler. Prominent topics of research include depression and suicide, dreams, psychotherapy, and schizophrenia. There are also notebooks and a dissertation from his time as a student of physics at the University of Vienna, Austria.
A microfilm edition of the first three containers is available. Patient record books and material added to the collection in 1996, 2001, and 2016 have not been filmed.