Excerpted with permission from Griffith, Jane & Powers, Robert L.
The life-style assessment or life-style diagnosis is a structured inquiry into and interpretation of the individual's style of living. It is a major psychological assessment tool of Adlerian- trained therapists. The modern assessment inquiry generally includes two parts: (1) the family constellation, which includes family atmosphere and values; parental relationship; gender guiding lines; psychological birth-order position and sibling relationships; and the challenge of adolescence and gender identity; (2) The Early Recollections, which consists of a collection of early memories. The assessment interpretations generally include three summaries: (1) The Summary of the Family Constellation; (2) The Pattern of Basic Convictions (derived from an interpretation of the early recollections); and (3) an enumeration of The Interfering Ideas.
Credit