An Analysis of Jeongjo's Lifestyle from the Perspective of Adler’s Individual Psychology

This study analyzes the lifestyle of King Jeongjo, the 22nd monarch of Joseon, from the perspective of Adlerian Individual Psychology. To achieve this, this study examines King Jeongjo’s life through official records such as the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, Hanjungrok, and HongJaeJeonSeo, which are literature on King Jeongjo, and secondary written works that interpret his life. The findings showed that King Jeongjo did not lose his filial love for Crown Prince Sado despite the family atmosphere of ‘loveless nurturing’. In addition, through the death of Crown Prince Sado, he came to have a life goal of ‘honoring Crown Prince Sado’, and he tried to overcome the inferiority complex of guilt towards his father throughout his reign. In this study, King Jeongjo's lifestyle is a ‘socially useful type’ with high social interest and activity, and based on the spirit of love for the people and ‘public mind’ he implemented various policies aligned with Adlerian Individual Psychology's five life tasks(friendship, love, work, self-direction, and spirituality). These findings suggest that teachers can inspire hope in children by showing that a painful childhood does not have to define one's life. Thus highlighting the importance of educators understanding students' feelings of inferiority and encouraging them to develop social interest and courage in their educational field.