Private Logic

The alternatives to developing social interest as a way of escaping from feelings
of inferiority are either to wallow in them or to explain them away with
private logic. Private logic is an individual’s techniques for coping with the
feeling of inferiority by unconsciously redefining himself or herself in a way
not compatible with social interest. Such individuals retreat from meaningful
interpersonal relationships and challenging work because it might
threaten their precariously balanced self-esteem. Private logic convinces
these individuals to seek a sham sense of superiority or notoriety in some
way that lacks social interest.
One such approach in private logic is what Adler termed masculine protest
(because Western patriarchal culture has encouraged such behavior in
males and discouraged it in females). The formula is to be rebellious, defiant,
even violent. Underlying all sadism, for example, is an attempt to deny
weakness. The gangster wants more than money, the rapist more than sex:
They need a feeling of power in order to cover up an unresolved inferiority
feeling.