guiding lines

Adler used the term guiding lines in several contexts to indicate the individual's characteristic way of moving on the basis of fictions which provide an orientation for life.  They are analogous to meridian lines on a map.  They are not there in reality, but they are necessary to our ability to chart a course and to maintain our orientation in the world.  The psychological guiding lines are part of the person's private logic, and are not usually in consciousness. They are elements of those generally unexamined convictions and rehearsed operations which shape the person's style of living.  They can be uncovered and re-evaluated through the exploration of early recollections.