He is not well known even among students of psychology Even so, his thought is a representative expression of the Western mentality, and his ideas are echoed both in contemporary psychology and present day Western culture. The degree to which Adler influenced rather than anticipated the trends of psychology and society is arguable, but one observer, Joseph Wilder, recognizing how most of the observations and ideas of Adler had subtly and quietly permeated modern psychological thinking, was led to assert, "The proper question is not whether one is Adlerian but how much of an Adlerian one is."'