lesson 3 adler's individual psychology
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Individual Psychology: Adler’s Theory of Personality
PSY136 – Personality 1
Freud and Adler
• Man is motivated by Sex and Aggression.
• People have no choice in shaping their personality.
• Present behavior is caused by the past.
• Emphasis on the unconscious.
• Man is motivated by social influences & striving for superiority.
• People are largely responsible for who they are.
• Present behavior is shaped by the future.
• People are usually aware of what they are doing and why.
Individual PsychologyIndividual Psychology
• Presents an optimistic view of people.
• People are born with weak, inferior bodies, that lead to dependence on other people.
• Social interest – feeling of oneness with humanity, is inherent in all individuals.
Alfred Adler - Biography
• Born February 7, 1870• Sickly child, led to his ambition to be a doctor• Considered childhood as an unhappy experience.• Resented an older brother, Mother’s favorite.• Pursued medicine at the University of Vienna.• Opthalmology, General Practice, Psychiatry• 1902 – First Association with Freud
Alfred Adler - Biography
• 1907 – Paper on Organ Inferiority and Compensation
• 1911 – Break from Freud, established SOCIETY FOR FREE PSYCHOANALYTIC RESEARCH
• Eventually led to Individual Psychology• Interest in Child Psychology and Guidance in
Schools.
Alfred Adler - Biography
• Experience in WWI led to his ideas of social interest (Army Doctor)
• Went to the United States in 1934 to escape Nazi Persecution.
• Lectured in various parts of the US and abroad.
• Died of a heart attack while on a lecture tour in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1937.
Individual Psychology
1. The one dynamic force behind people’s behavior is the striving for success or superiority.
2. People’s subjective perceptions shape their behavior & personality.
3. Personality is unified and self- consistent.4. The value of all human activity must be seen from the
viewpoint of social interest.5. The self- consistent personality structure develops into a
person’s style of life.6. Style of life is molded by people’s creative power.
Striving for Success or Superiority
• Single drive of motivation• Physical deficiencies activate feelings of inferiority.• Psychologically unhealthy individuals strive for
personal superiority. (Superiority)• Psychologically healthy individuals seek success for all
humanity. (Success)• Guided by a Final Goal• Acts of Compensation
The Final Goal
• Fictional• No objective existence• Unifies personality • Renders all behaviors
comprehensible• Unconscious for neglected or
pampered children.• Conscious for children who
experienced love and security.
Subjective Perceptions
• Fictions – expectations of the future• Goal of superiority or success• Teleology – explanation of behavior in terms
of its final purpose or aim.• Physical deficiencies serve
an impetus toward perfectionor completion.
Unity and Self- Consistency in Personality
• Each person is unique and indivisible.• Inconsistent behavior do not exist.• All actions are directed at a single goal
and serve a single purpose.– Organ Dialect – speaks a language– Harmony between Conscious and
Unconscious Actions – dichotomous nature
Social Interest
• Membership in a social community of all people.
• Attitude of relatedness• Empathy for each member of the community.• For social advancement rather than personal
gain.• Fruits of early social environment• Sole criterion of human values
Style of Life
• Flavor of a person’s life• Includes a person’s goal, self- concept, feelings for
others, and attitude towards the world.• Fairly established by age 4 or 5.• Unhealthy individuals = rigid Style Of Life• Healthy individuals = flexible Style Of Life• Problems: Neighbourly love, sexual
love, and Occupation• Means: cooperation, courage, and
willingness to contribute to another
Creative Power
• Implies movement toward a goal, and direction.
• Enables people to be in control of their lives.• It makes each person a free individual.
Abnormal Development
• Due to underdeveloped social interest.– Setting goals too high– Living in their own private world– Rigid and dogmatic style of life
External Factors
• Exaggerated Physical Deficiencies– Exaggerated feelings of inferiority– Overcompensation for their
inadequacy– Results in narcissism and lack of
consideration for others.
External Factors
• Pampered Style of Life– Weak social interest– Maintains parasitic
relationship with other people.– Feelings of being unloved
because their parents have done everything for them.
External Factors
• Neglected Style of Life– Low self- confidence– Overestimating difficulties– Distrust– Refusal to cooperate– Strong sense of envy and
hostility
Safeguarding Tendencies
• Compared to Freud’s Defense Mechanisms.• Largely conscious• Protects self- esteem from public disgrace• Includes Excuses, Aggression, & Withdrawal
Excuses
• People state what they claim they would like to do, that others will like, then follow it up with an excuse.
• Protects a weak sense of self- worth and deceive people into believing they are more superior than they really are.
Aggression
• Depreciation– Undervaluing other people’s achievement and
overvaluing one’s own.
• Accusation– Tendency to blame others and seek revenge.
• Self- accusation– Self- torture or guilt– People devalue themselves to inflict suffering on
others.
Withdrawal
• Running away from difficulties• Safeguarding through distance– Moving backward (reverting to a secure period of
life– Standing still (avoiding responsibilities)– Hesitating (vaccillation, procrastinations)– Constructing obstacles (creating problems or
trials)
Masculine Protest
• Overemphasis on the importance of being manly.
• Resulting from cultural and social influences.• Women want the same things that men have.
Applications of Individual Psychology• Family Constellation– Birth order, gender of siblings, age spread
• Early Recollections– Consistent with a person’s style of life– reflects patterns of one’s life
• Dreams– May present inconsistencies
• Psychotherapy– Enhance courage, lessen feelings of inferiority, and
encourage social interest
Birth Order – Oldest Child
Positive Traits• Nurturing and protective
Negative Traits• Highly anxious• Exaggerated feelings of
power• Unconscious hostility• Fights for acceptance• Must always be right• Highly critical of others• uncooperative
Birth Order – Second Child
Positive Traits• Highly motivated• Cooperative• Moderately cooperatine
Negative Traits• Highly competitive• Easily discouraged
Birth Order – Youngest Child
Positive Traits• Realistically ambitious
Negative Traits• Pampered• Dependent• Wants to excel in
everything• Unrealistically ambitious
Birth Order – Only Child
Positive Traits• Socially mature
Negative Traits• Exaggerated superiority• Low cooperation• Inflated sense of self• Pampered style of life
Critique
• Adler’s Theory Is –High on Generating Research,
Organizing Known Data, and Guiding Action–Moderate on Parsimony–Low on Verification, Falsification,
and Internal Consistency