Adler Flashcards
Adler’s basic assumptions
-society is ultimately good and beneficial to people, not oppressive
-traits of love and cooperation are natural, not learned
-present more important than past - repression irrelevant
-dreams approached with significantly less ambiguity (dream represents a fear –> find ways to overcome feared situation)
-individuals actively pursue their goals, they are not pushed from within by impulses
struggle for superiority
main motivational principle for Adler
an instinct whereby people have a sense of inferiority and they try to combat this feeling by trying to do their best, striving to stand out, and seeking to fulfill their potential. Essentially, you have the capacity to be good at something, and you are motivated to achieve that.
inferiority complex
the development of excessive “feelings of weakness and inadequacy”
social interest
an instinct in which people have an inborn desire to contribute to society and others (we all want to help people)
compensation
efforts to overcome real or imagined deficiencies (inferiority) and “adjusting to weaknesses” by developing other strengths
overcompensation
maladaptive way of overcoming the sense of inferiority by drastic attempts to hide a weakness consisting of denial rather than an acceptance of the reality of inferiority
style of life
-the unique way each individual learns from early social interactions to cope with their environment and develop superiority; how individuals perceive themselves, resolve problems, and achieve goals
-forms during the first two years of life
-assessed by inquiring about the client’s earliest memory (this will be congruent with ___ _ __)
mistaken style of life
leads to psychopathology i.e., developing maladaptive ways of coping with inferiority (struggle for superiority in non-productive ways) thru:
-compensating with weakness
-attempting to dominate others
-selfishness
selective perception
a perceptual screen; the idea that we only focus on and observe events that are congruent with our style of life and ignore things that do not fit with or disagree with our style of life
What are the three types of maladaptive parenting/overinvolved parents?
All of the below are called pampering:
1. overprotective: parents do not give space for the child to take risks or make mistakes
2. overindulgence: overidentification with child - the child becomes the focal point of parents’ lives and the child is spoiled as they are granted anything they want
3. overcontrol: parents do not grant the child autonomy - or the freedom to make their own decisions
pampering children will lead to pathology and fearful/self-centered kids; children unable to cope with failure or uncertainty without depending on parents
rejection
parents are uninvolved/neglectful; harsh/unloving; never gratify the child - these children learn what those who received pampering did but in the opposite way (i.e., selfishness, self-centeredness) and develop mistrust for others
healthy parenting (Adler)
produces independent children who are resilient and capable of making their own decisions
According to Adler, who and what influences a child’s development?
-the child’s loved ones/immediate family (parents, siblings) i.e., all individuals in the child’s home and even other adults in the child’s life (e.g., teachers)
-birth order affects personality development, in that, dependent on when you were born, the environment is distinct
demonstrates that –> SOCIAL DYNAMICS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN PSYCHIC DYNAMICS
sibling rivalry
the notion that a child’s birth order influences their development, more specifically that the child will feel the need to compete with their siblings for their parent’s attention and love
characteristics of an ONLY child
-largest risk for pampering since parents are overly involved
-child may not learn to share
-child develops self-centeredness i.e., mistaken style of life & in turn, may not develop their social interest, so they become more focused on what they can gain from others rather than what they can offer to others
characteristics of the OLDEST child
-child may have been an only child for some time, then replaced by a sibling, which results in the potential for the child to regress, as they observe their infant sibling receiving attention for being helpless.
-frequently provided responsibility and authority
-adult-oriented
characteristics of the MIDDLE child
-frequently competes with their older sibling in charge
-faster to learn independence, as they receive less attention than their siblings
-faster to learn sharing
-quickly learn to compromise - little choice in learning this, as it is a means of coping
characteristics of the YOUNGEST child
either the baby of the family is at risk for pampering and holding a mistaken style of life or opposes being the youngest, decline to be babied, and aim for superiority
psychopathology (Adler)
-mistaken style of life –> absence of courage (i.e., self-confidence) leading to avoidance of feared situations due to fear of failure
-symptoms are avoidance behaviors and lead to a lack of healthy coping skills
vicious cycle
a downward spiral characterized by a continuous pattern of an individual’s absence of effort –> failure –> affirms individual’s fears –> drastically decreased courage
Steps of Adlerian Therapy
- Discover style of life
- Diminish feelings of inferiority
- Develop courage by being supportive
- Begin benign cycle
benign cycle
-a goal in Adlerian therapy with adults that functions as a disconfirming experience for the client (corrective emotional experience)
-therapists works on improving the client’s courage: client confronts fears –> disconfirms expectations/realizes they were wrong about the feared situation –> increase in confidence/courage
-when people attempt to do things they were previously afraid to do in the past, they realize that their view of themselves was wrong –> gain confidence –> try harder next time –> become successful
Would Adler focus on the past or present?
Primarily on the present; little of the past is important (style of life), but the actual way in which pathology developed is virtually insignificant.
Would Adler focus on treating the symptom directly or treating the underlying cause?
Focus on treating the symptom directly by helping client have behavioral success in real life and focusing on practical goals; experiencing behavioral success causes pathology to disappear. This will therefore prevent the client’s pathological attempts to avoid failure. Also, symptom remission is merely a result of psychological health.
According to Adler, is insight necessary?
No, the client’s knowledge of their style of life is irrelevant. It is most important for the client to have real-world behavioral success because this benign cycle will result in the client experiencing a change from an unhealthy to a healthy lifestyle.
Is Adler more Western or Eastern?
-More Eastern than Freud due to the belief that social relationships are important, but is ultimately still more Western:
-behavior is mostly determined by style of life – hence, internal characteristics
–the situation is not particularly important for determining adult behavior at any given time
