Adler

Question 1

Adler’s basic assumptions

Answer 1

-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

Question 2

struggle for superiority

Answer 2

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.

Question 3

inferiority complex

Answer 3

the development of excessive “feelings of weakness and inadequacy”

Question 4

social interest

Answer 4

an instinct in which people have an inborn desire to contribute to society and others (we all want to help people)

Question 5

compensation

Answer 5

efforts to overcome real or imagined deficiencies (inferiority) and “adjusting to weaknesses” by developing other strengths

Question 6

overcompensation

Answer 6

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

Question 7

style of life

Answer 7

-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 ___ _ __)

Question 8

mistaken style of life

Answer 8

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

Question 9

selective perception

Answer 9

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

Question 10

What are the three types of maladaptive parenting/overinvolved parents?

Answer 10

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

Question 11

rejection

Answer 11

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

Question 12

healthy parenting (Adler)

Answer 12

produces independent children who are resilient and capable of making their own decisions

Question 13

According to Adler, who and what influences a child’s development?

Answer 13

-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

Question 14

sibling rivalry

Answer 14

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

Question 15

characteristics of an ONLY child

Answer 15

-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

Question 16

characteristics of the OLDEST child

Answer 16

-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

Question 17

characteristics of the MIDDLE child

Answer 17

-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

Question 18

characteristics of the YOUNGEST child

Answer 18

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

Question 19

psychopathology (Adler)

Answer 19

-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

Question 20

vicious cycle

Answer 20

a downward spiral characterized by a continuous pattern of an individual’s absence of effort –> failure –> affirms individual’s fears –> drastically decreased courage

Question 21

Steps of Adlerian Therapy

Answer 21

1. Discover style of life
2. Diminish feelings of inferiority
3. Develop courage by being supportive
4. Begin benign cycle

Question 22

benign cycle

Answer 22

-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

Question 23

Would Adler focus on the past or present?

Answer 23

Primarily on the present; little of the past is important (style of life), but the actual way in which pathology developed is virtually insignificant.

Question 24

Would Adler focus on treating the symptom directly or treating the underlying cause?

Answer 24

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.

Question 25

According to Adler, is insight necessary?

Answer 25

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.

Question 26

Is Adler more Western or Eastern?

Answer 26

-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