ADLER- INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY Flashcards
Who was Alfred Adler, and why is his name less well-known than Freud or Jung?
Alfred Adler was a psychologist who influenced later theorists like Harry Stack Sullivan, Karen Horney, Maslow, Rogers, and Ellis. His name is less well-known because:
He did not establish a tightly run organization to promote his theories.
He was not a gifted writer, and his books were compiled from scattered lectures.
Many of his ideas were incorporated into the works of later theorists and are no longer directly associated with his name.
What is the main premise of Adlerian theory regarding human personality?
Adler proposed that people are born with weak, inferior bodies, leading to feelings of inferiority. This results in a natural dependence on others, making social interest (a feeling of unity with others) an inherent trait and the ultimate standard for psychological health.
What is the one dynamic force behind people’s behavior according to Adler?
The striving for success or superiority.
How do people’s subjective perceptions influence their behavior?
eople’s subjective perceptions shape their behavior and personality, meaning that their personal interpretation of experiences plays a crucial role in their psychological developme
What does Adlerian theory say about the unity and consistency of personality?
Adler believed that personality is unified and self-consistent, meaning all aspects of a person’s character work together rather than being fragmented.
What is the value of all human activity according to Adler?
All human activity must be evaluated from the viewpoint of social interest—the degree to which an individual contributes to the welfare of other
What is style of life, and how does it develop?
A person’s self-consistent personality structure develops into their style of life, which is their unique way of pursuing goals and interacting with the world.
How did Adler develop the idea of striving for success or superiority?
Adler initially believed aggression was the main drive.
He later replaced it with masculine protest (will to power).
Finally, he identified striving for superiority but later differentiated it into:
1. Striving for personal superiority (psychologically unhealthy individuals).
- Striving for success (socially healthy individuals with social interest).
What role does creative power play in Adlerian psychology?
A person’s style of life is molded by their creative power, meaning individuals actively shape their personalities and destinies rather than being passively shaped by past experiences.
What is the first tenet of Adlerian theory?
The one dynamic force behind people’s behavior is the striving for success or superiority.
What is the Final Goal according to Adler?
People strive toward a final goal of either personal superiority or success for all humankind.
The final goal is fictional (it does not objectively exist but unifies personality and makes behavior comprehensible).
It is not genetically or environmentally determined but shaped by creative power.
By age 4 or 5, children set their final goal based on their experiences.
How does early childhood affect the final goal?
Neglected or pampered children: Their goal remains largely unconscious and may manifest in devious ways.
Loved and secure children: Their goal is more conscious and directed toward social success and interest.
How do preliminary goals relate to the final goal?
People create and pursue many subgoals that are often conscious.
The connection between subgoals and the final goal is usually unknown to the person.
What is the striving force as compensation?
People strive for success as compensation for feelings of inferiority or weakness.
Humans are born physically weak, which ignites inferiority feelings.
These inferiority feelings push individuals toward growth, completion, or success.
What is the relationship between striving for success and feelings of inferiority?
Striving for success is innate, but its direction is shaped by inferiority feelings.
Without striving for perfection, inferiority wouldn’t exist, and vice versa.
The goal of superiority or success is set as compensation for the sense of inferiority.
How does the final goal develop over time?
The striving force exists as a potential at birth but must be developed.
By age 4 or 5, children begin setting a direction for this striving force.
They establish a goal of either:
1. Personal superiority (self-centered, unhealthy).
- Social success (socially interested, healthy).
What role does creative power play in goal-setting?
The final goal is a creation of the individual, not a direct result of heredity or environment.
Heredity provides potential, and environment influences development.
However, creative power allows each person to shape their unique personality and style of striving.
What are the two general avenues of striving identified by Adler?
Socially nonproductive striving for personal superiority (self-centered and unhealthy).
Striving with social interest for the success of all (healthy and psychologically sound).
What is the one dynamic force behind people’s behavior according to Adler?
The striving for success or superiority.
What motivates psychologically unhealthy individuals?
The striving for personal superiority.
What motivates psychologically healthy individuals?
The striving for success for all humanity.
what was Adler’s early belief about motivation?
He initially believed aggression was the primary driving force.
What term did Adler use after rejecting aggression as a universal drive?
Masculine protest, implying a will to power or domination.
What is the final goal of an individual?
it is either personal superiority or success for all humankind.
What is the difference between “striving for superiority” and “striving for success”?
Striving for superiority involves personal dominance, whereas striving for success is socially beneficial.
What is the significance of the final goal?
It unifies personality and makes behavior comprehensible.
Is the final goal genetically or environmentally determined?
No, it is created by the individual through creative power.
At what age do children set their final goal?
By 4 or 5 years old.
How do infants compensate for their physical inferiority?
By setting a fictional goal to be strong, big, and complete.
How do neglected or pampered children differ in goal setting?
Their goal remains unconscious, leading to devious compensation.
What happens when children experience love and security?
They set a largely conscious and prosocial goal.
What ignites feelings of inferiority in humans?
physical deficiencies at birth.
How do people compensate for inferiority feelings?
By striving for superiority or success.
What exists simultaneously in a person’s striving force?
Minus situation (inferiority) and plus situation (completion).
What role does creative power play in striving?
It allows individuals to freely shape their personality and define their own success.
Does compensation always directly mirror the deficiency?
No, compensation can take various forms (e.g., a physically weak person may become a writer instead of an athlete).
What drives individuals who strive for personal superiority?
Exaggerated feelings of inferiority and self-centeredness.
How do people striving for personal superiority sometimes disguise their intentions?
By appearing socially concerned while actually seeking personal gain.
What characterizes individuals who strive for success?
Social interest, concern for societal well-being, and cooperation.
How do psychologically healthy people view others?
As collaborators, not competitors.
What is more important to people who strive for success?
Social progress rather than personal credit.
What shapes people’s behavior and personality according to Adler?
Subjective perceptions of reality, not objective reality itself.
What is fictionalism in Adlerian theory?
The idea that people act based on fictions (subjective beliefs), even if they are not real.
Who influenced Adler’s concept of fictionalism?
Hans Vaihinger, author of The Philosophy of “As If”.
How does Adler’s teleological view of motivation differ from Freud’s causal view?
Teleology focuses on future goals while causality looks at past experiences.
What role do physical deficiencies play in personality?
They motivate individuals to strive for perfection or completion.
How do people react to physical deficiencies?
Some move toward psychological health, while others overcompensate or withdraw.
Why do some people continue to act as if they are still weak even after overcoming physical deficiencies?
Because of deep-rooted subjective beliefs about their inferiority.
How do heredity and environment influence personality according to Adler
Heredity provides potential, environment influences social interest, but creative power determines personality.
What is the third tenet of Adlerian theory?
Personality is unified and self-consistent.
Why did Adler name his approach individual psychology?
To emphasize that each person is unique and indivisible.
Does inconsistent behavior exist according to Adler?
No, all thoughts, feelings, and actions are directed toward a single goal.
Why do some people behave erratically or unpredictably?
their behavior is an unconscious attempt to confuse and dominate others.
How do erratic individuals gain an upper hand in relationships?
By making others defensive and watchful due to their inconsistent behavior.
Are erratic individuals aware of their superiority-seeking motive?
No, they usually remain unaware and may reject any suggestion of their real motive.
What is organ dialect according to Adler?
The expression of a person’s psychological state through physical symptoms
How does organ dialect relate to personality?
The whole person functions in a self-consistent manner, and even physical symptoms align with their psychological goal.
What does Adler say about the language of the organs?
“The body’s organs speak a language more expressive than words.”
How does Adler define the unconscious?
The unconscious is the part of the goal that is not clearly formulated or understood by the individual.
How does Adler’s view of the unconscious differ from Freud’s?
Unlike Freud, Adler saw conscious and unconscious as cooperating parts of a single system.
When do conscious thoughts become unconscious?
When an individual fails to understand them.
How did Adler describe the interaction between conscious and unconscious?
“The conscious life becomes unconscious as soon as we fail to understand it, and an unconscious tendency becomes conscious once we understand it.”
When do unconscious thoughts become conscious?
When a person understands their unconscious tendency.
What determines whether a person’s behaviors lead to a healthy or unhealthy life?
The degree of social interest developed in childhood.
How does a healthy personality develop?
Through a high level of social interest and cooperation.
How does an unhealthy personality develop?
Through low social interest and excessive personal superiority striving.
What is the fourth tenet of Adlerian theory?
The value of all human activity must be seen from the viewpoint of social interest.
: What was Adler’s original German term for social interest?
Gemeinschaftsgefühl, which translates to social feeling or community feeling.
What does Gemeinschaftsgefühl mean?
A feeling of oneness with all humanity, implying membership in a universal human community.
How does a person with well-developed social interest behave?
They strive for perfection for all people rather than for personal superiority.
How does social interest manifest in behavior?
through cooperation with others for social progress rather than personal gain.
: What role does social interest play in society?
It acts as the adhesive that binds society together and ensures survival.
Why is social interest a necessity for human survival?
Babies rely on parental care for survival.
Early humans relied on communities to protect themselves from stronger predators.
Is social interest inborn or learned?
It is inborn as a potential but must be developed through social experiences.
What is the first relationship that influences social interest?
The mother-child relationship in infancy.
Why is the mother’s role in social interest important?
A loving and cooperative mother helps a child develop social interest
What happens if a mother favors her child over the father?
he child may become pampered and spoiled.
: What happens if a mother favors her husband or society over the child?
The child may feel neglected and unloved.
What is the role of the father in social interest development?
He must show a caring attitude toward his wife and others
What two errors do fathers often make, according to Adler?
- Emotional detachment – leading the child to feel neglected.
- Paternal authoritarianism – making the child strive for power rather than social interest.
How does emotional detachment affect the child?
It can cause a warped sense of social interest and a parasitic attachment to the mother.
How does paternal authoritarianism affect the child?
The child learns to seek power and personal superiority.
: How did Adler use social interest to measure psychological health?
It was his yardstick for psychological maturity.
What did Adler believe about the effects of heredity?
After age 5, heredity’s influence is overpowered by social environment
What are the characteristics of immature individuals?
Lack social interest.
Are self-centered.
Strive for personal power and superiority over others.
What was Adler’s criterion for judging human values?
Social interest is the only gauge to measure a person’s worth.
What are the characteristics of mature individuals?
Genuinely care about others.
Strive for success that benefits everyone.
Is social interest the same as charity?
No, charitable acts can be motivated by superiority rather than true social interest.
What is the difference between healthy and unhealthy inferiority?
Healthy individuals have normal feelings of inferiority and develop high social interest.
Unhealthy individuals have exaggerated feelings of inferiority and seek personal superiority.
What activates a person’s basic striving force?
Inevitable physical deficiencies that lead to feelings of inferiority.
What happens when someone develops exaggerated feelings of inferiority?
They create a neurotic style of life focused on personal superiority.
What happens when someone develops normal feelings of incompleteness?
they create a healthy style of life focused on perfection for all.
Style of Life
The unique way a person strives for their goals, shaped by heredity, environment, and creative power.
Established: By age 4 or 5.
style of life [types]
Rigid & Narrow (Unhealthy): Inflexible, unable to adapt.
Flexible & Diverse (Healthy): Can change and adapt
style of life [influences]
Healthy Style of Life: Addresses major life tasks—neighborly love, sexual love, occupation—with cooperation and courage.
Unhealthy Style of Life: Lacks adaptability, remains stuck in ineffective patterns.
Creative Power
The ability to shape one’s life, take control, and determine goals.
creative power [key concepts]
People are not passive products of heredity/environment.
We actively create our personality.
We choose whether to develop social interest or not.
Creative power [analogy]
“The Law of the Low Doorway”
A person must bend to pass through a low doorway (adapt to challenges).
Neurotics repeatedly bump their heads (fail to adapt).
Creative power allows a person to solve problems effectively.
Key Factor in Maladjustment
Underdeveloped social interest.
Characteristics of Neurotics:
Set excessively high goals.
Live in their own private world (detached from reality).
Have a rigid and dogmatic style of life.
Abnormal Development
People shape their own psychological health or maladjustment through creative power.
Main Causes of Failure in Life
Overconcern with oneself, lack of concern for others.
Overcompensating for exaggerated feelings of inferiority → unrealistic goals.
Develop a “private meaning” → personal, distorted view of reality.
External Factors in Maladjustment
Exaggerated Physical Deficiencies
Pampered Style of Life
Neglected Style of Life
Pampered Style of Life [psychological effects]
Expect others to care for them.
Feel extreme discouragement, indecisiveness, oversensi
tivity, impatience.
Experience exaggerated emotions, especially anxiety.
Exaggerated Physical Deficiencies
Not just physical issues but the feelings of inferiority that accompany them.
Leads to overcompensation → excessive self-concern, lack of social interest.
Neurotic response: Fear failure more than they desire success → selfish solutions.
Pampered Style of Life
Weak social interest, strong dependency on others.
Pampered style of life [Parental Influence]
Pampered children don’t receive too much love, but the wrong kind of love.
Parents do everything for them → child feels incapable → continues dependence.
When forced to be independent, they feel neglected, mistreated, abandoned.
Neglected Style of Life
Developed by children who feel unloved & unwanted.
Neglected Style of Life [core traits]
Lack confidence and overestimate life’s challenges.
Distrust others, struggle to cooperate with society.
See society as an enemy.
Feel envy toward successful individuals.
Neglected Style of Life [ comparision with pampered style]
Both feel inferior, but neglected children are more suspicious & aggressive.
More likely to be dangerous to others.
Safeguarding Tendencies
Conscious behaviors that protect fragile self-esteem from public disgrac
Safeguarding Tendencies [Difference from Freud’s Defense Mechanisms:]
Freud’s mechanisms: Unconscious protection from anxiety.
Adler’s tendencies: Conscious self-protection from failure.
Freud: Common to everyone. Adler: Found in neurotics only.
Safeguarding Tendencies
[ Types ]
Excuses
Aggression
Withdrawal
