Adler - Individual Psychology

Question 1

Adler: The dynamic force behind people’s behavior is the striving for ___ or ___.

Answer 1

Success or superiority

Question 2

Adler: People’s ___ ___ shape their behavior and personality.

Answer 2

Subjective perceptions

Question 3

Adler: Each person has a final goal – what are the two options?

Answer 3

Personal superiority, success of mankind.

Question 4

Adler: People strive for superiority or success to compensate for feelings of ____

Answer 4

Inferiority

Question 5

Adler: People begin life with an innate striving force and physical deficiencies, which produce ___ __ ___

Answer 5

Feelings of inferiority

Question 6

Adler: People who feel they have more than their share of physical deficiencies, do what?

Answer 6

Overcompensate for their deficiencies, strive for personal gain and set unrealistically high goals.

Question 7

Adler: What is the sole criterion by which human actions should be judged.

Answer 7

Social interest

Question 8

Adler: Which three major problems of life can only be solved through social interest?

Answer 8

Neighborly love, work, and sexual love

Question 9

Adler: Which behaviors are consistent with a person’s final goal?

Answer 9

All of them

Question 10

Adler: Human behavior is shaped by a person’s ___ ___ of a situation.

Answer 10

Subjective perception

Question 11

Adler: Human behavior is shaped by a person’s ___ ___ of a situation.

Answer 11

Subjective perception

Question 12

Adler: Define creative power

Answer 12

An inner freedom that empowers us each to create our own style of life.

Question 13

Adler: What is the building material of personality

Answer 13

Heredity and environment

Question 14

Adler: What’s an organ dialect?

Answer 14

The expression of intentions or style of life through one’s bodily organs. E.g.: a limp that expresses weakness.

Question 15

Adler: Define Gemeinschaftsgefühl

Answer 15

Oneness with all humanity

Question 16

Adler: All people, especially neurotics, use ___ ___ to protect their inflated self-image and maintain their current style of life.

Answer 16

Safeguarding tendencies

Question 17

Adler: List safeguarding tendencies

Answer 17

1. Excuses
2. Aggression
3. Withdrawal
4. Hesitating
5. Constructing obstacles

“Everyone always wants ham & cheese”

Question 18

Adler: What are two ways to apply the withdrawal safeguarding tendency?

Answer 18

1. Moving backward – reverting to safer period of life.

2. Standing still – avoiding responsibility

Question 19

Adler: Define the masculine protest

Answer 19

The neurotic and erroneous belief that men are better than women.

Question 20

Adler: Cultural and social practices, not anatomy, influence people to overemphasize the importance of being manly. This condition is ___ ___.

Answer 20

Masculine protest

Question 21

Adler: What’s another term for subjective perceptions of reality?

Answer 21

Fictions

Question 22

Adler: ___ results from lack of courage, feelings of inferiority, or underdeveloped social interest.

Answer 22

Psychopathology

Question 23

Adler: What is the family constellation?

Answer 23

Birth order, gender of siblings, and age spread among them.

Question 24

Adler: What does Adlerian therapy use to foster courage, self-esteem and social interest?

Answer 24

Birth order, early recollections and dreams

Question 25

Adler: How do people with normal feelings of inferiority compensate for those feelings?

Answer 25

By cooperating with others and developing a high level of social interests.

Question 26

How does Freud’s theory differ from Adler’s?

Answer 26

• Sex & aggression vs. social interest
• Little choice vs. responsibility
• Past vs. future
• Unconscious v. awareness
• Motivation – Sex & aggression vs. social interest.
• Personality – Little choice vs. responsible for who you are.
• Behavior – Caused by past experiences vs. view of future.
• Awareness – Driven by unconscious vs. awareness of what one’s doing.

Many People Believe Adler

Question 27

Summarize Adler’s Individual Psychology (revision 2)

Answer 27

1. People begin life with a striving force and deficiencies – leading to feelings of inferiority.
2. Ppl compensate for this by developing social interest and success.
3. Neighborly love, work, & sexual love can only be solved by social interest.
4. Ppl who feel they have more than normal deficiencies overcompensate and strive for personal gain and superiority.
5. Everyone uses safeguarding tendencies like excuses or aggression – to protect inflated feelings of superiority
6. Therapy uses birth order, early recollections and dreams to foster social interest.

Question 28

What’s the difference between standing still and hesitating?

Answer 28

Standing still: lack of action to avoid failure.

Hesitating: procrastinating so one can say “too late now.”

Question 29

Describe Adler’s concept of fictionalism.

Answer 29

As ppl strive for success or superiority, their journey is shaped by subjective perceptions of reality. Since they differ from reality, they’re “fictions.”
Fictions shape actions, whether conscious or not.

Question 30

Compare Freud’s mechanisms with Adler’s safeguarding tendencies.

Answer 30

Freudian mechanisms:

• Unconsciously project the ego
• Apply to everyone

Adler’s tendencies:

• Conscious attempt to shield self esteem.
• Apply to neurotic symptoms.