Adler's Individual Psychology

Question 1

Intro to Alfred Adler

Answer 1

 1870 – 1937
 Childhood and adolescence marked by illness (rickets), awareness of death, and jealousy of an older brother
 “I remember sitting on a bench, bandaged up on account of rickets, with my healthy elder brother sitting opposite me. He could run, jump, and move about quite effortlessly, while for me, movement of any sort was a strain and an effort”
 Felt inferior to his brother and neighborhood children
 Worked hard to overcome these feelings and compensate for his physical limitations
 Forced himself to join sports and games; eventually achieved self-esteem and social acceptance
 Studied medicine at University of Vienna, graduated with a mediocre academic record
 Specialized in neurology and psychiatry
 Became friends with Freud
 Became a critic of Freud’s theory to personality which led to hostile severance of friendship
 In 1912, founded the Society for Individual Psychology
 Served in the Austrian Army during WWI and later organized child-counseling clinics in Vienna
 Moved to U.S. (NYC) in 1929 where he continued to promote his individual psychology
 Became America’s first popular psychologist!

Question 2

What is compensation’s role?

Answer 2

attempts to overcome our real or imagined inferiorities

Question 3

What results from compensation?

Answer 3

individual growth

Question 4

Characteristics of inferiority feelings

Answer 4

 Inferiority feelings are an ever-present motivating force in behavior
 “Source of human striving”
 Individual growth results from compensation
 inferiority feelings begin in infancy
 A function of the environment – a climate of helplessness and dependence on adults
 The infant is acutely aware of the parent’s greater power and strength
 Feelings are inescapable but necessary
 Provide the motivation to strive and grow

Question 5

What happens when a child is unable to compensate for his or her feelings of inferiority?

Answer 5

 The child develops an inferiority complex!
 Inferiority complex: a condition characterized by poor self-opinion, sense of helplessness and inability to cope with life’s demands

Question 6

Inferiority complex arises from which 3 sources?

Answer 6

 Organic inferiority
 Spoiling
 Neglect

Question 7

Explain organic inferiority

Answer 7

 Refers to defects & handicaps
 These shape personality as a person tries to compensate
 Can result in remarkable artistic, athletic, or social accomplishments
 Failure leads to inferiority complex

Question 8

What are the results of spoiling a child?

Answer 8

 Center of attention at home
 First experiences at school or in the real world come as a shock
 Veruca Salt (2-min)
 They are unprepared!
 (i.e. never learned patience)
 When later confronted with obstacles to gratification, believe they have a personal deficiency thwarting them
 Inferiority complex develops

Question 9

What are the results of neglect?

Answer 9

 Parents are indifferent, hostile
 Childhood characterized by lack of love, security
 Develop feelings of worthlessness
 Leads to the inferiority complex

Question 10

Describe the superiority complex?

Answer 10

 Overcompensation for inferiority feelings
 An exaggerated opinion of one’s abilities and accomplishments
 May feel a need to become extremely successful
 Characterized by boasting, vanity, self-centeredness, tendency to denigrate others
 Striving For Perfection
 Inferiority feelings are the source of our motivation

Question 11

What is our goal?

Answer 11

 Not to be better than anyone else
 But to perfect ourselves
 To make ourselves complete, whole
 This ultimate goal of superiority (perfection/wholeness) explains personality and behavior

Question 12

How do we attempt to attain “perfection”/superiority?

Answer 12

By shaping/implementing our style of life

Question 13

What is a style of life?

Answer 13

a unique pattern of characteristics, behaviors, habits we develop to attain our goals for perfection/wholeness

Question 14

Styles of life do what?

Answer 14

shape everything we do
impacted by social interactions (especially parent-child relationships, impacted by birth order) that occur early in life

Question 15

When are styles of life crystalized?

Answer 15

4 or 5

Question 16

What did Adler propose in terms of styles of life?

Answer 16

 We are not passively shaped by childhood
 We have individual free will that allows us to choose our own style of life
 We develop awareness & conscious attitudes about the experiences and abilities given to us by our genetics and environment

Question 17

What are the 4 basic styles of life and define each

Answer 17

 Dominant Type
 Domineering, aggressive
 Behave with little regard for others (little ‘social interest’)
 Become sadists, delinquents, sociopaths…
 …or alcoholics, drug addicts, suicidal – they hurt others by hurting themselves
 Getting Type
 Rely on others to get through life’s difficulties
 Become dependent
 When overwhelmed, develop phobias, obsessions and compulsions
 Avoiding Type
 Make no attempt to face life’s problems
 Avoid difficulties
 Avoid any possibility of failure
 When overwhelmed, can become psychotic – retreat to their inner worlds
 Socially Useful Type
 The healthy person = has social interest
 Cooperates with others
 Acts in accordance with others’ needs
 Able to cope with problems

Question 18

What are the 3 universal problems?

Answer 18

 Problems involving relating to others
 Problems of occupation
 Problems of love