Adlerian Flashcards
An intervention that
is concise, deliberate, direct, effi cient, focused,
short-term, and purposeful.
Adlerian brief therapy
Faulty, self-defeating perceptions,
attitudes, and beliefs that may have been
appropriate at one time but are no longer useful.
These are myths that are infl uential in shaping
personality.
Basic mistakes
Adler identifi ed fi ve psychological
positions from which children tend to view life:
oldest, second of only two, middle, youngest, and
only. Actual birth order itself is less important than a person’s interpretation of his or her place
in the family.
Birth order
An individual’s awareness
of being part of the human community. Community
feeling embodies the sense of being connected
to all humanity and to being committed
to making the world a better place.
Community feeling
Childhood memories (before
the age of 9) of one-time events. People retain
these memories as capsule summaries of
their present philosophy of life. From a series of
____________, it is possible to understand
mistaken notions, present attitudes, social interests,
and possible future behavior.
Early recollections
We cannot be understood
in parts; all aspects of ourselves must be understood
in relation to each other.
Holistic concept
Another term for fi ctional
fi nalism, which represents an individual’s image
of a goal of perfection.
Guiding self-ideal
A congruence between the client’s
and the counselor’s goals and the collaborative
effort of two persons working equally toward
specific, agreed-on goals.
Goal alignment
An imagined central goal
that gives direction to behavior and unity to the
personality; an image of what people would be
like if they were perfect and perfectly secure.
Fictional finalism
The social and psychological
structure of the family system; includes
birth order, the individual’s perception of self,
sibling characteristics and ratings, and parental
relationships. Each person forms his or her
unique view of self, others, and life through the
_________.
Family constellation
The process of increasing
one’s courage to face life tasks; used throughout
therapy as a way to counter discouragement and
to help people set realistic goals.
Encouragement
Adler’s original name
for his approach that stressed understanding the
whole person, how all dimensions of a person
are interconnected, and how all these dimensions
are unifi ed by the person’s movement toward
a life goal.
Individual psychology
The early determining
force in behavior; the source of human striving
and the wellspring of creativity. Humans
attempt to compensate for both imagined and
real inferiorities, which helps them overcome
handicaps.
Inferiority feelings
An individual’s way of thinking, feeling,
and acting; a conceptual framework by which
the world is perceived and by which people are
able to cope with life tasks; the person’s personality
Style of life
A strong inclination
toward becoming competent, toward mastering
the environment, and toward self-improvement.
The striving for perfection is a
movement toward enhancement of self.
Striving for superiority
A sense of identifi cation with
humanity; a feeling of belonging; an interest in
the common good.
Social interest
The phase of the counseling
process in which clients are helped to discover
a new and more functional perspective and are
encouraged to take risks and make changes in
their lives.
Reorientation
Basic convictions and assumptions
of the individual that underlie the lifestyle
pattern and explain how behaviors fi t together to
provide consistency.
Private logic
A special form of awareness that
facilitates a meaningful understanding within
the therapeutic relationship and acts as a foundation
for change.
Insight
Focus on the
way people perceive their world. For Adlerians,
objective reality is less important than how people
interpret reality and the meanings they attach
to what they experience.
Phenomenological approach
Adlerians seek basic information
about the client’s life as a part of the
lifestyle assessment process.
Objective interview
The process of gathering
early memories, which involves learning to understand
the goals and motivations of the client.
Lifestyle assessment
The core beliefs and assumptions
through which the person organizes his or her
reality and fi nds meaning in life events. Our perceptions
of self, others, and the world. Our characteristic
way of thinking, acting, feeling, living,
and striving toward long-term goals.
Lifestyle
Universal problems in human life,
including the tasks of friendship (community),
work (a division of labor), and intimacy (love
and marriage).
Life tasks
Understanding clients’ underlying
motives for behaving the way they do in the
here and now.
Interpretation
Used in an initial assessment to
gain understanding of the purpose that symptoms
or actions have in a person’s life. The question
is, “How would your life be different, and what
would you do differently, if you did not have this
symptom or problem?”
The question
The process whereby
the counselor helps clients tell their life story as
completely as possible.
Subjective interview
Adlerian therapy is well suited to a
brief or time-limited approach.
true
Adler chose the name Individual
Psychology for his theoretical
approach because he wanted to
avoid reductionism.
true
Striving for superiority is seen as a
neurotic manifestation.
false
Adler maintains that our style of life
is not set until middle age.
false
Adlerian therapy is flexible, and it
can be tailored to work with culturally
diverse clients.
true
Adlerian counselors do not make interpretations.
false
Adlerians place relatively little importance
on the quality of the client–
therapist relationship.
false
Assessment is a basic part of the
counseling process.
true
Insight is best defined as understanding
translated into action.
true
Adlerians believe childhood experiences
in themselves are the decisive
factor in shaping personality.
false
According to Adler, childhood experiences a. are not relevant to the practice of counseling. b. determine the adult personality. c. passively shape us. d. in themselves are not as crucial as our attitude toward these experiences. e. are only necessary to discuss in the initial session.
D
The Adlerian point of view toward the role of insight in therapy is best stated in this way: a. Insight is a prerequisite to any personality change. b. To be of value, insight must be translated into a constructive action program. c. People will not make changes until they know the precise causes of their personality problems. d. Emotional insight must precede intellectual insight. e. Cognitive understanding is absolutely essential before signifi cant behavior changes can occur.
B
13. Which of the following statements is not true as it is applied to Adlerian therapy? a. Consciousness, not the unconscious, is the center of personality. b. The approach is grounded on the medical model. c. It is a phenomenological and humanistic orientation. d. Feelings of inferiority can be the wellspring of creativity. e. Early infl uences can predispose the child to a faulty lifestyle.
B
Adler linked the recognition of inferiority feelings with striving for perfection or mastery. This notion is best captured by the saying a. A goal without a plan is just a wish. b. Goals are dreams with deadlines. c. Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. d. Inferiority and the quest for mastery are two sides of the same coin. e. Success is not permanent. The same is also true of failure.
D
The lifestyle assessment includes information based on a. the family constellation. b. early recollections. c. dreams. d. mistaken, self-defeating perceptions. e. all of the above.
E
Which is the correct sequence of human experiencing from an Adlerian perspective? a. First we feel, then we think, then we act. b. First we act, then we feel, then we think. c. First we think, then we feel, then we act. d. First we feel, then we act, then we think.
C
Adlerians could best be described as using which techniques? a. They use strictly cognitive techniques. b. They use emotive and behavioral techniques to get people to think. c. They are bound by a clear set of therapeutic techniques. d. They fit a variety of techniques to the needs of each client. e. They have an aversion to using techniques because they see the therapeutic relationship alone as the healing factor.
D
How would the Adlerian therapist view the personal problems of clients? a. as the result of cultural conditioning b. as the end result of a process of discouragement c. as living with problem-saturated stories d. as the product of our innate tendencies toward selfdestruction
B
Which of the following is not one of the four phases of the Adlerian therapeutic process? a. establishing the proper therapeutic relationship b. teaching the client the process of free association c. conducting a comprehensive psychological assessment d. encouraging the development of self-understanding e. reorientation and reeducation
B
Which term does not fit Adlerian therapy? a. holistic b. social c. teleological d. deterministic e. phenomenological
D
Which of the following does Adler not stress? a. the unity of personality b. biological and instinctual drives c. direction in which people are headed d. unique style of life that is an expression of life goals e. feelings of inferiority
B
The phenomenological orientation pays attention to the a. events that occur at various stages of life. b. manner in which biological and environmental forces limit us. c. way in which people interact with each other. d. internal dynamics that drive a person. e. way in which individuals perceive their world.
E
The concept of fictional finalism refers to a. an imagined central goal that guides a person’s behavior. b. the hopeless stance that leads to personal defeat. c. the manner in which people express their need to belong. d. the process of assessing one’s style of life. e. the interpretation that individuals give to life events.
A
Adlerians consider which factor(s) to be influential in an individual’s life? a. psychological position in the family b. birth order c. interactions among siblings d. parent–child relationships e. all of the above
E
Adlerians value early recollections as an important clue to the understanding of a. one’s sexual and aggressive instincts. b. the bonding process between mother and child. c. the individual’s lifestyle. d. the unconscious dynamics that motivate behavior. e. the origin of psychological trauma in early childhood
C
The climate of relationships
among family members.
Family atmosphere
