ALFRED ADLER: INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY Flashcards
Concept of Humanity
Optimism, Social Influences, Free Choice, Teleology, and Conscious
feeling of oneness with all humankind
Social Interest
he called his approach individual psychology because it focused on the
Uniqueness of each person
people are born with weak, inferior bodies that lead to
Feelings of Inferiority
are constant motivating force in all behavior
Inferiority Feelings
feeling of unity with others
Social Interest
the main tenets of Adlerian theory are:
- The dynamic force behind people’s behavior is the striving for success or superiority.
- People’s subjective perceptions shape their behavior and personality.
- Personality is unified and self-consistent.
- The value of all human activity must be seen from the viewpoint of social interest.
- The self-consistent personality structure develops into a person’s style of life.
- Style of life is molded by people’s creative power.
psychologically unhealthy individuals strive for
Personal Superiority
psychologically healthy individuals seek
Success for all humanity
fictional and has no objective existence
Final Goal
people’s ability to freely shape their behavior and create their own personality
Creative Power
people strive for superiority or success as a means of
Compensation for feelings of inferiority
some people strive for superiority with little or no concern for others
Striving for Personal Superiority
motivated by social interest and the success of all humankind
Striving for Success
fictions or expectations of the future
Subjective Perceptions
a goal we created early in life and may not clearly understand
Fictionalism
develop a fiction or belief system about how to overcome these physical deficiencies and become big, strong, and superior.
Physical Inferiorities
thoughts, feelings, and actions are all directed toward a single goal and serve a single purpose
Unity and Self-Consistency of Personality
defect part of the body sends a message
Organ dialect
organ dialect or
Organ jargon
social interest or
Gemeinschaftsgefuhl/social feeling/community feeling
a feeling of oneness with all humanity
Social interest
the sole criterion of human values
Social interest
flavor of a person’s life
Style of life
basic style of life include the:
Dominant, Getting, Avoiding, and Socially Useful types
Universal problems
- Problems involving our behavior toward others
- Problems of occupation
- Problems of love
arrogant and show no concern to others
Dominant Type
always want to take something from others
Getting Type
avoiding others and withdrawing from them
Avoiding Type
show concerns for everyone
Socially Useful Type
freedom to create his or her own style of life
Creative Power
the one factor underlying all types of maladjustments is
Underdeveloped Social Interest
neurotics tend to:
- Set their goals too high
- Live in their own private world
- Have a rigid and dogmatic style of life
people become failures in life because
they are overconcerned with themselves and care little about others
external factors in maladjustments
Exaggerated physical deficiencies
Pampered style of life
Neglected style of life
enable people to hide their inflated self-image and to maintain their current style of life
Safeguarding Techniques
largely conscious and shield a person’s fragile self-esteem from public disgrace
Safeguarding Techniques
“yes, but” or “if, only” format
Excuses
protect a weak sense of self-worth and deceive people into believing that they are more superior than they really are.
Excuses
to protect their fragile self-esteem
Aggression
safeguarding through aggression may take the form of:
Depreciation
Accusation
Self-accusation
the tendency to undervalue other people’s achievement and to overvalue their own’s
Depreciation
tendency to blame others for one’s failures and to seek revenge
Accusation
marked by self-torture and guilt
Self-accusation
people run away from difficulties
Withdrawal
safeguarding through distance
Moving backward
Standing still
Hesitating
Constructing obstacles
same as regression
Moving backward
avoiding responsibilities to ensure themselves against failure
Standing still
they procrastinate
Hesitating
some people build a straw house to show that they can knock it down
Constructing obstacles
men and women overemphasize the importance of being manly
Masculine Protest
Applications of Individual Psychology
Family Constellation
Early recollections
Dreams
Psychotherapy
feelings of power and superiority, high anxiety, and overprotective tendencies
1st born
personality are shaped by their perception of the older child’s attitude toward them
2nd born
most pampered and run a high risk of being problem children
Youngest children
unique position of competing against father and mother. they often develop an exaggerated sense of superiority and an inflated self-concept
Only children
recalled memories
Early recollections
everything can be different
Dreams
enhance courage, lessen feelings of inferiority, and encourage social interest
Psychotherapy
