Chapter 3- Adler: Individual Psychology Flashcards
This theory of psychology presents an optimistic view of people while resting heavily on the notion of social interest, a feeling of oneness with all humankind
Individual psychology
Alfred Adler’s name is less well-known than that of Freud or Jung because of three possible reasons:
1) Adler did not establish a tightly run organization to perpetuate his theories
2) he was not a particularly gifted writer
3) many of his views were incorporated into the works of later theorists and thus are no longer associated with Adler’s name
What are the six tenets of Adlerian theory?
1) striving for success or superiority is the one dynamic force behind peoples behaviour
2) people’s subjective perceptions shape their behavior and personality
3) personality is unified and self-consistent
4) The value of all human activity must be seen from the viewpoint of social interest
5) The self-consistent personality structure develops into a person’s style of life
6) style of life is molded by people’s creative power
People who strive for personal superiority over others
Striving for superiority
Actions of people who are motivated by highly developed social interest
Driving for success
According to Adler’s individual psychology theory, regardless of the motivation for striving, each individual is guided by
A final goal
The final goal of success or superiority toward which all people strive does two things:
Unifies personality and makes all behavior meaningful
People’s ability to freely shape their behavior and create their own personality
Creative power
According to Adler, people are continually pushed by the need to overcome _________ feelings and pulled by the desire for ________
Inferiority, completion
According to Adler, the striving force can take one of two courses:
Personal gain (superiority) or community benefits (success)
Adler believed that the final goal is set as compensation for the deficit feeling, and that the striving for success goal is ______ in other words we are born with it.
Innate
People who’s goals are personal ones and who’s driving’s are motivated largely by exaggerated feelings of personal inferiority. They have little or no concern for others. These people have an:
Inferiority complex
In contrast to people who strive for personal gain are those psychologically healthy people who are motivated by ________ ______and the _________ of all humankind.
Social interest, success
People’s _______ view of the world, not reality shapes their behavior according to Adler
Subjective
A person’s subjective perceptions of reality or expectations of the future
Fictions
People are motivated not by what is true, but by their subjective perceptions of what is true according to Adler. Adler emphasized _______ over causality, or explanations of behavior in terms of future goals rather than past causes
Teleology
Adler believe that all humans are _______ with physical inferiorities, which stimulates subjective feelings of inferiority and move people toward perfection or completion.
Blessed
Because Adler believed that all behaviors are directed toward a single purpose, even _________ or contradictory behaviors can be seen as operating in a self-consistent manner
Inconsistent
According to Adler, a deficient organ expresses the direction of the individual’s goal, a condition known as:
Organ dialect
According to Adler, the part of our goal that is not clearly understood is:
Unconscious
According to Adler, thoughts that are understood and regarded by the individual as helpful in striving for success are considered:
Conscious
A feeling of oneness with all of humanity, or “social feeling”. An attitude of relatedness with humanity in general as well as an empathy for each member of the human community.
Social interest
Adler believed that social interest originates from the _____-_____ relationship during the early months of infancy.
Parent-child
Adler believed that the parent-child relationship can be so strong that it negates the effects of:
Heredity
According to Adler, _____ _____ is the sole criterion of human values and the worthiness of all one’s actions must be seen by this standard
Social interest
The flavor of a persons life which includes their goals, self-concept, feelings for others, and attitude toward the world. It is the product of the interaction of heredity, environment, and a person’s creative power.
Style of life
A person style of life is relatively well set by __ or __ years of age.
Four or five. However, Adler believe that healthy individuals are marked by flexible behavior and they have some ability to change their style of life.
Style of life is partially a product of heredity and environment but ultimately, style of life is shaped by peoples _____ _____ , their ability to freely choose a course of action
Creative power
According to Adler, the one factor underlying all types of maladjustment is
Under developed social interest
According to Adler, neurotic people tend to have three characteristics that follow inevitably from a lack of social interest:
1) set their goals too high
2) Live in their own private world
3) have a rigid and dogmatic style of life
Adler listed three factors that relate to abnormal development
1) exaggerated physical defects
2) A pampered style of life
3) A neglected style of life
People with exaggerated physical deficiencies sometimes develop exaggerated feelings of ______ because they overcompensate for their inadequacy
Inferiority
This style of life contributes to an overriding drive to establish a permanent parasitic relationship with the mother or mother substitute
Pampered style of life
A person with this style of life has little confidence, overestimates difficulties connected with lifes major problems, and they are distrustful of other people
A neglected style of life
Patterns of behavior that people create to protect their exaggerated sense of self-esteem against public disgrace and enable them to hide their inflated self-image and to maintain their current style of life.
Safeguarding tendencies
What are the three principal safeguarding tendencies?
excuses, aggression, and withdrawal
This safeguarding tendency is the most common and is usually expressed in that “yes but” or “if only” format
Excuses. They allow people to preserve their inflated sense of personal worth
Safeguarding through aggression may take the form of (3 things):
Depreciation, accusation, and self-accusation
The tendency to undervalue other people’s achievements and to overvalue one’s own
Depreciation
The tendency to blame others for one’s failures and and to seek revenge
Accusation
This form of neurotic aggression is marked by self-torture and guilt
Self-accusation
This safeguarding technique is characterized by running away from difficulties or safeguarding through distance.
Withdrawal
Adler recognized for modes of safeguarding through withdrawal:
1) moving backward
2) standing still
3) hesitating
4) constructing obstacles
The tendency to safeguard ones fictional goal of superiority by psychologically reverting to a more secure period of life.
Moving backward
A withdrawal tendency where a person simply does not move in any direction and avoids all responsibility by ensuring themselves against any threat of failure.
Standing still
A withdrawal technique where people procrastinate when faced with difficult problems. The attempt to waste time and can use the excuse that it’s too late
Hesitating
A withdrawal tendency where people build a straw house to show that they could knock it down. By overcoming the obstacle, they protect their self-esteem
Constructing obstacles
The cultural and social practices-not anatomy-that influence many men and women to over emphasize the importance of being manly
Masculine protest
Adler believed that the frequently found inferior status of women is not based on physiology but on historical developments and _____ _____
Social learning
The practical applications of Adler’s individual psychology can be divided into four areas:
1) Family constellation
2) early recollections
3) dreams
4) psychotherapy
Adler believe that people’s perception of how they fit into their family is related to their ___ of ___
Style of life
Adler claimed that _______ are likely to have strong feelings of power and superiority, to be overprotective, and you have more than their share of anxiety.
Firstborns
________ children are likely to have strong social interest, provided they do not get trapped trying to overcome their older sibling
Secondborn
Adler believed that _____ children are likely to be pampered and to lack independence.
Youngest
______ children have some of the characteristics of both the oldest and the youngest child
Only
Adler believed that ______ ______ are templates on which people project their current style of life. People reconstruct the events to make them consistent with a theme or pattern that runs throughout their lives.
Early recollections
Adler believed that _____ can provide clues to solving future problems. Most of these are disguised to deceive the person.
Dreams
The goal of this therapy is to create a relationship between therapist and patient that fosters social interest. The purpose is to enhance courage, lesson feelings of inferiority, and encourage social interest.
Psychotherapy.
Which areas of Adlerian theory have been widely researched?
Family constellation and birth order, but more so, recollections and career choice.
Consistent with Adler’s view, research has found that early childhood ________ do match career types in adulthood.
Recollections
Adler’s theory of inferiority, superiority, and social feeling can be applied to health-related behaviors such as _____ _____ and _____ _____.
Eating disorders, binge drinking
Recent research related to birth order found that _____ children in a family are more likely to binge drink than ______ children.
Younger, older. The researchers explain this using Adlerian theory, youngest children are likely to be more dependent, and dependent people are more likely to cope with stress by heavy drinking
Research has tended to support Adler’s teleological approach to personality, in that early child experiences are _____ important than adults’ view of those experiences.
Less. Evidence found that early recollections change to the course of counselling. Recollections of preadolescent children changed after receiving therapy, whereas those of a control group did not.
How does Adler’s individual psychology rate on its ability to generate research?
High
How does Adler’s individual psychology rate on its ability to organize data?
High
How does Adler’s individual psychology rate on its ability to guide the practitioner?
High
How does Adler’s individual psychology theory rate on parsimony?
Moderate because it lacks operational definitions
How does Adler’s individual psychology theory rate on internal consistency?
Low
How does Adler’s individual psychology theory rate on falsification?
Low because many of its related research findings can be explained by other theories
Regarding the concept of humanity, Adler rates high on what five facets?
Free-choice, social influences, and uniqueness; very high on optimism and teleology
When it comes to the concept of humanity, Adler’s theory rates average on:
Unconscious influences
Adler founded his own psychology group:
The Society for individual psychology
