Class 5: Adlerian Flashcards
Alfred Adler
(About him)
(organ inferiority)
- 2nd of seven children
- Organ inferiority
- if inferiority in organ…will do something to compensate for that infiority…will compensate
- eventually expanded this to a feeling of inferiroity
- Freud’s professional associate and (initially) friend
Adler’s Individual Psychology
(A phenomenological approach)
(Social interest)
(ordinal position)
-
A phenomenological approach
- understanding that everything is subjective
-
Social interest
- one of his key contributions is that man is a social being and social interest is a critical component to the way our psychology develops
- also interest for community
-
Ordinal position (birth order and sibling relationships)
- 1st to break away from freud and others of time to talk about more than parent/child relationship..child doesnt grow up in vacume
- brought idea of sibling relations and family constillations
- Therapy as teaching, informing and encouraging
- believed that psychopathology is a manifestation of discouragment
- Basic mistakes in the client’s private logic
- sounds cognitive
- The therapeutic relationship as a collaborative partnership
Fundamentals of individual psychology
1.Individual as a whole
- Life style: a person’s long term orientation over his/her life span
- what the whole individual experinces at a physical, emotional, and mental level
2.Human behavior is purposive
- Teleological: goal oriented
- we have goals…parts work together to achieve them and every behavior has a purpose
3.Humans are social
- Gemeinschaftsgefuhl: social interest
- the more meaningful contributions you can make to society and those around you, the less psychopathology youll have
The Phenomenological Approach
-
Subjective frame of reference
- Reality is less important than how the individual perceives and believes life to be
- It is not the childhood experiences that are crucial ~ It is our current interpretation of these events
-
Behavior is not determined by:
- Unconscious instincts or sexual urges
- genes
- environment
- genes and environment
- BUT by how we choose to respond to our genes and environment
- it may be conscious or unconsicous
- …are you aware you are responding in this way
- it may be conscious or unconsicous
Feelings of Inferiority
(motivating force)
(Pursuit of mistaken goals)
-
Motivating force in behavior
- b/c we are all striving to feel capable (not superior)
- Growth results from compensation: attempts to overcome inferior feelings
- Pursuit of Mistaken Goals of:
-
Attention: If you notice me, I belong
- I have value if you see me
- ex. child who acts out in class for attention
-
Power: I belong if I am the boss (call the shots)
- a little more pathological than attention
- someone has to be below for me to belong
- ex. bully
- not feeling connected..
-
Revenge: I know I don’t belong so I will make others feel the way I feel
- have not felt sense of belonging for so long, they feel so inferior…M.O. to make others feel how they feel
-
Display of inadequacy/ inferiority complex: I know I don’t belong, so I will convince others not to expect anything from me
- gone from feelings of inferiority to inferiority complex
- distachment/they withdrawl
- im helpless (excape piece), dont expect anything from me
-
Attention: If you notice me, I belong
Social Interest - Gemeinschaftsgefuhl
- Adler’s most significant and distinctive concept
- Gemeischaft – community; gefuhl – a feeling; a feeling for the community
- Refers to an individual’s attitude toward and awareness of being a part of the human community
- awareness that you hold agency in impacting community around you and vice vesa
- the higher level of social interest you have, the more healthy you will be in your psych
- Connection: Feeling of belonging
- Contribution: process by which one can recognize their true human potential
- Capability: striving neither for superiority or being bogged down by inferiority
- Mental health is measured by the degree to which we successfully share with others and are concerned with their welfare
Life style
(1. what is it)
(2. what is it made up of)
- Life style: mode of relating to the world
- Made up of:
-
A basic self concept
- who am I
-
A life goal
- what do I want to accomplish in this life
-
A fundamental mode of dealing with life situations
- how do you deal with those around you..when issues and problems are presented
-
A basic self concept
- Early recollections and information about family constellation are fundamental to understanding Life Style
Private logic, common sense & mistaken goals
-
Human nature is biased
- Everything is filtered through one’s perceptions and biases
-
Most of us have private goals that we are unaware of
- Think three C’s: connection, capability or contribution
- However, we try to operate in the realm of common sense
Birth order: Ordinal position
(basics)
- Ordinal position vs psychological position
- Why this matters:
- Experiences change based on where your place of belonging is in the family
- It is informative but not predictive
- The family constellation as a whole is important
- Contrast from Freud & others who focused solely on parent-child interactions
Birth order: Ordinal position
(Only Child)
- Greatest need for achievement
- Highest achievers except for oldest children
- Most likely to attend college
- Highest rate of behavior problems
- Lowest general need for affiliation.
- Most selfish.
Birth order: Ordinal position
(Oldest Child)
- Oldest Child:
- Highest rate of academic success
- High achievers
- High in motivation
- Most likely to be leaders
- Overrepresentation among learned groups
Birth order: Ordinal position
(Middle Child)
- Greatest feelings of not belonging
- Sociable nature
- Fewest acting-out problems
- Highest rate of success in team sports
- High levels of relating well to older and younger people
- Tend to be competitive in areas not attempted by oldest children
- More likely to be faithful within monogamous relationships
Birth order: Ordinal position
(Youngest Child)
- Highest social interest and agreeableness
- Most rebellious
- Most empathic
- Most likely to abuse alcohol
- Overrepresentation among psychiatric populations.
- More artistic, less scientific; highest representation among writers
Early recollections
- Early recollections:
- “an encapsulated, specific event with a beginning and an end” (p. 21)
Adler’s view of psychopathology
(Pic)
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