Lecture 3. Adlerian Theory Flashcards
Alfred Adler Birth Order and Nationality
2nd among 7 children of middle-class Jewish family
Adler Health Status
weak and sickly compared to his older brother, and at age 5, almost died of Pneumonia; his poor health and the death of a younger brother motivated him to become a physician.
Death of Adler’s brother
His younger brother died in bed next to Adler, but he was neither terrified or guilty, but was challenged to overcome death.
Relationship with Older Brother
Had sibling rivalry and unhappy competition with Sigmund, the older brother who became very successful even in adult life, but lesser famous compared to him.
Relationship with Parents and Siblings
was more engaged in social relationships with other siblings rather than close attachment to parents.
What Society did Adler became a president? And what did he presented?
As the president of Vienna Psychoanalytic Society (1911) he presented his opposition to the strong sexual proclivities of psychoanalysis and insisted the drive for superiority was more of a basic motive than of sexuality.
After leaving Freud’s circle what did he form?
Formed Society for Free Psychoanalytic Study, then changed to Society for Individual Psychology
In individual psychology, what it conveys about each person?
Each person is an integrated whole, striving to attain future goals and attempting to find meaning in life while working harmoniously with others.
What does Indiv Psychology presents?
presents an optimistic view of people while resting heavily on the notion of social interest
Social Interest— feeling of oneness with all humankind.
Individual Psych believed that
believed that people are motivated mostly by social influences and by their striving for superiority or success and that people are largely responsible for who they are.
Present behavior is shaped by and that means?
present behavior is shaped by people’s view of the future
thus psychologically healthy people are usually aware of what they are doing and why they are doing it.
6 main tenets of individual psychology
Striving for success or superiority as one dynamic force behind people’s behavior
Subjective perceptions shape behaviors and personality
Personality is unified and self-consistent
Social interest embody the value of all human activity
Style of life shows the self-consistent personality
Creative power results to the style of life
What does it mean when people strive for success or superiority?
People strive for success or superiority as a means of compensation for feelings of inferiority or weakness. (inferiority = insecurities)
Striving force?
innate but its nature and direction are due both to feelings of inferiority and to the goal of superiority.
Without innate movement toward perfection
Without innate movement toward perfection = children would never feel inferior
Without feelings of inferiority?
Without feelings of inferiority, they would never set a goal of superiority or success.
Goal in Individual Psychology
provides guidelines for motivation, shaping psychological development and giving it an aim.
Success in Individual Psychology
individualized concept and all people formulate their own definition of it.
Psychologically healthy person?
seeks success for all humanity
Psychologically unhealthy person?
Seeks personal superiority
Fictional Finalism
the fictional future goal which a person aspires to or the ‘Guiding self-ideal’.
How fictional finalism guides our life?
guides our style of life, gives unity to our personality and motivates us to our final goal.
In fictional finalism, people are motivated by?
Thus, people are motivated not by what is true but by their subjective perceptions of what is true
Similar to self-prophecy — acts acc. to what other people say
Physical Inferiorities
people develop a fiction or belief system about how to overcome these physical deficiencies and become big, strong and superior.; but even after conquering all these inferiorities, they still act as if they are still small, weak and inferior.
According to Adler,physical deficiencies provides?
According to Adler, physical deficiencies provide present motivation for reaching future goals.
Psychologically healthy person in Physical Inferiorities
never loses contact in reality
means of living more effective and constructive life
Psychologically unhealthy person in Physical Inferiorities
Become ends in themselves, retained even when already ineffective
Fictional life plan becomes a reality
Two Subjective Perceptions that shape behavior and personality
Fictional Finalism and Physical Inferiorities
How each person is unique and indivisible?
Each person is unique and indivisible; there is a fundamental unity of personality and inconsistent behavior does not exist
2 concepts in Tenet 3
Organ Dialect
Conscious & Unconscious
Organ Dialect
the disturbance of one part of the body cannot be viewed in isolation, it affects the entire person.
The parts of the body speak for the unexpressive parts of the person.
Why conscious and unconscious do not have dichotomy?
as both are cooperating parts of the same unified system.
Conscious → helpful; Unconscious → not helpful.
what is social interest?
A gauge to be used in judging the worth of a person, a barometer for determining the usefulness of a life.
How social interest became an innate need?
Innate need of all human beings to live in harmony and friendship with others and to aspire for the development of the perfect society.
4 Types of Person with Social Interest
Ruling-Dominant, Getting Learning, Avoiding, Socially Useful
Ruling Dominant Type
With manipulative, influential and dominant personality
Likely to seek self credit and constantly desire acknowledgement from others
Tend to order people around —believing they are superior
Getting Learning Type
Opportunistic person
Takers
People who take advantage of others
Avoiding Type
Engage in things that doesn’t require responsibility or demands
Socially Useful Type
Doesn’t take interest on situations useful for themselves but also to others
Style of Life
flavor of a person’s life; goal, self-concept, feelings for others, and attitude toward the world.
Determines which aspects of life are focused on and how it gives a person individual identity; what is perceived and ignored, specifies a person’s goals and how they are to be attained.
Style of Life is crsytalized by
crystalized by age 4 or 5, what lifestyle a child develops, depends on his/her personal circumstances.
Places people in control of their lives, is
responsible for their final goal, determines their method of striving for that goal and contributes to the development of social interest.
The Law of the Low Doorway: Positive and Negative
If you will not accept the harsh realities in life, you will continue to feel pain
Positive: “Yes, this is difficult but I will do something to overcome this”
Negative: some people need to be hurt for them to realize what’s wrong, while others just receive and receive
Three Entrances to Mental Life
Birth Order, First Memories/Early Recollections, Dream Analysis
3 Entrances of Mental Life Purpose
To discern the origins of lifestyle and approach to problem solving
Main factor of Birth Order
Parenting Style
First Born Attention to the following baby
focus of attention until the next child is born and he is ‘dethroned’.
⇾ Now he has to share the attention of the parents
First Born 2 Positive Traits
Nurturing and protective of others
Good organizer
First Born 7 Negative Traits
Highly anxious
Exaggerated feelings of power
Unconscious hostility
Fights for acceptance
Must always be “right”; others are always “wrong”
Highly critical of others
Uncooperative
Second Born Main Trait
extremely ambitious since he is constantly attempting to catch up and surpass the older sibling
Second Born 3 Positive Traits
Highly motivated
Cooperative
Moderately competitive
Second Born 2 Negative Traits
Highly competitive
Easily discouraged
Youngest Child 2 Main Traits
usually spoiled and can never be independent.
⇾ Easily loses courage to succeed by his own effort.
Youngest Positive Trait
Realistically ambitious
Youngest 4 Negative Traits
Pampered style of life
Dependent on others
Wants to excel in everythin
Unrealistically ambitious
Only Child Main Trait
never dethroned but experiences shock when he learns that he cannot remain the center of attention in other
Only Child Positive Trait
Socially Mature
Only Child 4 Nrgative Traits
Exaggerated feelings of superiority
Love feelings of cooperation
Inflated sense of self
Pampered style of life
What is First Memories or Early Recollections
Description of one’s earliest recollections which can give evidence to the origins of one’s lifestyle.
Dreams Acc. to Adler
used to provide a way of dealing with the person’s life problems.
By analyzing how to confront problems and how to plan future events through dream analysis, what happens
By analyzing how to confront problems and how to plan future events through dream analysis, a great deal could be learned about the person’s style of life.
Golden rule of dream work in Individual Psychology
Everything can be different
Any dream interpretation must be tentative and open to reinterpretation.
There is no fixed interpretation of a single dream
In Psychotherapy, Adlerian theory postulates that?
Adlerian theory postulates that psychopathology results from lack of courage, exaggerated feelings of inferiority, and underdeveloped social interest
Everybody can accomplish everything”.
What people do with what they have is more important with what they have
In Adler’s psychotherapy he used warmth and humor to?
to help increase the patient’s courage, self-esteem and social interest.
In Adler’s psychotherapy, how does he treat children?
Treats children with audiences of parents, teachers, health professionals to point out that the problems of the children are community problems.
How Adler handle parents of patients?
Was careful not to blame parents for a child’s misbehavior but worked to win the parents’ confidence and persuades them to change their attitudes towards a child
What is Fictional Finalism?
> the fictional final goal which person aspires to
Fictional Finalism is also known as?
guiding self-ideal
Fictional Finalism purpose
guides our style of life, gives unity to our personality and motivates us to our future goal
Physical Inferiorities
people develop a fiction or belief system about how to overcome these physical deficiencies and become big, strong and superior.; but even after conquering all these inferiorities, they still act as if they are still small, weak and inferior.
According to Adler, physical deficiencies what?
provide present motivation for reaching future goals
