Alfred Adler Individual Psychology

1. Individual Psychology

2. Alfred Adler – February 7, 1870 Vienna, Austria
2nd born of six
Middle-class Jewish family
Developed rickets, which kept him from walking until
he was four years old
Nearly died of pneumonia at four
Known for his efforts at outdoing his older brother
Received a medical degree in 1895
Co-founder of the psychoanalytic movement as a
core member of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society
Founder of the school of Individual Psychology
Was the first major figure to break away from
psychoanalysis to form an independent school
of psychotherapy and personality theory
Married in 1897
Eventually had four children
Only son became a psychiatrist and continued Adler’s
work
Died in 1937 of Heart Attack

3. ForAdler. Being unconscious is only a temporary unawareness.
Healso argued that the people can createtheir ownpersonalities and lifestyle to
achievetheir highest goals.
According to Adler, humans aremotivated primarily by social relatedness rather
social relatedness rather than by sexual urges.

5. People are more vulnerable to disease in organs thatare less
developed or “inferior” to other organs.
These inferior organs develop biological deficiencies because of stress
from the environment. These inhibit the person from functioning
normally.

6. All children start life with feelings of inferiority because they are completely
dependent onadults forsurvival. This feeling of being weak, inferior, and impotent
stimulates an intense desire to seek power, thereby overcomingthe feelings
inferiority.

7. A fundamentalfact of life, aninnateneed from thetime of
birth. It is master motive that leads people to pursue a superior
or perfect society.

8. Which an individual attempts to gain superiority.
Determines which aspects of life are focused on andhow these give a person
individual identity
Determines what is perceivedand ignored.
Specifies a person’s future goals and how they are to beattained.
Unhealthy lifestyle is based on selfishness and is contrary to the views of society.

9. Fictional future goal which a person aspires for. Adler called this a “Guiding self
ideal”. This gaveAdler’s theory a strong teleological component, although it did not
ignore the past altogether.

10. The innate need of allhuman beings to live in harmony and friendship
with others and to aspire for the development of the perfect society.

11. Socialinterestcanbedevelopedthroughtasks:
1. Occupationaltasksor constructivework canbea meansfora
persontohepadvancesociety.
2. Societaltasksrequirecooperationwithfellowhumans.
3. Loveandmarriage taskshelptoperpetuatesociety.

12. Adlerdidnotproposestagesofdevelopment;insteademphasizedthe
importanceoffamilyatmosphereandthefamilyconstellation.
Thelatterrefers toone’spositionwithinthefamilyinterms ofbirthorder:
Oldestchild
Middle child
Youngest child

13. Thefamilyconstellationbecomesmorecomplicatedinthecaseoftwinsor
an onlybrotheramongrelationsbetweenchildrenandparentsfrequently
consistsofa continuingalternationsbetween
Indulgence
Rejection

15. Adler referredto birth order,first memories,and
dreamanalysis as the three “entrancegates”to
mental life. He studied them extensively to
discernthe origins of lifestyle and an
individual’s approach to problemsolving.

16. . Birth Order1
 Thefirst bornchildrenwho later have youngersiblings may haveit the most. When the next child is born,
suddenly, they areno longer the centerof attention and fall into the shadows wondering whyeverything
changed.
 Theyoften havethe greatest numberof problems as theyget older.
Themiddleborn/thesecond bornchildrenmay haveit the easiest.
Theyare also more fortunate compared to their older siblings.
Thesechildren arenot pampered as their older sibling was, but arestill afforded the attention.
Theyhavea highneed for superiority and are often able to seek it out throughhealthy competition.

17.  Theyoungestchildren. Likethe first born may bemore likely to experience personality problems later
inlife.
 Hegets pampered and protected more than his siblings. That’s whyhe/she is usually spoiled and very
dependent.
 Sometimes he felt that he will always beinferior to others.
The only child is never dethroned byanother sibling, but experiences shock upon learning that
he or she cannot remain the center of attention. He or she is often very sweet and affectionate. An
only child is not considered dangerous.

18. Is a research technique of asking a personto describe his or her
earliest recollections. These recollections are evidence of the
origins of one’s lifestyle.

19. Dream Analysis
-is a method whereina person’s dreams areused to provide a way of dealing with the person’s life problems.
By analyzinghow problems areconfronted and futureevents planned through their dreams, a great deal
could be learnedabout a person’s lifestyle.

21. Strengths
1. Adler’s greatest contribution psychology is his study of birth
orderand personality.
Adler’s theory culminated in his insistence in understanding an
individual through his or herattitude towards the world.
2. Adler considered his theory of the creative self as the climax of his studies.
3. Adler said that many of ourguiding goals are fictional. However,
his use of the word “fiction” did notnecessarily mean ‘not
true’.

22. Fictional Finalists
Cannot be treated as realitybecause these are not
specifichypotheses that can be put to a crucial
experiment. They are constructs or inventionsof human
psyche that arise as it encounters the world.

23. WEAKNESSES:
1.Adler viewed behavior as primarygoal directed and consciously
chosen ratherthanpredetermined bythe unconscious mind or
biological drive.
2.He took it for granted that everyoneexperiencessome feelings of inferiority.
3. The drive for aggression which he later substituted for striving for superiority was innately biological as that of
sexual urge.

24. SUMMARY
From thebeginning, Adler’s theoryof personality was open to growth and evolution. His theorybecame
more comprehensiveand conclusiveas his work matured,without contradicting his earlier ideas.
Adler chosethe term individual psychology for his conception of personality. Nevertheless, he realizes early
inhis theorizingthat the individual could not be considered in isolation orapart from theircontext. His
emphasis shifted from the intrapsychic (within the psyche)which is basically Freudian, to the interpsychic
(interpersonal relations).

25. Summary of Differences Between Adler and Freud
Freud:
-Emphasized theunconscious mind
-Futuregoals are unimportant
-Biological motives are primary
-Pessimistic about humanexistence
-Dreams areused to detect contents of the
unconscious mind.
-Personality is completely determinedby heredity
and environmentalfactors
-Emphasized importance of sex
Goal of therapyis to discover repressed early
memories.
Adler:
-Emphasized conscious mind.
-Futuregoals are important
source of motivation
-Social motives are primary
-Optimistic about humanexistence
Dreams are tools in solving problems.
-Personality is determinedpartly bythe individual
themselves.
-Minimizethe importance of sex.
-Goal of therapyis to encourage a lifestyle that
incorporates social interests.

26. FIN
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