Individual Psychology: Adler's Theory

• Individual Psychology is pioneered by Adler
• Adler lived from 1870 to 1937

About Adler

• Adler was the 3rd of six children
• As a child he was often sick and nearly died of Pneumonia
• He didn't perform well in school initially
• Overcoming feelings of inferiority was a lifelong pursuit
• He harbored animosity towards Freud
• Sigmund, his older brother, was a childhood rival

Individual Psychology Highlights

• The primary motivating factor behind individual behavior is the striving for success or superiority
• People's subjective perceptions mold behavior and personality
• Personality is unified and self-consistent
• All human activity is evaluated through the lens of social interest
• A person's style of life is how their self-consistent personality structure develops

Striving for Superiority Explained

• It manifests as striving for perfection or completion
• Is the dynamic force driving behavior, stemming from aggression and the will to dominate (Masculine Protest)

Healthy vs Unhealthy Striving

• Striving for personal superiority is unhealthy because it is a will to power and domination of others
• Striving for completion and success is healthy because it involves actions motivated by social interest
• Each person is guided by a final goal

Important Tenets

• Fictional Finalism is the term for striving for superiority
• Is fictional and lacks objective existence
• Cannot be judged as right or wrong, it is only based on usefulness
• Creative power is the product of striving, being shaped from ages 4-5
• This refers to the ability to shape behavior and create one's personality freely

Feelings of Inferiority

• Feelings of inferiority or weakness drive people to strive for superiority or success as a form of compensation
• Children may compensate in unconventional ways unrelated to their fictional goals
• Pampered or neglected children might develop parasitic relationships with their mothers as compensation

Striving Force

• Physical deficiencies trigger feelings of inferiority and motivate people to complete or achieve wholeness
• Striving for personal superiority involves little to no concern for others
• Goals are personal, aimed at personal gain
• Driven by exaggerated feelings of personal inferiority, or inferiority complex, as exemplified by murderers, thieves, and con artists

Striving for Completion

• Psychologically healthy individuals are motivated by social interest and the well-being of humanity
• They can help others expect no reward
• They cooperate for social benefit and don't see others as opponents
• Success comes naturally and isn't at the expense of others

Subjective Perceptions Defined

• Personal subjective perceptions shape their behavior and perceptions
• Shaped by expectations people have of the future
• Teleological view of motivation refers to the shape people's striving for superiority or success to compensate for feelings of inferiority

Unity and Self-Consistency

• Personality is unified and self-consistent so the whole person strives in a self-consistent fashion toward a single goal
• Disturbances in one area of the body cannot be isolated
• Organ Dialect refers to a deficient organ expressing the direction of a person's goals, such as bedwetting

Conscious vs Unconscious Actions

• Unconscious actions are not clearly formulated or understood
• Conscious thought are understood and regarded as helpful in striving for success

Social Interest Defined

• The value of all human activity must viewed from the perspective of social interest
• Also referred to as Gemeinschaftsgefühl
• It is an attitude of relatedness with humanity in general with empathy for each member of the community
• Manifested as cooperation for social advancement instead of personal gain

Style of Life Described

• Consists of a self-consistent personality structure
• Is the flavor of a person's life, including their goals, self-concept, feelings, and attitude towards the world
• Is a product of heredity, environment, and a person's creative power
• Fairly well established by age 4 or 5

Primary Types of Life Styles

• Ruling: aggressive, and dominating with little social interest or cultural perception
• Getting: dependent individuals preferring receiving over giving
• Avoiding: those who evade life's problems and engage in socially unconstructive behavior
• Socially useful: not described on the slides

Creative Power

• It molds people's style of life
• It gives people control over their own lives
• A person is responsible for their final goal
• Determines their method of striving for that goal
• Makes each person a free individual
• Referred to as the Law of Doorway Concept

Abnormal Development Described

• The primary factor underlying all types of maladjustments is underdeveloped social interest
• Neurotics tend to set goals that are too high
• May prefer to live in their personal private world
• Exhibit rigid and dogmatic lifestyles

External Factors of Malajustment

• Exaggerated physical deficiencies are external factors
• People with exaggerated physical deficiencies often have underdeveloped exaggerated feelings of inferiority
• They tend to be overly concerned with themselves with a lack of consideration for others

Neglected vs Pampered Life Styles

• Pampered life styles often lie at the heart of most neuroses
• Have weak social interest with a strong desire to continue their parasitic relationships with their parents
• Neglected life styles result in abused and mistreated children
• Have little social interest and create a neglected style of life
• Exhibit a lack of confidence in themselves and tend to overestimate difficulties

Safeguarding Tendencies Explained

• Are patterns of behavior people create to protect their exaggerated sense of self-esteem against public disgrace
• They are similar to defense mechanisms
• Include
  • Excuses
  • Aggression
  • Withdrawal

Safeguarding Tendencies Examined

• Excuses such as "if only..." or yes, but...
• Aggression, as described by Adler (1956)
• Some people use aggression to protect their fragile self-esteem and their exaggerated superiority complex
• Involves depreciation, or undervaluing the achievement of others
• Accusation consists of blaming others for one's failures and seeking revenge
• Self-accusation is some people's use self-torture, like masochism.

Different Forms of Withdrawal

• Personality development is halted when people run away from difficulties
• Moving backward is reverting to a more secure period of life
• Standing still means not moving in any direction to avoid responsibilities
• Hesitating aka procrastination
• Constructing obstacles involves creating challenges. If they succeed, they protect their self-esteem, if not, they have an excuse

Adler vs Freud - Safeguarding

• Adler's safeguarding tendencies are primarily limited to neurotic lifestyles
• Aim to protect the fragile self-esteem of the individual from public disgrace
• Can be partly conscious
• Common mechanisms include excuses, aggression, and withdrawal
• Freud's defense mechanisms are found in everyone, protecting the ego from anxiety, and are unconscious

Applications of Individual Psychology

• Family Constellation
• Early Recollections
• Psychotherapy

Birth Order Traits

• Oldest: nurturing and protective of others, good organizer, highly anxious
• Second Child: highly motivated, cooperative, moderately competitive, highly competitive
• Youngest Child: realistically ambitious
• Only Child: socially mature

Early Recollections Notes

• Provide insights on patients’ personality
• Have no causal effect
• Are consistent with of people's present style of life
• Provide subjective accounts of experiences that uncover patients final goal and their present style of life

Psychotherapy Goal

• The theory postulates that psychopathology results from a lack of courage, exaggerated feelings of inferiority, and underdeveloped social interest
• Psychotherapy aims to enhance courage, lessen feelings of inferiority, and to encourage social interest
• "What would you do if I cured you immediately?" is asked to force patients to examine their goals and see their responsibility for current misery lies with themselves