Alfred Adler Lecture 4 - Development of Personality

ALFRED ADLER LECTURE 4 CHAPTER 5   Could also be seen as a depth psychological approach or person- orientated approach.  Unlike Freud, Adler highlighted the role of consciousness and made The minimal use of physiological descriptions for explaining per...

ALFRED ADLER LECTURE 4 CHAPTER 5   Could also be seen as a depth psychological approach or person- orientated approach.  Unlike Freud, Adler highlighted the role of consciousness and made The minimal use of physiological descriptions for explaining personality development. Individu  Stressed freedom of choice (i.e. non-deterministic view) – individuals themselves have the ability to decide on their own life goals and al organize their lives accordingly.  Thus, focus is on the study of the individual rather than establishing Psychol general laws that govern human behaviour.  Moved away from psychoanalytical connotation of human behaviour ogy of (i.e. our actions are blindly determined by unconscious factors in the psyche), towards a holistic notion of human functioning where the uniqueness of a person is emphasized. Alfred  Believes that humans are motivated to overcome feelings of Adler inferiority by striving for power through the use of compensation.  Views the pursuit to become a complete human being (i.e. the quest for superiority or perfection) as the driving force behind all human behaviour.  Emphasis is placed on early childhood experiences as a precursor for later personality development.  Antithesis of Freud’s theory.   Adler’s view of the person can be described as holistic, teleological and person-orientated. 1) HOLISTIC: The individual functions as a whole – a proper View understanding of personality development cannot be achieved by studying the personality as separate, distinct components. 2) TELEOLOGICAL: Individual strives towards their goal in a purposeful of the way. The striving for superiority is the overriding goal of all human functioning. Perso This striving is expressed in two ways – striving for power (to serve the self), or striving for the well-being of society (to serve society through social interest). n Each person formulates their central goal in their own unique way, and attempts to meet this goal via their own distinctive methods. Thus, each person (to a certain extent) determines their own lifestyle. – The way in which a person strives for superiority in choosing his or her own goals and establishing his or her own methods to achieve them. The person’s goal-directed behaviour is based on the concept of fictional finalism – the idea that a person’s goals are actually just fictitious creations that guide their behaviour. – Theoretically, this means that any goals can be set (e.g. becoming the president or a famous singer) even if they are unattainable or unrealistic. The focus is thus on goal-directed behaviour and working towards ideals, not on goal achievement itself (i.e. ‘as if’ philosophy). – This principle therefore implies that individuals have considerable freedom in determining their own destinies.  2) TELEOLOGY CONTINUED: The individual is also naturally geared towards attaining View superiority or perfection. Striving for superiority should not be confused with the of the actualizing tendency. – ‘Actualizing’ denotes fulfilment. – Adler views an individual as striving to overcome real or Perso imagined inferiorities by compensating for their own weaknesses. n – Thus, the emphasis is on becoming more than the hand you were originally dealt (i.e. an idealist version of development). 3) PERSON-ORIENTATED: Views the person as ‘master of their own destiny’ (i.e. determines own lifestyle according to fictitious goals. Opposite of determinism. Acknowledges constitutional and environmental factors in personality development, but views them as being secondary to the individual’s goal-directedness and their creative abilities to identify and attempt to reach their own goals.  Adler steers away from using structural concepts in his explanation of human functioning and development. Sees the personality as a whole that functions to achieve self-determined goals (i.e. no individual components of personality articulated). Structur Although no definitive structure exists, Adler does maintain that every individual has constitutional attributes and a e creative self. – Constitutional attributes: Biological and psychological of the characteristics one is born with. – Creative self: One’s ability to be creative in forming life goals Personal and in planning how to achieve these goals. These aspects interact with the social environment to ity determine how a person’s personality will develop and which goals they will strive towards (i.e. lifestyle choice).   CONSTITUTIONAL ATTRIBUTES:  Each individual is born with a set of genetically determined features.  NOT decisive in determining the direction and nature of an individual’s personality development.  When in interaction with environmental factors and the creative self, constitutional attributes merely have the potential to play a role in human Structur development and functioning.  Examples: physical or organic weaknesses that are genetic or acquired e (autoimmune diseases, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, cancer, fibromyalgia etc.)  Individuals compensate for perceived inferiority by using creative self. of the  SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT:  Adler believes that a general feeling of inferiority develops during the child’s first social interactions, and that it remains present throughout their life. Persona – “To be a human being means to feel oneself inferior”  Initiated the moment the infant is born due to their total dependence on lity adults for survival.  Infant compares their helplessness, dependency and ‘smallness’ to the strength, ‘largeness’ and independence of the parents in their social environment.  Feelings of inferiority are NOT genetically determined, but is rather a function of the infants small constitution in interaction with the environment.  Thus, all growth and development results from one’s attempts to compensate for feelings of inferiority by striving for superiority.   THE CREATIVE SELF:  Emphasizes that humans have the ability to be imaginative and innovative in forming their own life goals and in planning how to Structur achieve them.  NOT to be viewed as a structural component of the personality – e rather a capability of the person as a whole.  Individuals are thus not at the mercy of their circumstances – they have the ability to interpret/perceive their unique situations and of the inborn potential in any way they choose, and apply them in a creative way. Personal  Does not see constitutional or environmental factors as limiting a person’s development in a definitive or deterministic manner. ity  THE LIFESTYLE:  Suggests that each person establishes their own specific goals in life and uses their own unique methods to reach them.  While one person may seek superiority by being a good athlete, another may strive for political power or social popularity.  Each person also pursues these goals according to their own style.  Political power may be achieved through hard work, networking with others, or being critical of their opponents – The options are endless.   THE LIFESTYLE CONTINUED:  Adler does, however, distinguish between four common types of lifestyle: Structur 1)The active-constructive lifestyle: e – Develops in a familial atmosphere where the predominant focus is on co-operation, trust, and respect. of the – Presence of optimism and support. – Community-orientated approach to problem-solving. – Tend to set goals that serve the community/society. Personal – Ambitious and active in striving towards the successful achievement of goals. ity – Naturally take on leadership roles. 2) The passive-constructive lifestyle: – Also inclined to adopt community-orientated goals, but prefer to pursue and achieve them in a more passive way. – Rely on others to take initiative. – Friendly and charming, but somewhat lacking in independence and enterprise.   THE LIFESTYLE CONTINUED:  Adler does, however, distinguish between four common types of lifestyle: 3) The active-destructive lifestyle: Structur – Propensity to create goals that are more selfish, and could potentially disadvantage society. – Work actively towards fulfilling goals. e – Ambitious, power-seeking types of individuals who may exhibit antisocial behaviour. of the Persona lity 4) The passive-destructive lifestyle: – High likelihood of antisocial traits and behaviour – Lazy and passive-aggressive – Strives towards selfish or antisocial types of goals, but in a passive way (e.g. through manipulation, control, or intimidation).  What motivates a person, according to Adler?  Difficult to distinguish between Adler’s view of the dynamics of Dynamic personality and his developmental principles, as the experience of inferiority and striving towards superiority and perfection both serve as motivational forces for behaviour, and both are s developmental concepts.  Regards striving for superiority as primary motivation of the of the person. – A pressure to move from the bottom to the top, or to change a Personal minus into a plus. Pursuit of superiority and perfection may manifest as ity a: Striving for power Striving towards social interest  This striving (whatever form it may take) is activated by the experience of inferiority.  Leads to an attempt to overcome the inferiority by means of compensation.   THE STRIVING FOR SUPERIORITY THROUGH THE PURSUIT OF POWER: Activated by a need to overcome and compensate for perceived Dynamic weakness/inferiority Three typical responses to the experience of s weakness/inferiority: 1)Compensation: Attempt to make up for weakness by developing of the weak organ/function to extraordinarily high degree. – Converting a (-) into a (+) as a direct expression of striving for superiority. Personal – Examples: Helen Keller, Stevie Wonder, Stephen Hawking, Oscar Pistorius. ity 2)Sensitivity: An individual’s preoccupation with their weaknesses to the extent that they are easily hurt if any reference is made to them. – Example: Smokers who experience their smoking habit as a weakness, may become unnecessarily emotional or defensive if comments are made thereof. 3)Overcompensation (reaction formation): Overemphasis of strong points, in an attempt to hide weaknesses. – Example: People who see their untidiness as a weakness, and feel inferior because of this, might compensate by becoming so tidy that they are a nuisance to themselves and others.   THE STRIVING FOR SUPERIORITY THROUGH THE PURSUIT OF SOCIAL INTEREST: As a species, humans try to compensate for their weaknesses by Dynamic developing a strong social structure (i.e. intellectual abilities, technology, culture). s Strength and protection that social group provides enables humankind to compensate for weaknesses of its members. Thus, the striving for superiority leads to the formation of groups and of the the development of culture, as well as to the development of social interest. Personal – Social interest is an innate desire to serve the community or society as a whole. Through group formation and unity with other people, the individual ity is able to turn their (-) into a (+) extremely effectively. The ultimate and highest form of group formation includes all of humanity, instead of only those people who are racially, ethnically, or culturally similar.  Social interest includes an interest in other people and the ability to experience events from the viewpoint of another.  Such expression of the striving for superiority is the zenith of human development.  Even though social interest is an inborn potential, it must still be developed consciously by the individual.   THE STRIVING FOR SUPERIORITY THROUGH THE PURSUIT OF SOCIAL INTEREST CONTINUED: Dynamic If the striving towards superiority does not lead to the development of social interest, it may lead to the development of an inferiority complex or a superiority complex. s INFERIORITY COMPLEX: – An acute feeling of inferiority characterized by extreme shyness or of the aggressive compensation for these feelings. – Cannot motivate an individual to strive towards superiority; instead, Personal it ‘paralyses’ a person. – Includes the display of low self-esteem, a lack of self-worth, doubt, ity uncertainty, and attempts to prevent failure through avoidance tactics. SUPERIORITY COMPLEX: – An exaggerated feeling of being superior to others. – Usually a cover-up for insecurities – A person with a superiority complex usually has hidden doubts about their abilities and lacks feelings of worth and self-assurance. – Psychological defense mechanism to help individual cope with painful feelings of perceived inadequacy. – Includes the display of condescending, smug, or arrogant behaviour.   According to Adler, the development of an individual’s personality relates to how their particular lifestyle materializes. Developm  No formal stages of personality development.  Regards the first five years as being of great importance – ent prototype of lifestyle is formed.  Plays a determining role in the individual’s development for the of the rest of their life (not easily changed). Personalit  Thus, adolescence, maturity, and old age, are simply new situations in which existing traits are expressed and tested. y  Later phases in life might present the opportunity for lifestyle change if the individual recognizes that their goals (and methods to reach them) are dysfunctional.  Example: A young adult might realize that their chosen life goal as an adolescent (becoming a medical doctor) and the method they had devised to reach this goal (doing well academically) do not agree with their current adult status. They can now choose to change their lifestyle by adjusting their goals and manners to achieve them (becoming a nurse).   FACTORS INFLUENCING PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT: Acknowledges the influence of constitutional attributes and environmental factors in personality development, but highlights the Developm individual’s creative reaction to these influences as being the most important determining factor. ent CONSTITUTIONAL FACTORS & THE CREATIVE SELF – Regards inherited characteristics as a secondary factor in personality of the development. – What a person does with their inherited characteristics and abilities in Personalit shaping their unique lifestyle is most important. – Thus, weaknesses or inferiorities are not deterministic in terms of personality y development, as an individual possesses the creative capacity to invent their own manner of compensation in determining their own development to a great extent. THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE CREATIVE SELF: – Same non-deterministic viewpoint as with constitutional attributes. – Social environment may elicit a certain response to a situation, but this response is not determined by the experience itself – it is what a person makes of that experience and the meaning they attach to that experience that counts. – Views the growing child’s entire social environment as an important influential factor on personality development, and pays special attention to the family constellation (i.e. relationship between family members, relative status of individual members within the family, and birth order of children). Developme nt of the Personality – Birth Order & Sibling Rivalry   FACTORS INFLUENCING PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT CONTINUED: THE INDIVIDUAL’S CREATIVE CONTRIBUTION: – Clear that Adler distinguishes between three developmental influences (i.e. physiological attributes, environmental factors, Developm and free choice of the individual). – The tendency of psychologists to dwell on the influence of ent constitutional attributes and environmental factors may blind them to the creative contribution of individuals in determining their own lifestyle and personality development. of the Personalit y   Essential quest: To overcome inferiorities and to strive for superiority and perfection.  Active-constructive lifestyle = most appropriate for achieving Optimal basic human goals of superiority and perfection. Developm  Pinnacle of striving is reached when the individual not only strives for perfection of the self (egocentrism), but places that striving at ent the services of society – cornerstone of mental health.  Only a person with a well-developed social interest can truly be regarded as mentally healthy.  Social interest increases self-worth and confidence, as they enjoy the same benefits as others in society.  Individuals with high social interest feel valuable because they are able to address feelings of inadequacy experienced by others in society, instead of focusing on their own personal feelings of inferiority.  Optimally developed person – someone who has a widely expanded social interest and empathy with other people, and who feels united with the present, and future worlds as a whole.  Includes characteristics such as love of one’s neighbours, awareness of the environment, and involvement in the future development of the world.  Psychopathology rooted in a lack of social interest and an excessive preoccupation with the self. Psycho- Malfunctioning individuals think only of themselves and their own problems, and are not able to engage in positive patholo interaction with others. Selfishness and lack of social interest manifests as a gy inferiority or superiority complex. Sees no essential difference between mentally healthy and disordered individuals – psychologically healthy individual is simply more successful at dealing with life’s problems than a neurotic person (psychotic person fails to cope with life in its entirety). As result of being overly self-involved, inefficient coping strategies are developed: Make excuses for their failures or behaviour Typical response of “yes, but…” Try to create impression that they could have solved their problems if circumstances had been more favourable or if people had not somehow prevented them from doing so.