Lesson 4: Individual Psychology - Alfred Adler PDF

LESSON 4: INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY – ALFRED ADLER PSYC104 1ST SEMESTER | ACADEMIC YEAR 2024-2025| PROF. ROBIE ANN A. FROLLES DIFFERENCE F...

LESSON 4: INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY – ALFRED ADLER PSYC104 1ST SEMESTER | ACADEMIC YEAR 2024-2025| PROF. ROBIE ANN A. FROLLES DIFFERENCE FROM PSYCHOANALYSIS OVERVIEW OF INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY Adler’s understanding of human personality was FREUD ADLER based on an optimistic view of people while resting on the notion of social interest, that is, a All motivation is rooted Source of motivation is feeling of oneness with all humankind from sex and aggression mostly social influences Social interest - a feeling of oneness with all and striving for superiority humankind or success People have little or no People are largely BIOGRAPHY OF ALFRED ADLER choice in shaping responsible for who they Born: Feb 7, 1870 in Rudolfsheim a village near personality are vienna Died on March 28, 1937 while on his speaking Present behavior is caused Present behavior is by past experiences shaped by people’s view tour in Aberdeen Scotland due to heart attack of future His mother Pauline was a homemaker and his father Leopold was a middle class Jewish grain Emphasize unconscious Psychologically healthy merchant. components of behavior people are usually aware NOTABLE EXPERIENCES of what they are doing and why they are doing it He is a weak boy and at the age of 5, he nearly died due to pneumonia. Being sickly and the death of his younger brother, Rudolf motivated INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY him to become a physician People are born weak, inferior bodies – a He always competes with his eldest brother, condition that leads to feelings of inferiority and Sigmund Adler and his childhood was full of a consequent dependence on other people. unhappy competition Therefore, a feeling of unity with others (social He attended school with neither difficulty nor interest) is inherent in people and the ultimate distinction but when he entered preparation for standard of psychological health medical school, he did so poorly that his father threatened him to remove him from school and TENETS OF ALDERIAN THEORY apprentice to a shoemaker The dynamic force behind people’s behavior is He began private practice as an eye specialist but the striving for success or superiority gave up that specialization and turners to People’s subjective perceptions shape their psychiatry and general medicine behavior and personality 1911 - Adler became the president of Vienna Personality is unified and self consistent Psychoanalytic Society. He presented his views The value of all human activity must be seen expressing opposition to strong sexual from the viewpoint of social interest proclivities of psychoanalysis and insisted that The self consistent personality structure drive for superiority was a more basic move for develops into a person’s style of life sexuality Style of life is molded by people’s creative power By then they realized their irreconcilable differences. Adler resigned his presidency and THE DYNAMIC FORCE BEHIND PEOPLE’S BEHAVIOR IS formed Free Psychoanalytic Study together with THE STRIVING FOR SUCCESS OR SUPERIORITY 9 former members of Freudian circle which later Individual psychology holds that everyone begins changed to individual psychology life with physical deficiencies that activate feelings of inferiority and those feelings motivate a person to strive for either superiority or success  LESSON 4: INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY – ALFRED ADLER PSYC104 1ST SEMESTER | ACADEMIC YEAR 2024-2025| PROF. ROBIE ANN A. FROLLES ○ Striving for Superiority - limited to Inconsistent behavior does not exist; thoughts, people who strive for personal feelings, and actions are all directed toward a superiority over others single goal and serve a single purpose Socially non productive to SEVERAL WAYS IN WHICH THE PERSON OPERATES WITH UNITY gain personal superiority AND SELF CONSISTENCY Actions are largely Organ DIalect - the disturbance of one part of self-serving and motivated by the body which cannot be viewed in isolation overcompensation for his and affects the entire person exaggerated feelings of ○ The body’s organs speak a language personal superiority. which is usually more expressive and ○ Striving for Success - people who are discloses the individual’s opinion more motivated by highly developed social clearly than words able to interest ○ Ex. a person with arthritis in his hands Involves social interest and is where the hands shows us the aimed at success or deformity and perfection for everyone Harmony of conscious and unconscious - we Social progress is more cannot oppose consciousness to important than personal unconsciousness as is they were antagonistic credit halves of an individual’s existence Psychologically unhealthy individuals strive for ○ The conscious life becomes personal superiority whereas psychologically unconscious as soon as we fail to healthy ones seek success for all humanity. understand it and as soon as we People strive for superiority or success understand an unconscious tendency it WHAT GUIDES INDIVIDUALS ON THEIR DECISION TO STRIVE FOR has already become conscious SUPERIORITY OR SUCCESS The value of all human activity must be seen FInal goal has a great significance because it activity must be seen from the viewpoint of unifies personality and renders all behavior social interest comprehensible ○ Social feeling or community feeling Regardless of motivation, each individual is ○ Feeling of oneness to all humanity guided by final goal – either personal superiority ○ Attitude of relatedness as well as or success of mankind empathy for members of the human What determines the final goal? community ○ FInal goal is a product of creative ○ Natural condition of human species power, and that is people’s ability to that binds society together freely shape their behavior and create WHAT CONTRIBUTES TO SOCIAL INTEREST? their own personality It originates from mother-child relationships PEOPLE’S SUBJECTIVE PERCEPTIONS SHAPE THEIR during early months of infancy. BEHAVIOR AND PERSONALITY A mother develops a bond that encourages the The manner in which a person final goal is child’s mature social interest and sense of shaped by their subjective perceptions of by cooperation by giving a deep-rooted love for her their fictions or expectation of the future child –a love that focuses on a child’s well-being. This subjective, fictional final goal guides our On the other hand, the father must demonstrate style of life, gives unity to our personality a caring attitude toward his wife and to other PERSONALITY IS UNIFIED AND SELF CONSISTENT people. Adler believes that each person is unique and indivisible LESSON 4: INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY – ALFRED ADLER PSYC104 1ST SEMESTER | ACADEMIC YEAR 2024-2025| PROF. ROBIE ANN A. FROLLES The avoiding type - This person makes no attempt in facing his or her problems. He or she avoids possible failures. The socially useful type - This person cooperates with others and acts in accordance with their needs. Such persons cope with problems within a well-developed framework of social interest. Style of life is molded by people’s creative power - Each person is empowered with the freedom to create his own style of life because all people are responsible for who they are and how they behave. ABNORMAL DEVELOPMENT The self consisted personality structure develops into a person’s style of life For Adler, one underlying factor that contributes ○ Flavors of a person’s life which includes to all types of maladjustments is a person’s goal, self concept, feelings underdeveloped social interest. Aside from this, for others and attitude towards thew the following are other contributing factors for world abnormal development: ○ It is a product of interactions of ○ Setting goals that are too high. heredity, environment and person’s ○ Living in their private world. creative power ○ Having a rigid and dogmatic style of ○ A person’s style of life is fairly well life. established by the age of 4 or 5 and all EXTERNAL FACTORS IN MALADJUSTMENT actions revolve a unified style Exaggerated physical deficiencies - People with ○ Psychologically healthy people can exaggerated physical deficiencies sometimes choose new options at any point in life. develop exaggerated feelings of inferiority They see many ways of striving for because they overcompensate for their success. inadequacy. They tend to be overly concerned People with a healthy and useful style of life with themselves and lack consideration for actively struggle to solve 3 major problems of others. life: Pampered style of life - People with this kind of ○ Neigbourly love style of life as weak social interest but strong ○ Sexual love desire to perpetuate the pampered parasitic ○ Occupation relationship they originally had with one or both They do so through of their parents, expecting others to look for ○ Cooperation them, overprotect them and satisfy their needs. ○ Personal courage ○ Pampered children have not received ○ Willingness to make a contribution to too much love, but rather, they feel welfare of another unloved. Their parents have PERSONALITY IS UNIFIED AND SELF CONSISTENT demonstrated a lack of love by doing The dominant type - This displays a ruling too much for them. Some of them may attitude with social awareness. Such person also feel neglected, they are fearful behaves without regard for others. when separated from that patient. The getting type - For Adler, this is the most Neglected style of life - Though no one feels common human type. They expect to receive totally neglected or completely unwanted, satisfaction from others and become dependent abused and mistreated children will develop on them. LESSON 4: INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY – ALFRED ADLER PSYC104 1ST SEMESTER | ACADEMIC YEAR 2024-2025| PROF. ROBIE ANN A. FROLLES weak social interest and tend to create a ○ Hesitating - This is closely related to neglected style of life. standing still. Their procrastination ○ They are distrustful of other people, eventually gives them the excuse “it’s are unable to cooperate for the too late now”. For Adler, compulsive common good and have a strong sense behaviors are attempt to waste time. of envy for the success of others. ○ Constructing obstacles -The tendency Compared to pamper ones, they are for people to create obstacles they can more suspicious and dangerous. surpass in order to protect their SAFEGUARDING TENDENCIES self-esteem and prestige. “Adler believed that people use different ways to FAMILY CONSTELLATION protect their inflated sense of self-esteem The family and reciprocal relationships with against public disgrace. These protective devices siblings and parents determine how a person are entirely operating in the consciousness of an finds a place in the family and what he learns individual.” about finding a place in the world. Excuses - The most common of all safeguarding tendencies which are typically expressed in the FIRSTBORN CHILDREN “Yes, but” or “if only” format. These excuses Firstborn children - According to Adler, they have protect a weak – but artificially inflated sense of intensified power and superiority, high anxiety self-worth and deceive people into believing that and overprotective tendencies. they are more superior than they really are. They also experience a traumatic dethronement Aggression - This is used by people to protect when a younger sibling is born. their fragile self-esteem. Aggression may take the form of: POSITIVE TRAITS NEGATIVE TRAITS ○ Depreciation - The tendency to Nurturing Highly anxious undervalue other people's and Exaggerated achievement and overvalue one’s own. protective feelings of power ○ Accusation - The tendency to blame of others Unconscious others for one’s failure and to seek Good hostility revenge, thereby safeguarding one’s organizer Fights for own tenuous self-esteem. acceptance ○ Accusation - The tendency to blame Must always be “right,” whereas others for one’s failure and to seek others are always revenge, thereby safeguarding one’s “wrong” own tenuous self-esteem. Highly critical of Withdrawal – The safeguarding tendency others through distance. There are four modes of Uncooperative setting up a distance between a person’s problems and his or her own self: SECONDBORN CHILDREN ○ Moving backward - The tendency to Begin life with cooperation and social interest. safeguard one’s fictional goal of The second born typically matures toward superiority by psychologically reverting moderate competitiveness, having a healthy to a more secured period of life. This is desire to overtake the older rival. designed to elicit sympathy. This is somehow similar to Freud’s regression. ○ Standing still - Similar to moving backward, but is not as severe. People POSITIVE TRAITS NEGATIVE TRAITS who use this do not move in any directions for they avoid responsibility. LESSON 4: INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY – ALFRED ADLER PSYC104 1ST SEMESTER | ACADEMIC YEAR 2024-2025| PROF. ROBIE ANN A. FROLLES Highly Highly motivated competitive Cooperative Easily Moderately discouraged competitive YOUNGER CHILDREN They are the most pampered and run a high risk of being a problem child. They are likely to have strong feelings of inferiority and to lack a sense of independence. In addition, they are often highly motivated to exceed older siblings and to become fast runners, best musicians, athletes, etc. POSITIVE TRAITS NEGATIVE TRAITS Realistically Pampered style ambitious of life Dependent on others Wants to excel in everything Unrealistically ambitious YOUNGER CHILDREN They are in the unique position of competing not against siblings but against their parents. They are socially mature and tend to develop exaggerated sense of superiority and an inflated self-concept. POSITIVE TRAITS NEGATIVE TRAITS Socially mature Exaggerated feelings of superiority Low feelings of cooperation Inflated sense of self Pampered style of life