Adler's Theories PDF

Alfred Adler (1870-1937) Described as: “... A most democratic, friendly, hospitable person with a love for informal sociability, music, and all the arts, including gardening.”  Adler: History Born in 1870 outside Vienna 2nd son of wealthy family (6 chil...

Alfred Adler (1870-1937) Described as: “... A most democratic, friendly, hospitable person with a love for informal sociability, music, and all the arts, including gardening.”  Adler: History Born in 1870 outside Vienna 2nd son of wealthy family (6 children total) Recalls childhood unfondly – Had rickets and unsuccessfully competed with older brother Had pneumonia that MD said he could not recover from Was run over (twice!) at the age of 4 or 5 – Constant fear of death – Developed “screen” memory to deal with repeated near-brushes with death Chose to pursue medicine – “in order to overcome death and the fear of death.”  Adler: History At medical school, adopted a socialist orientation – More “humanistic” and “equal” – Became spokesman for the “common man” or “underdog” First practice was with low SES – Namely, acrobats (and tailors)! Overcame childhood adversity 1902, joined Psychoanalytic Society – Quit because of focus on sexuality and did not want to cater to the rich – Formed “Society for Individual Psychology” (focus: whole person) WWI physician; dealt with much carnage  Basic Adlerian Assumptions All behavior has social meaning All behavior has a purpose and is goal-directed Behavior represents “unity” and has a pattern Behavior is designed to overcome feelings of inferiority and move toward feelings of superiority Behavior is the result of our subjective perceptions The Fundamental Human Motive Search for success, Superiority, Freedom from helplessness, Escape from fear, & perfection and personal completeness!  Freud vs. Adler While Freud focused on: – Sexual and aggressive pleasure-seeking Adler focused on: – The striving to compensate for one’s own PERCEIVED inferiorities, for one’s enforced states of helplessness  Inferiority and Compensation Inferiority Complex – Overcome by a feeling of lack of worth which leads to the impossibility for self-improvement – If repressed, this may be felt as a superiority complex Behave arrogantly (which personality disorder?) Exaggerate their achievements – E.g., people who claim telepathic powers Moving from a felt-minus to a felt-plus – Organ inferiority – Aggressive drive – Masculine protest – Superiority & Perfection Striving  Moving from a felt-minus to a felt-plus Organ inferiority – ALL people succumb to “disease” in the most poorly developed organ We may compensate for poor development (e.g., stutterer  orator) – Early states (more biological)  later (subjective) Aggressive Drive – People develop a hostile reaction to their perceived helplessness (e.g., baby’s first cry) – Aggression may be expressed outright (e.g., fighting, cruelty) or may be transformed (e.g., competition, striving for dominance or mastery)  Moving from a felt-minus to a felt-plus Masculine Protest – “Masculinity” implies greater competence or superiority People strive for competence & superiority Adler generally rejected gender roles – Marks shift from biology to psychology Superiority Striving and Perfection Striving – Masculine protest leads to “mask” of compensatory traits designed to spark self-improvement – People create “fictional goals” and strive to attain them This is more “realistic” than it may sound; NOT perfectionism Social Interest: The Tasks of Life Three Tasks – Societal Tasks To be interested in others; to make friends – Work Tasks Interest in cooperative activity for the benefit of others; provides a sense of worth in society – Love Ability to take more interest in another than self Style of Life – Each of us sculpts our own personality – Established by 4 or 5  Style of Life Individual’s attitudes toward society, work, and love – The individual’s choice! The creative life force tries to lead to fulfillment! Begins as a compensatory process – People develop consistency in personality while trying to make up for an inferiority Law of Movement: – Direction taken by the person that originates in his or her ability to exercise free choice  Mistaken Styles of Life Ruling Type – Dominate others; Confront problems in a selfish way. – May be high achievers, but are generally vain and overly competitive Getting Type – Dependent; Adopt a passive attitude towards others. – More likely to be depressed Avoiding Type – Tend to isolate themselves, and seem “cold” to others – Hide a subtle, and fragile, superiority belief  Appropriate Style of Life Socially Useful Type – Act in a way that benefits others Not just in an economic sense; artists and actors help others to “feel,” for example Research shows that our Style of Life is generally consistent from childhood to adulthood (Pulkkinnen, 1992)  Early Recollections (usu. about age 3 ½) Commonly used by Adlerian therapists Used to assess people’s lifestyles – Indicates how a person views himself, his/her personal strivings, and others Fact is not important! – The present determines the past – A first memory remains because it has been thought about repeatedly during life: It is subjectively important to that person... Emotional content is the most important  How does one’s family impact personality development? Mother is greatest influence – Guides development of social interest Father is second greatest influence – Provides encouragement to pursue interests Birth order – Family size and sex of siblings cause individual differences  Adlerian Advice to Parents Encourage the child rather than punish Be firm, but do not dominate Show respect to the child Emphasize cooperation Don’t give the child TOO much attention (pampering) – But do not neglect the child! Do not struggle for power with the child Do not show excessive sympathy Birth Order: Adler’s Hypotheses First-Born – Will not do well with “dethronement” More likely to act antagonistically against others Will “seek others” Second-Born – Stimulated to higher achievement via competition with older siblings Most likely to be successful Will likely isolate themselves in pursuit of success Birth Order: Adler’s Hypotheses Later-Born – Tend to be pampered and spoiled More likely to be “getting type” Expect over-indulgence from others Only Children – Exaggerated sense of self-importance Must be center of attention  Birth Order: Research Most differences are between first-born and others – 1st born are higher in achievement motivation – Tend to have higher levels of success – Tend to be more self-centered (narcissistic) – Tend to be Type A, especially if female – Tend to be anxious, especially if male  Adlerian Therapy Stages: – Empathy and relationship Establish a working relationship – Information Gathering Client’s history, early memories, and current functioning – Clarification Client’s core beliefs about self, others, and life – Encouragement Encourage progress towards a new Style of Life – Interpretation and recognition Helping client to reconsider their fictional finalism * – Knowing Client can monitor their behavior with less input from therapist  Adlerian Therapy Stages: – Emotional Breakthrough Old patterns are discarded via imagery and roleplay – Doing Differently Client behaves differently in life – Reinforcement Client begins to pay more attention to others’ needs rather than their own – Social Interest A sense of community is established – Goal Redirection A new goal to strive for – Support and Launching Client strives towards new goal in the spirit of social interest  Fictional Finalism The Psychology of “As If” The nature of goals – Imagined goals – Determining how to achieve them As always, in the spirit of social interest! Guided Self-Ideal – Subjective and personally meaningful – Created by the individual to navigate through life’s obstacles  Adler and YOU What are YOUR ultimate goals? How would YOU like to spend your – Semester – Academic year – College career – Life? What kind of life would YOU need to live to look back at your life with satisfaction?