PSYC332 - Ch5 (Alfred Adler)

Alfred Adler (neofreudian)

Alfred Adler

• developed approach of individual psyc

• contributions to understanding of personality

  • notion of striving for superiority

  • role of parental influence on personality development

  • effects of birth order

Life of Adler

Childhood

• marked by illness, awareness of death, intense jealousy of older & younger brothers

• feelings of inferiority

• compensated for weakness through persistence

striving for superiority

single motivating force that can subsume all other motives

• all individs life begins w/ feelings of inferiority

• all individ actions aims to establish sense of superiority over lifes obstacles

• excessive feelings of inferiority lead to inferiority complex

• social interest combined w/ superiority striving indicates mental health of a person

• urge toward perfection or completion that motivates each person

  • innate goal is future oriented

• fictional finalism

fictional finalism

imagined or potential fictional goals (ppl more influenced by future goals than past events)

• goals guide behavior toward a complete state of being

these fictions are determinants of lifestyle (goal is to help ppl/make society better → that is good)

• mean world vs good world

  →determine how you will act/behave towards others

striving is the essence of being human

lifestyle is the personality structure

• psychological processes that we need to reach goal

• established very young (childhood experiences)

• ppl use diff means to reach same goal)

social interest

• ppls innate ability to socialize

• crucial to adjustment

striving process

• based on unique feeling of inferiority that develops early in life

maladjustment

• feeling too inferior

• social interest not sufficiently developed

• striving for goals to make u feel better than everyone

• at odds w/ being social

→nothing wrong w/ superiority, just reasons for wanting/achieving goal

→SUBJECTIVE

feelings of inferiority

are motivational

• drive to accomplish

• healthy

• need to succeed

overwhelmed by …

• inferiority complex

• neurosis

inferiority complex

develops when a person is unable to compensate for normal inferiority feelings

• characteristics: poor self opinions, feel helpless, find difficult to cope w/ life demands

superiority complex

develops when a person overcompensates for normal inferiority feelings

• characteristics: boastful, self centered, tend to belittle others

parental influence on personality development

parental behaviors that lead to problems in childs life

1. pampering

2. neglect

pampering

parental behavior that lead to problems

• robs child of independence & adds to feelings of inferiority

neglect

parental behaviors that lead to problems

• children who receive little attention from parents

  • grow cold & suspicious

  • incapable of warm personal relationships

causes of inferiority complexes

1. organic inferiority= someone born w/ some kind of disability

2. spoiling/pampering

3. neglecting

organic inferiority

someone born w/ some kind of disability

style of life

• unique character structure or pattern of behavior

  • expression of striving is diff & unique for every person

• influenced by social interactions

• mistaken lifestyles (ruling dominant, getting leaning, avoiding, socially useful)

Ruling dominant type

mistaken lifestyles

• attacking

getting leaning type

mistaken lifestyles

• dependent

• always expecting from others

avoiding type

mistaken lifestyles

• ignores problems

• avoiding ppl/situations

Socially useful type

mistaken lifestyles

• cooperative

where faulty lifestyles come from

1. physical inferiority

   • compensation, overcompensation, inferiority complex, superiority complex

2. spoiling & pampering

   • up to others to satisfy every need

3. neglect

   • child feels worthless & angry, looks at others w/ distrust

Safeguarding strategies

similar to freuds defense mechanisms

1. excuses

2. aggression (3 forms):

   • depreciation= depreciating some1 else to make yourself feel better

   • idealization= unrealistic high standards to judge ppl

   • solitude= treating others as if they are incapable of caring for themselves

3. accusation= accusing ppl of stuff

4. blaming others for shortcomings

5. self accusation

6. distancing

7. moving backwards

8. creating onstacles

9. no lose situations

10. it was hard anyways

11. i was sick

depreciation

safeguarding strategy, aggression

• depreciating some1 else to make self feel better

idealization

safeguarding strategies

• unrealistic high standards to judge ppl

solicitude

safeguarding strategies

• treating others as if they are incapable of caring for themselves

firstborn child

• subject to excessive attention from parents

• arrival of 2nd child ends pampering

• strong perception of inferiority

• among 1stborn we often find problem children, neurotics, criminals, drunkards, perverts

middle-born child

• develop strong superiority striving

• highest achievers

• trying to catch up w/ older siblings

last-born child

• pampered throughout childhood

• vulnerable to strong inferiority feelings