Personality Psychology - Adler

four types of people

ruling dominant

getting leaning

Avoidant type

socially useful

ruling-dominant type

attempts to dominate or rule people

getting-leaning type

expects everything from others and gets everything he or she can from them

avoiding type

who "succeeds" in life by avoiding problems by never attempting anything

socially useful type

confronts problems and attempts to solve them in a socially useful way

three childhood conditions that tend to create a faulty lifestyle

physical inferiority

spoiling or pampering

neglecting

physical inferiority

actual physical weakness

spoiling or pampering

conditions that cause a child to believe it is the responsibility of others to satisfy his or her needs

neglecting

condition that causes the child to feel worthless and angry and to be distrustful of everyone

creative self

the force by which each individual shapes his uniqueness and establishes his personality

safegaurding

mechanism neurotics use to preserve what little self-esteem and illusions of superiority a mistaken lifestyle can provide.

safeguarding strategies

excuses, aggression, distancing

three types of aggression

depreciation, accusation, self-accusation

Depreciation

one's accomplishments are overvalued, and the accomplishments of others are undervalued.

accusation

involves blaming other people for one's shortcomings and seeking revenge against those people.

self-accusation

involves wallowing in self-torture and guilt, the ultimate purpose of which is to hurt other people

Distancing

involves creating barriers between themselves and their problems in life.

first born child

This child is the focus of attention until the birth of a sibling "dethrones" him or her. The loss felt by the first-born child when the second child is born often creates bitterness that causes problems later in life. Adler considered this to be the most troublesome birth position.

second born child

This child is very ambitious because he or she is constantly attempting to catch up and surpass the older sibling. Of all the birth orders, Adler believed that the second-born was the best.

youngest child

According to Adler, the second-worst birth position after the first-born. This child is often spoiled and therefore loses courage to succeed by his or her own efforts.

only child

This child is like a first-born child who was never dethroned. Only children, according to Adler, are often sweet, affectionate, and charming in order to appeal to others. Adler did not consider this birth position as dangerous as the first-born's position.

first memories

A person's earliest recollections. Such recollections provide the basis for a person's worldview, fictional final goal, and lifestyle. Adler believed that as one's personality changes so do these

what is the best way to identify a person's lifestyle

first memories

compensation

making up for weaknesses, such as organ inferiority, by emphasizing functions that substitute for the weakness.

overcompensation

Process by which, through considerable effort, a previous weakness is converted into a strength. An example is when a frail child works hard to become an athlete.

feelings of inferiority

Feelings that one has of being inferior, whether or not these feelings are justified by real circumstances. Such feelings, according to Adler, can lead either to positive accomplishments or to an inferiority complex.

organ inferiority

Condition that exists when some organ of the body does not develop normally. Such a condition can stimulate compensation or overcompensation, which is healthy, or can result in an inferiority complex, which is unhealthy.

superiority complex

Psychological condition that exists when a person concentrates too much on his or her own need to succeed while ignoring the needs of others. Such a person tends to be vain, domineering, and arrogant.

individual psychology

theory, which seeks to understand the behavior of each person as an organized entity, focuses on the whole personality

Teleological

power to will or the belief that individuals are guided to move toward goals

Teleological position

Belief that goals determine behavior and behavior is directed and shaped by a desigining force

masculine protest 

Attempt to compensate for feelings of inferiority by acting as though superior to others. 

overcompensation

exaggerated attempts by individuals to overcome their feelings of inferiority by acting as though they are personally superior to others 

neurotics

believe they are actually superior and act consistent with those beliefs, belittle others, all are competitors and must be defeated

Psychotics

view others with suspicion, validate worth with delusions of grandeur privately by comparing self to others