ALFRED ADLER

Neurotics

underdeveloped social interest that causes someone to set their goals too high, live their own private worls, and tend to overcompensate

compensation

making up for a overcoming or weakness

overcompensation

exaggerated effort to cover up a weakness that entails a denial rather than an acceptance of the real situation

inferiority and superiority complex

neurotic patterns

inferiority complex

individuals who feel highly inadequate

superiority complex

exaggerated feelings of once importance

exaggerated physical deficiencies, pampered style of life, neglected style of life

external factors in maladjustments

exaggerated physical deficiencies

exaggerated feelings of inferiority because they overcompensate for their inadequency

pampered style of life

children who are given too much attention and are overprotected from their parents turn out to lack social interest because they want to perpetuate their parasitic relationships they had with parents

neglected style of life

children given too little attention by parents tend to feel unloved and unwanted

safeguarding tendencies

protective device that ward off feelings of inferiority and maintain current style of life

excuses

safeguarding tendency thats most common and typicaaly expressed in the “yes, but” or “if only” format

aggression

to safeguard exaggerated superiority complex

depreciation, accusation, self accusation

types of aggression safeguard tendency

depreciation

tendency to undervalue other achievements and overvalue own

accusation

tendency to blame others for one’s failure

self accusation

self torture and guilt with the goal of hurting others

withdrawal

halting personality development by running from difficulties through distance

moving backward, standing still, hesitating, constructing obstacles

types of withdrawal safeguard tendencies

moving backward

regression, safeguardsing ones superiority by psychologically reverting to more secure period of life

standing still

not being responsible, not doing anything

hesitating

procrastinating, being compulsive

constructing obstacles

by overcoming self-created obstacles, the individual preserves their self esteem and their self prestige

excuses, aggresion, withdrawal

types of safeguarding tendencies

Family constellation

Placement if a child according to the time of their birth

First born child

Intensive feeling of superiority, high anxiety and overprotective tendencies

The dethroned child

Middle / second born

Begins life more fortunate and in better situation for developing cooperation and social interest

Rebellious and envious but better adjusted

Youngest child

Spoiled, pampered, high risk problem child

Kore sociable and dependent

Lack sense of independence

Only child

Likely to lack well developed social interest and parasitic attitude

Likely to expect pampering and protection

Exaggerated superiority and sense the world as a dangerous place

Early recollection

Single incidents from childhood which the individual is able to reconstitute in present experience as mental pictures or as focused sensory memories

Dreams

Canr foretell future but can tive clues for solving future problemsaa as

Fanily constellation

Early recollection

Dreams

Applications if individual psychology

individual psychology

personality is not influencd by individual interest but by how interested they are in society

adlerian theory

people are born with weak and inferior bodies that leads to feeling inferior and dependent on others

1. the one dynamic behind people’s behavior is the striving for success or superiority

2. peopls’s subjective perceptions shape their behavior and personality

3. personality is unified and self consistent

4. the value of all human activity must be seen from the viewpoint of social interest

5. the self-consistent personality structured develops into a person’s lifestyle

6. style of life is molded by people’s creative power

adlerian theory’s tenets

personal superiority

psychologically unhealthy people strive for this

success for all of humanity

psychologically healthy people seek for this

superiority or success

motivated from how everyone is born weak which gives them feelings of inferiority

final goal

unifiws personality and renders all behaviors comprehensible

creative power

people’s ability to freely sha[e their behavior and create own personality

inferiority complex

striving is largely motivated by an exaggerated feeling of personal inferiority

unconditional positive regard

wanting people to succeed

altruistic behavior

helping without being paid back

subjective perceptions

based on adlers second tenet

fictions

people are motivated not by what is true but by their subjective perceptions of what is true

fictionalism

suggests that we create a goal early in life and the goal guides our style of life and gives unity to out personality

physical deformities

because of being born inferior, we develop a fiction about how to overcome these physical deficiencies and become strong and superior

unity and self consistency of personality

third tenet of adlerian theory

all behaviors are directed toward a single purpose abd that the entire personality functions in a self-consistent manner

organ dialect

deficient organ expresses direction of the individual’s goal

body organ’s speak a language more expressive and discloses the individual’s opinion more clearly than words do

conscious and unconscious

unified processes that operate to achieve a single goal

social interest

fourth tenet of adlerian theory

social interest

an attitude of relatedness with humanity in general as well as an empathy for each memeber of the human community

style of life

fifth tenet of adlerian theory

refers to how you live your life, how you handle problems, and interpersonal relations

ruling type

agrressive and domenearing style of life with little to no social interest

getting type

dependent people take than give

avoiding type

people who try to escape lifes problems by engaging in little socially constructive activities

socially useful type

people with a great deal of social interest and activity

creative power

sixth tenet of adlerian theory