PSY 216 Exam 2 - Adler, Horney, and Attachment

inferiority feelings

normal condition of people

compensation

motivation to overcome inferiority

healthy response

inferiority complex

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

superiority complex

develops when a person overcompensates for normal inferiority feelings

lack social interest, so striving is directed to a final goal centered on personal superiority rather than success involving community benefit

social interest

the ability to cooperate with others and achieve societal goals

lifestyle

a generalized pattern of responses to most situations

includes goals, opinions of ourselves and the world, and the habitual behaviors we use for achieving our desired outcomes

creative power of self

the ability to create an appropriate style of life

organic inferiority

exaggerated physical deficiencies

spoiling

overprotected as children and given too much protection

neglecting

given little support as children

birth order

first born → focus of attention, followed by dethronement and battle to regain supremacy

second born → views first child as pace setter; most competitive

youngest child → develops at a fast pace to surpass others, high achievers, and helpless if pampered (lack independence)

only child → focus of attention, spend most time with adults, matures easily, disappointed when not center of attention

Zajonc’s confluence theory

birth order effects are because first borns have more exclusive exposure to adults, and thus may be subjected to more stimulating intellectual environment

exceptions to birth order effects

traditional parental gender roles

handicaps

talents

psychotherapy techniques: Adler

early recollections → uses the earliest memories, real and fantasized; helps reveal the primary interest of life

dream analysis:

• involves feelings regarding a current problem

• interpretation requires knowledge about the person and his/her style of life

summary: Adler

nature or nurture → both

determined or free will → free will

stable of change → change

safety need

early need for security and freedom; determined by how parents treat child

basic hostility

develops if parent undermines development of safety need

basic anxiety

develops when basic hostility is repressed; pervasive feeling of loneliness and helplessness

foundation of neurosis

self-protective mechanisms against anxiety

securing affection

being submissive

attaining power

withdrawing

self-image

all of us construct a picture of ourselves (the self)

a healthy person has an accurate conception; free to realize their full potential (self-realization)

neurotics splits their self into a disposed self and an ideal self

tyranny of shoulds

attempt to realize an unattainable idealized self-image

compliant personality → feels they should be self sacrificing

aggressive personality → feels they should be powerful and a winner

detached/withdrawing personality → feels they should be independent and perfect

summary: Horney

nature or nurture → nurture

determined or free will → free will

stable or change → change

current research → attachment

strong, long-lasting emotional connection

close positive attachment will provide the child with a secure base

theories of how infants become attached

psychoanalytic → propose that infants have a biological desire to become attached to those that provide pleasure

learning theory → believe that reinforcement is the mechanism responsible for social attachments

ethological theory → proposes that humans have pre-adapted characteristic that predisposes them to form attachments (evolution)

John Bowlby’s view

combine freudian ideals with evolutionary theory

babies biologically programmed to produce behaviors that parents are programmed to love

early relationships serve as a mental working model for future relationships

maternal deprivation

children should not be deprived of contact with the mother during a critical period when the primary attachment relationship is being formed (up to 2 years)

effects on development

intellectual development → low IQ

emotional development → affectionless psychopaths (no empathy, inability to experience guilt)

disorganized attachment

caregiver often source of threat

rare in non-clinical populations, but more common where history of physical/sexual abuse or neglect (4%)

negative effects of brain development

temperament

how one behaves and responds to the environment

Thomas & Chess’s model yields three types of infants

• easy child (40%) → easily adapts to changes in routine and new experiences, generally cheerful and low in emotionality

• difficult child (10%) → slow to accept new experiences and changes in routine, tends to react negatively and intensely

• slow to warm up child (15%) → inactive, mild reactions to environmental stimuli, negative in mood, adjust slowly to new experiences

Three types of infants due to differences in 6 dimensions

activity

adaptability

distractibility

emotionality

persistence

shyness