8 - Adler's Individual Psychology

optimistic view of people while resting heavily on notion of social interest, feeling of oneness with humankind

1. striving for success or superiority

2. subjective perceptions

3. personality is unified and self-consistent

4. social interest

5. style of life

6. creative power

(tenet of Alderian theory)

• the one dynamic motivational force behind people’s behaviour is striving for success or superiority

• when we are born we pathetic, weak bodies which leads to underlying desire for success or superiority

• unhealthy seek superiority

• healthy seek success for all of humanity

• abstract and unconscious

• goal is fictional

• product of creative power

• if child is provided with sufficient love and security, they set healthy pro-social goals

people’s ability to freely shape their behaviour and create their own personality

as a means of compensation for feelings of inferiority or weakness

• physical deficiencies at birth ignite motivation towards completion and wholeness

• socially nonproductive attempt to gain personal superiority

• social interest, aimed at success or perfection for everyone

• little or no concern for others

• goals are personal

• motivated by exaggerated feelings of inferiority

• inferiority complex

• motivation directed inwards

• psychologically healthy people

• motivated by social interest and success of humankind

• concerned with goals beyond themselves

• capable of helping others

• cooperative

• uncommon

  • goals are externally oriented

(tenet of Alderian theory)

• people’s subjective perceptions shape behaviour and personality

• based on fictions

(subjective perceptions)

belief or expectation of the future that serves to motivate present behaviour

• we live our lives more to fiction than reality

• teleological drive

• most important fiction is goal of superiority or sucess

our perceptions of the world fall into a groove

• we interpret experiences before we accept them

• interpretations fall in line with our fictional beliefs

(subjective perceptions)

we are all “blessed” with organ inferiorities; physical handicaps have no importance by themselves but become meaningful when they stimulate subjective feelings of inferiority, which serve as impetus towards perfection

• fictions stem from physical inferiorities

• compensation is healthy, overcompensation is not

things about self that we are limited by

(tent of Adlerian theory)

• every person is unique

• inconsistent behaviour does not exist, it is all expression of our personality

• when behaviour appears inconsistent, therapist needed

  • usually unconscious attempt to subordinate others

expression of a person’s underlying intentions or style of life through a diseased or dysfunctional bodily organ

• expressions of ultimate goal

• ex., leg cramps because can’t stand on two feet, need to be dependant on others

• unconscious as part of the goal that is neither clearly formulated nor completely understood by an individual

  • harmony between them, cooperating

(tenet of Adlerian theory)

community feeling or sense of feeling at one with all human beings

• needed to be developed

• strong social interest = strong empathy

  • teleological push towards social interest

• mother encourages mature social interest and cooperation

  • if she favours husband over child, child feels neglected

  • if she favours child, they are pampered

• father models care to wife

  • offer equal care as mother

  • avoid being emotionally detached and too authoritarian

• parental detachment creates goal of superiority

• basis of measuring psychological health

• good, mature social interest means psychologically healthy

• normal feelings of incompletion → social interest → success → final goal clear

• exaggerated feelings → personal gain → personal superiority → final goal dim

a person’s individuality that expresses itself in any circumstance or environment

• the ‘flavour’ of a person’s life

• contextualized in broader life

• healthier styles more capable of adaptation and social interest

• occupation: calling that fulfills our style

• sexual love: relational connections

• neighbourly love/other people: how do you relate to other people (cooperation vs. competition)

• to self

• to difficulties: can we overcome them

• to others: competitors vs. fellows

• to the other sex

• to life: goals we set for ourselves

• ruling

• dependent (getting)

• avoidant

• socially useful ( the only mature one)

(unhealthy, rooted in egocentrism)

aggression, hyper dominant, lack of social interest or care for others

(unhealthy, rooted in egocentrism)

parasitic, dependent, take more than they give, lack social interest

(unhealthy, rooted in egocentrism)

attempts to escape life issues by avoiding social interest, success, others

strong social interest and social activity, giving back

(the only healthy styles)

(tenet of Adlerian theory)

the inner freedom that empowers each of us to create our own style of life

• style of life is molded by creative power

• dynamic, implies movement

• responsible for who we are and who we become

• we decide whether to build a useful or useless style of life

underdeveloped social interest

1. set goals too high

2. live in their own private world

3. have a rigid and dogmatic style of life

• they are setting themselves up for failure

• lack social interest

what is meaningful to them is totally closed off

1. exaggerated physical deficiencies

2. pampered style of life

3. neglected style of life

(external factor in maladjustment)

• born with physical deficiency or sustained through life, lead to over exaggerated feelings of inferiority

  • overcompensate

  • ignore others, lose social interest

  • physical deficiencies themselves insufficient to lead to maladjustment, must be accompanied by feelings of inferiority

(external factor in maladjustment)

parents did everything for them

• heart of neuroses

• weak social interest

• parasitic relationship with parents transfers to adult relations

• unloved, treated as unable to solve own problems

• dependent, discouraged, oversensitive, anxious, exaggerated emotions

(external factor in maladjustment)

parents didn’t take active role, disengaged

• less common, more severe

• no social interest

• don’t use creative power

• distrustful, not cooperative

• more suspicious and dangerous than pampered

• unable to cope with inferiority, overwhelmed

• not always obvious

• appears in extreme stressful situations

  • safeguarding tendencies, make excuses

  • contradictions in emotions

    • self-doubt

• unique delusion where they strive for superiority and it permeates their being

• extremes

• lead to broader mental illness

• most criminals have superiority complex

• nobody is born evil, their personality has turned due to their superiority complex

protective mechanisms that maintain exaggerated feelings of superiority

• ex., making excuses, aggression, withdrawal

• ONLY used by neurotics

• consciously employed

  • even if we don’t know why

safeguarding tendencies whereby the person, through use of reasonable sounding justifications, becomes convinced of the reality of self-erected obstacles

• most common and obvious

• “yes, but”

• “if only”

• protect self-esteem

• make people believe that they are still in control

safeguarding tendency designed to protect exaggerated feelings of personal superiority by striking out against other people

• ex., depreciation, accusation, self-accusation

• all about maintaining personal superiority

(aggression safeguard)

tendency to undervalue other people’s achievements and to overvalue one’s own

• gossip, criticism

(aggression safeguard)

blame others for one’s failures and to seek revenge

(aggression safeguard)

self-torture and guilt spirals

• devalue self to hurt those around them

• self-harm, really to harm others

(aggression safeguard)

safeguarding one’s exaggerated sense of superiority by establishing a distance between oneself and one’s problems

• moving backward

• standing still

• hesitating

  • constructing obstacles

(aspect of withdrawal safegaurd)

similar to regression, revert to more secure moment in life

• seek sympathy from others

• pampered

• may be conscious and directed at maintaining inflated goal of superiority

(aspect of withdrawal safeguard)

avoiding responsibilities by not doing anything

• not as severe as moving backwards

• ensures against failure

(aspect of withdrawal safeguard)

more than procrastination, but self in position where it is too late to solve and then say “oh well:

• fixate on the little things

• compulsive behaviours to waste time

(aspect of withdrawal safeguard)

builds up tiny things for self to do instead of addressing main problem

• still doing things that need to get done

• less severe

give up safe guards, allow self to be helped by others

neurotic and erroneous belief held by some that men are superior to women

• no psychological difference

• male-dominated society not natural but product of historical development

• girls learn to be passive, men powerful

• Adler assumed men and women have the same needs and wants

Adler’s wife more politically and socially active, Freuds wife more traditional

• reflected in their views of women

• exaggerated feelings of power and superiority

• anxious, overprotective

• dethroning trauma

  • 3+ more conscious, incorporated into life and more overt hostility to newborn; cooperative if they have developed social interest

  • <3 hostility less conscious, more resistant to change

• responsible, motivated, conscientious, controlling, cautious, reliable, perfectionist, achiever, leader, bossy

• social interest, cooperation

• if older sibling is hostile, become hyper competitive or discouraged

• if successful in superiority, develop **revolutionary attitude (**beleif that authority can be challenged and overcome)

  • feel left out, peacemaker, social, adaptable, people-pleaser, rebellious, independent, go-between

• pampered

• higher risk neuroses

• self-motivated, uncomplicated, manipulative, seek attention, self-centered, fun, social, charming, outgoing

• have to become adults early

• develop competitive and cooperative attitudes with parents

• less cooperative

• parasitic

• seek approval, sensitive, leader, confident, center of attention, mature, conscientious, responsible, perfectionist

technique to understand the pattern or theme that runs throughout a person’s style of life

• talk about memories from childhood

• what shows up is reflection of who we are today

• not causal

• doesn’t matter if real or fantasy

  • we project current circumstances backwards

provide clues to solving future problems

• disguised to deceive the dreamer and usually require interpretation by another person

  • dreamer typically does not wish to solve problem in productive manner

enhance courage, lessen feelings of inferiority, and encourage social interest

• address root causes of psychopathology

• model cooperative operations

• with child, help to understand their problems are social and they can turn to others for help

• narcissism (maladaptive and unhealthy) differs from self-esteem (adaptive and healthy)

• narcissist lacks social interest

  • need constant validation

• if parent overvalues child, leads to feelings of superiority and narcissism

• if just warm to child, leads to healthy self-esteem

• found influence of birth order on intelligence, academic, career outcomes stronger than on personality

• first borns higher educational and career outcomes

  • more cognitive stimulation from mother

• later born children more socially interested and pro-social, adventurous, open to experience, innovative, reject status quo

• early born children achievement-oriented, anxious, conformist

• realistic

• investigative

• artistic

• social

• enterprising

• conventional

• causality for style of life

• birth order research is inconsistent

• heteronormative view of the family