Alfred Adler
Individual Psychology
ALFRED ADLER
Alfred Adler February 7, 1870 Vienna, Austria
2nd born of six
Middle-class Jewish family
Developed rickets, which kept him from walking until
he was four years old
Nearly died of pneumonia at four
Known for his efforts at outdoing his older brother
Received a medical degree in 1895
Co-founder of the psychoanalytic movement as a
core member of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society
Founder of the school of Individual Psychology
Was the first major figure to break away from
psychoanalysis to form an independent school
of psychotherapy and personality theory
Married in 1897
Eventually had four children
Only son became a psychiatrist and continued Adlers work
Died in 1937 of Heart Attack
View of Human
Nature
For Adler. Being unconscious is only a temporary
unawareness.
He also argued that the people can create their
own personalities and lifestyle to achieve their
highest goals.
According to Adler, humans are motivated
primarily by social relatedness rather than by
sexual urges.
Structure of Personality
Organ Inferiority
Feelings of Inferiority
Striving for Superiority
Style of Life
Fictional Finalism
Social Interest
Organ Inferiority
People are more vulnerable to disease in
organs that are less developed or inferior
to other organs.
These inferior organs develop biological
deficiencies because of stress from the
environment. These inhibit the person from
functioning normally.
Feelings of Inferiority
All children start life with feelings of inferiority
because they are completely dependent on adults
for survival. This feeling of being weak, inferior,
and impotent stimulates an intense desire to seek
power, thereby overcoming the feelings inferiority.
Striving for Superiority
A fundamental fact of life, an innate
need from the time of birth. It is
master motive that leads people to
pursue a superior or perfect society.
Style of Life
Which an individual attempts to gain superiority.
Determines which aspects of life are focused on
and how these give a person individual identity
Determines what is perceived and ignored.
Specifies a persons future goals and how they
are to be attained.
Unhealthy lifestyle is based on selfishness and
is contrary to the views of society.
Fictional Finalism
Fictional future goal which a person aspires for.
Adler called this a Guiding self ideal. This gave
Adlers theory a strong teleological component,
although it did not ignore the past altogether.
Social Interest
The innate need of all human beings to
live in harmony and friendship with others
and to aspire for the development of the
perfect society.
Social Interest
Social interest can be developed through
tasks:
1. Occupational tasks or constructive
work can be a means for a person to
hep advance society.
2. Societal tasks require cooperation with
fellow humans.
3. Love and marriage tasks help to
perpetuate society.
Stages of Development
Adler did not propose stages of development;
instead emphasized the importance of family
atmosphere and the family constellation.
The latter refers to ones position within the
family in terms of birth order:
Oldest child
Middle child
Youngest child
Stages of Development
The family constellation becomes more
complicated in the case of twins or an only
brother among relations between children and
parents frequently consists of a continuing
alternations between
Indulgence
Rejection
Three
Entrance
Gates to
Mental Life
Adler referred to birth
order, first memories, and
dream analysis as the three
entrance gates to mental
life. He studied them
extensively to discern the
origins of lifestyle and an
individuals approach to
problem solving.
. Birth Order1
The first born children who later have younger siblings may have
it the most. When the next child is born, suddenly, they are no
longer the center of attention and fall into the shadows
wondering why everything changed.
They often have the greatest number of problems as they get
older.
The middle born/the second born children may have it the
easiest.
They are also more fortunate compared to their older siblings.
These children are not pampered as their older sibling was, but
are still afforded the attention.
They have a high need for superiority and are often able to seek it
out through healthy competition.
The youngest children. Like the first born may be more likely
to experience personality problems later in life.
He gets pampered and protected more than his siblings.
Thats why he/she is usually spoiled and very dependent.
Sometimes he felt that he will always be inferior to others.
The only child is never dethroned by another sibling,
but experiences shock upon learning that he or she
cannot remain the center of attention. He or she is often
very sweet and affectionate. An only child is not
considered dangerous.
. First Memories
Is a research technique of asking a
person to describe his or her earliest
recollections. These recollections are
evidence of the origins of ones
lifestyle.
Dream Analysis
-is a method wherein a persons dreams are used to provide a way of
dealing with the persons life problems.
By analyzing how problems are confronted and future events
planned through their dreams, a great deal could be learned about
a persons lifestyle.
Evaluation
Strengths
1. Adlers greatest contribution psychology is his
study of birth order and personality.
Adlers theory culminated in his insistence in
understanding an individual through his or her
attitude towards the world.
2. Adler considered his theory of the creative self
as the climax of his studies.
3. Adler said that many of our guiding goals are
fictional. However,his use of the word
fiction did not necessarily mean not
true.
Fictional Finalists
Cannot be treated as reality
because these are not specific
hypotheses that can be put to a
crucial experiment. They are
constructs or inventions of human
psyche that arise as it encounters
the world.
WEAKNESSES:
1. Adler viewed behavior as primary goal directed and consciously
chosen rather than predetermined by the unconscious mind or
biological drive.
2. He took it for granted that everyone experiences some feelings of
inferiority.
3. The drive for aggression which he later substituted for striving for
superiority was innately biological as that of sexual urge.
SUMMARY
From the beginning, Adlers theory of personality was open to
growth and evolution. His theory became more comprehensive
and conclusive as his work matured, without contradicting his
earlier ideas.
Adler chose the term individual psychology for his conception of
personality. Nevertheless, he realizes early in his theorizing that
the individual could not be considered in isolation or apart from
their context. His emphasis shifted from the intra psychic (within
the psyche) which is basically Freudian, to the interpsychic
(interpersonal relations).
Summary of Differences
Between Adler and Freud
Freud:
-Emphasized the unconscious
mind
-Future goals are unimportant
-Biological motives are
primary
-Pessimistic about human
existence
-Dreams are used to detect
contents of the unconscious
mind.
-Personality is completely
determined by heredity and
environmental factors
-Emphasized importance of
sex
Adler:
-Emphasized conscious mind.
-Future goals are important
source of motivation
-Social motives are primary
-Optimistic about human existence
Dreams are tools in solving
problems.
-Personality is determined partly by
the individual themselves.
-Minimize the importance of sex.
-Goal of therapy is to encourage a
lifestyle that incorporates social
interests.
FIN
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