ALFRED ADLER: INDIVIDUAL FREUD ADLER

PSYCHOLOGY
Motivation Sex and Striving for superiority
OVERVIEW OF INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY agression or success
INTRODUCTION TO ADLERIAN THEORY
STRIVING FOR SUCCESS OR SUPERIORITY Determinism Determinism Free Choice
● THE FINAL GOAL vs. Free
● THE STRIVING FORCE AS COMPENSATION Choice
● STRIVING FOR PERSONAL SUPERIORITY
● STRIVING FOR SUCCESS Causality vs. Causality Teleology
SUBJECTIVE PERCEPTIONS Teleology
● FICTIONALISM
● PHYSICAL INFERIORITIES Conscious vs. Unconscious Conscious
UNITY AND SELF-CONSISTENCY OF PERSONALITY Unconscious
● ORGAN DIALECT
● CONSCIOUS AND UNCONSCIOUS
SOCIAL INTEREST INTRODUCTION TO ADLERIAN THEORY
● ORIGIN OF SOCIAL INTEREST
3 reasons why Adler lacks clout:
● IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL INTEREST
STYLE OF LIFE 1. Did not establish a tightly run
CREATIVE POWER organization to perpetuate his
ABNORMAL DEVELOPMENT
● GENERAL DESCRIPTION
theories
● EXTERNAL FACTORS UN MALADJUSTMENTS 2. Was not a particularly gifted writer
○ EXAGGERATED PHYSICAL 3. Many of his views were incorporated
DEFICIENCIES
○ PAMPERED STYLE OF LIFE into the works of later theorists (i.e.
○ NEGLECTED STYLE OF LIFE Maslow, Rogers and Ellis)
● SAFEGUARDING TENDENCIES “People are born weak with inferior bodies -
○ EXCUSES
○ AGGRESSION a condition that leads to feelings of
○ WITHDRAWAL inferiority and a consequent dependence on
● MASCULINE PROTEST
● APPLICATIONS OF INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY
other people”
○ FAMILY CONSTELLATION Social Interest - feelings of unity with
○ EARLY RECOLLECTIONS others; ultimate standard for psychological
○ DREAM
○ PSYCHOTHERAPY health
Main tenets of Adlerian Theory
1. Striving force for success or
OVERVIEW OF INDIVIDUAL superiority - dynamic force behind
PSYCHOLOGY people’s behavior
Individual Psychology - presents an 2. Subjective perceptions - shape
optimistic view of people while resting people’s behavior and personality
heavily on the notion of social interest 3. Personality is unified and self-
(feeling of oneness with all humankind) consistent
- Opposing theory of Freud’s 4. Social Interest - value of all human
Psychoanalysis activity
- Holds that everyone begins life with 5. Style of life - developed through a
physical deficiencies that activates self-consistent personality
feelings of inferiority which motivates 6. Style of life is molded by people’s
a person to strive for either creative power
superiority or success
FREUD AND ADLER COMPARED

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STRIVING FOR SUCCESS (social interest, 1. Striving for Personal Superiority -
motivation) OR SUPERIORITY (personal socially unproductive attempt; little
superiority over others) or no concern for others; caused by
- Single drive; Striving power: exaggerated forms of inferiority i.e.
psychologically unhealthy individuals inferiority complex; personal credit
(personal superiority), 2. Striving for Success - motivated by
psychologically healthy individuals social interest and success of all
(success for all humanity) humankind; sense of personal worth
Timeline for Adler’s dynamic force: is tied closely to their contribution to
Aggression (single motivational force) human society; capable of helping
→Masculine Protest (will to power or others without expecting anything in
domination with others)→Striving for return; maintains a sense of self;
superiority and success social progress
1. The Final Goal - guide of each
individual regardless of the SUBJECTIVE PERCEPTIONS
motivation for striving (superiority or 1. Fictionalism - guides our lifestyle
success); fictional and has no and gives unity to our personality
objective existence; reduces the ○ Fictions - expectations of
pain of inferiority and directs to the future; ideas that have no
either superiority or success; unifies real existence yet they
personality and renders all behavior influence people as if they
comprehensible really existed
Creative power - people’s ability to shape a. Teleology - explanation of
their behavior and create their own behavior in terms of
personality purpose/aim; concerned with
Neglected/pampered children - goals and aspirations
unconscious goals lead to a goal of b. Causality - considers
superiority behavior as springing from a
Love/secured children - conscious goals specific cause; deals with
lead to a goal of success and social interest past experiences that
Preliminary goals - subgoals, conscious; produce present effect
seldom realized; takes on new significance 2. Physical Inferiorities - physical
if the final goal is known handicaps lead to feelings of inferiority;
2. Striving Force as Compensation - people develop a fiction or belief about how
innate, coping up with to overcome these physical deficiencies
weakness/inferiority; towards - these physical handicaps
completion and wholeness; the need have no importance but
to overcome inferiority feelings and become meaningful when
pulled by the desire for completion they stimulate subjective
Heredity - establishes potentiality feelings of inferiority
Environment - contributes to the
development of social interest and courage UNITY AND SELF CONSISTENCY OF
2 avenues of striving: PERSONALITY (Individual Psychology

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insists on fundamental unity of personality and attitude towards the
and inconsistent behavior did not exist) world
1. Organ Dialect - speak a language - people with a socially useful
which is usually expressive and style of life represent the
discloses the individual’s opinion highest form of humanity in
more clearly than words are able to the evolutionary process
do; actions that pertain to something 3 Major Problems of Life
2. Harmony between the Conscious 1. Neighborly love
and Unconscious - two cooperation 2. Sexual love
parts of the same unified system 3. Occupation
where the conscious is regarded as
helpful in striving for success while CREATIVE POWER - dynamic concept
the unconscious is not implying movement (most salient
characteristic of life) the ability to shape
SOCIAL INTEREST behavior and personality; makes each
(Gemeinschaftsgefühl) - social person a free individual
feeling/community feeling; oneness with all - Adler acknowledged the importance
humanity and implies empathy for members of heredity and environment (bricks
of the community; an attitude of relatedness and mortar) in forming personality
with humanity in general; natural conditions (architectural design)
of human species that binds them together - Analogy: The law of the low
and the adhesive that binds the society doorway
together
- Rooted as potentiality in ABNORMAL DEVELOPMENT
everyone Underdeveloped social interest - one
1. Origin of Social Interest: factor underlying all types of
1. Mother-child relationship maladjustments
during the early months of Maladjusted people (neurotics) - set
infancy extravagant goals as an overcompensation
2. Marriage and parenthood for exaggerated feelings of inferiority
“The relationship a child has with the ● Factors:
mother and father is so powerful that it ○ Set their goals to high
smothers the effects of heredity (after age ○ Live their own private world
5)” ○ Rigid and dogmatic style of
2. Importance of Social Interest: life
● Adler’s yardstick for measuring Private meaning - personal angle that
psychological health; sole criterion of precludes successful solutions; view of the
human values world is not in focus with that of others
STYLE OF LIFE - flavor of a person’s life; External Factors in Maladjustment:
product of interaction of heredity, 1. Exaggerated Physical
environment and creative power Deficiencies - accompanied by
- E.g. person’s goal, self- accentuated feelings of inferiority;
concept, feelings for others overcompensate for inadequacy;

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 overconcerned for self and lack of 3. Withdrawal - running away from
consideration for others difficulties; setting up distance between self
2. Pampered Style of Life - heart of and problems
most neuroses; weak social interest, a. Moving backward - safeguarding
strong desire to perpetuate the one’s fictional goal of superiority by
pampered, parasitic relationship they reverting to a more secure life
had with their parents; feel unloved b. Standing still - avoid responsibility
and are incapable of solving their by ensuring themselves against any
own problems; materialistic and threat of failure; do not move in any
spoiled direction
3. Neglected Style of Life - little social c. Hesitating - compulsive behavior;
interest, little confidence, preserving inflated sense of self-
overestimate difficulties; they have esteem i.e. attempts to waste time
difficulty in trusting and are usually d. Constructing Obstacles - least
introverted; more suspicious and severe; building a straw house so
more likely to be dangerous they can knock it down

SAFEGUARDING TENDENCIES - creating MASCULINE PROTEST - overemphasize

patterns of behavior to protect an the importance of being manly; women are
exaggerated sense of self esteem against inferior
public disgrace; hide inflated self-image and
maintain their current style of life; counter- APPLICATIONS OF INDIVIDUAL
part of defense mechanism by Freud; self- PSYCHOLOGY (ADLERIAN THERAPY)
defeating behaviors 1. Family Constellations
1. Excuses - “Yes, but” or “If only” is a. Eldest child - have feelings
always used to protect a weak sense of power and superiority,
of self-worth and If only experience a dethronement
2. Aggression - protect exaggerated when second child is born;
superiority complex and fragile self- nurturing and protective of
esteem others, good organizer; have
a. Depreciation - undervalue exaggerated feelings of
other people’s achievements power, uncooperative
to overvalue own e.g. b. Second child - personality is
criticisms and gossips shaped by their perception of
b. Accusation - blame others attitude of the eldest child to
for one’s failures and to seek them; highly competitive and
revenge easily discouraged;
c. Self - accusation - self- revolutionary attitude
torture and guilt; devaluing c. Youngest - most pampered,
self by inflicting suffering on have a strong sense of
others while protecting their inferiority; realistically
self-esteem e.g. masochism, ambitious, dependent on
depression and suicide others

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 d. Only child - socially mature,
has exaggerated feelings of
superiority; inflated sense of
self, pampered style of life
2. Early Recollections - gain an
understanding of patient’s
personality; consistent with people’s
present lifestyle
3. Dreams - can provide clues for
solving future problems; most
dreams are self-deceptions and not
easily understood by the dreamer
a. Interpretation of dreams: “if
one interpretation doesn’t
feel right, try another”
4. Psychotherapy
a. Postulates that
psychopathology results from
lack of courage, exaggerated
feelings of inferiority and
underdeveloped social
interest
b. GOAL: to enhance courage,
lessen feelings of inferiority
and encourage social interest
c. METHOD: treating problem
children in front of an
audience