.

Alfred Adler An Approach to Individual Psychology

January 2012

Team: Abhishek Sehgal Aniket Shah Anit Singh Hershita Singh Pragya Singh

Contents

1. Background & Context

2. Adlers Theories & Concepts 3. Criticism & Objections

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Contents

1. Background & Context 2. Adlers Theories & Concepts 3. Criticism & Objections

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Background and Context Alfred Adler (1870-1937)

Austrian Citizen Medical Degree - 1895 Started Career as Ophthalmologist, moved to General Practice Turned to Psychiatry - 1907 Freud Psychoanalytic movement President of the Viennese Analytic Society by Freud Broke up Difference of opinion Aggression Instinct Childrens feeling of inferiority the School of Individual Psychology His

Founded Belief

Moved to the U.S as a professor Came up with Psychology Theories & Concepts pertaining to

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Contents

1. Context & Background 2. Adlers Theories 3. Criticism & Objections

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Adlers Theories & Concepts

Striving for Perfection

Teleology

Compensation

Strive for Superiority

Masculine Protest

Childhood & Birth Order

Psychological Types

Inferiority

Social Interest & Lifestyle

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Adlers Theories & Concepts A Prelude

Earliest phrase was the Aggression Drive a.k.a Assertiveness Drive The reaction we have when other drives (e.g., the need to eat, be sexually satisfied, get things done, or be loved) are frustrated Motivation Drive A single "drive" or motivating force lies behind all our behavior and experience Striving for Perfection Compensation Motivation

The desire we all have to fulfill our potentials, to come closer and closer to our ideal. Drew an analogy with Self Actualization Compensation defined Motivation Rejected Later Personalities could be accounted for by the ways in which we do -- or do not -compensate or overcome those problems Compensation was rejected as a premise for motivation Compensation makes it seem like peoples problems caused them to be what they are Finally, The Underlying Objective : People want to be better than others, rather than better in their own right
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Striving for Perfection

Adlers Theories & Concepts A Prelude

Masculine Protest: Men in many cultures often do have the power, the education, and the talent and motivation needed to do "great things," and women do not.

Mens Success
Some reasons cited were:

An Illustration:

Innate Superiority

1. Boys are encouraged to be assertive in life, and girls are discouraged 2. People want, often desperately, to be thought of as strong, aggressive, (i.e. "masculine) and not weak, passive, or dependent (i.e. "feminine). Lifestyle: How people live life, how they handle problems and interpersonal relations. Developing a perspective beyond the traditional parameters: Internal traits, Structures , Dynamics Conflicts.

The style of life of a tree is the individuality of a tree expressing itself and molding itself in an environment. We recognize a style when we see it against a background of an environment different from what we expect, for then we realize that every tree has a life pattern and is not merely a mechanical reaction to the environment."

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Adlers Theories & Concepts A Prelude

Teleology: ` Motivation is a matter of moving towards the future, rather than being driven, mechanistically, by the past Fictional Finalism: ` Ultimate truth would always be beyond us, but that, for practical purposes, we need to create partial truths

Goals/ Purpose

Ideals

Human Drivers

Partial Truths

Fiction

Good
Contrary to Freuds belief that

Bad

I see what I see

Human Drivers

Past

Imperative to fictionlize.

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Adlers Theories & Concepts A Prelude

Social Interest: Social concern was not simply inborn, nor just learned, but a combination of both

Social Interest

Extraversion

Adlers connotation of Social Interest was limited to caring for: Family Society Community Humanity Life, in general Social Failures:
Drunkards Criminals Neurotics Psychotics

Life with a purpose beyond the self.

Limited to Personal Superiority

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Adlers Theories & Concepts A Prelude

Inferiority & Compensation: People respond to psychological inferiorities with compensation Some examples are.. I will become good at what I am inferior about I will become good at something else to cover up for my inferiority I can not do anything Lack of Self Esteem precedes Inferiority Complex An inferiority complex could also result in
Inferiority
Superiority
Compensation

Neurosis:

Neurosis

Types of Neurosis:

Inferiority Complex

Superiority Complex

1. Ruling Type 2. Leaning Type

Some examples are: Bullies Petty Dictators Drug Addicts

3. Avoiding Type

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Adlers Theories & Concepts A Prelude

Childhood: Saw personality or lifestyle as something established quite early in life Three basic childhood situations are Four basic orders classified by him are 1. Inferiority a) Self Centric b) Superiority 1. Pampering a) Give Commands b) Highly Dependant c) Experience Hatred 2. Neglect a) Trust no one b) No one values them 1. Only Child a) Pampered b) Anxiety filled care c) Bears all the impact 2. First Child a) Similar to the only child till dethroned b) Battles for lost position c) More likely to become problem children 3. Second Child a) Competitive Attempt to surpass older sibling 4. Youngest Child a) Most pampered b) Second most likely to be problem children c) My feel inferiority amidst older siblings Birth Order: Adler considered birth-order another one of those heuristic ideas -- useful fictions -- that contribute to understanding people, but must be not be taken too seriously

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Contents

1. Context & Background 2. Adlers Theories 3. Criticism & Objections

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Criticism & Objections

Intangible

Inconsistent

Teleology vs. Cause & Effect

Not Absolute

Impossible Evaluation

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THANK YOU