Adler

Outline

• Biography of Adler• Striving for Success or Superiority• Subjective Perceptions• Unity and Self-Consistency of Personality• Social Interest• Style of Life

Cont’d

Outline

• Creative Power• Abnormal Development• Applications of Individual Psychology• Critique of Adler• Concept of Humanity

Biography of Adler

• Born in a Viennese suburb in 1870• Second son of middle class Jewish parents• Received his medical degree in 1895• Charter member of Freud’s organization• Rivalry with Freud led to his departure from the

group• Founded the Society for Individual Psychology• Died in Scotland in 1937

Striving for Success or Superiority

• Final GoalFinal Goal• The Striving Force as The Striving Force as

CompensationCompensation• Striving for Personal SuperiorityStriving for Personal Superiority• Striving for SuccessStriving for Success

Subjective Perceptions• Fictionalism

– Personality is molded by fictions – Fictions guide style of life, give unity to

personality, and confer purpose on behavior

• Organ Inferiorities– All humans are “blessed” with inferior organs– Inferior organs stimulate feelings of inferiority

and move people toward perfection

Unity of Personality

• Organ Dialect– The use of a physical disorder to express style

of life

• Conscious and Unconscious– Conscious and Unconscious processes are

unified and operate to achieve a single goal

Social Interest

• Origins of Social Interest– Social interest must be fostered by environment

• Importance of Social Interest– Without social interest, societies could not exist– “The sole criterion of human values” and the

“barometer of normality”

Style of Life• “Style of life” is the term Adler used to

refer to the manner of a person’s striving– Product of the interaction between heredity,

environment, goal of success, social interest, and creative power

– Relatively set by 4 or 5 years of age– Healthy individuals are marked by flexible

behavior and have some limited ability to change their style of life

Creative Power

• Creative power is Adler’s term for an inner freedom that empowers each person to create his or her own style of life– Places one in control of his or her life– Responsible for one’s final goal– Determines one’s method of striving – Contributes to the development of one’s social

interest

• Creative power is a dynamic concept that implies movement toward a goal

Abnormal Development• General Description• External Factors in Maladjustment

– Exaggerated Physical Deficiencies

– Pampered Style of Life

– Neglected Style of Life

• Safeguarding Tendencies– Excuses

– Aggression

– Withdrawal

• Masculine Protest

Applications of Individual Psychology

• Family Constellation• Early Recollections• Dreams• Psychotherapy

Related Research

• Early Recollections and Personal Traits– Nichols & J. Feist (1994)– Buchanan, Kern, & Bell-Dumas (1991)

• Early Recollections and Psychotherapy Outcomes– Savill & Eckstein (1987)– Statton & Wilborn (1991)

Critique of Adler

• Adler’s Theory is – High on Generating Research,

Organizing Known Data, and Guiding Action

– Moderate on Parsimony– Low on Falsifiability and Internal

Consistency

Concept of Humanity

• Very High on Optimism and Teleology• High on Free Choice, Social

Influences, and Uniqueness• Average on Unconscious Influences