Individual Psychology

• Who is the proponent of Individual Psychology?

  Alfred Adler
• Alfred Adler was born on...

  February 7, 1870
• Adler was born in...

  Rudolfsheim, Vienna
• When did Alfred Adler die?

  May 28, 1937
• What was the movement that Adler was co-founder of and as one of its core members?

  Vienna Psychoanalytic Society
• Individual Psychology

  • Emphasis on the importance of culture and society
  • Important on the orientation of each and every behavior and emotion
  • Focused on the uniqueness of each person and denied the university of biological motives and goals ascribed by Sigmund Freud
• Social Interest

  Refers to that urge in human nature to adapt oneself to the conditions of the social environment
• Fictional Finalism


  Adler stressed the fact that the movement of all living things is governed by goals. We cannot think, feel, will, or act, except with the perception of some goal
• Fictions comes from the Latin word "fictio" which means...


  "to invent", "fashion", or "construct"
• Fictions


  It is an individual's or group's interpretations of the event of the world.
• Striving for Superiority

  • Adler suggested that the psyche has its primary objective which is the "goal of superiority"
  • This is the ultimate fictional finalism for which all human beings strive, and it gives unity and coherence to the personality
• Superiority


  In Adler's concept, he doesn't entail the everyday meaning of the word. He did not mean that we innately seek to surpass one another in rank or position
• Superiority comes from the Latin word...


  Perfectus
• Perfectus in Latin word means...


  "Completed" or "Made whole"
• Feelings of Inferiority

  • The striving for superiority arises because as human beings we feel weak
  • These feelings have their origin in our encounter as infants with the environment
• What are the external factors which individual personality traits are derived from?

  Compensation, Resignation, and Overcompensation
• Compensation


  When a person suffers from a disadvantage, they are made inferior to others and aim to put an end to those disadvantages. People who are able to do so become successful on an individual and social basis
• Resignation


  This happens when people give in to their disadvantages and settle with them. This occurs with the majority of people
• Overcompensation


  This occurs when a person becomes infatuated with the notion of compensating for their weaknesses or disadvantages and they overindulge in the pursuit of striving for success. These people, Adler stated, were neurotics
• Inferiority Complex

  • A condition that develops when a person is unable to compensate for normal inferiority feelings
  • A wholly or partly unconscious sense of Inferiority, or feelings of lack of worth. The overcompensation of these feelings can lead to neurotic symptoms
• Superiority Complex

  • A condition that develops when a person overcompensates for normal inferiority feelings
  • Suppressing feelings that exist in an attempt to conquer an inferiority complex
• Style of Life

  • A unique character structure or pattern of personal behaviors and characteristics by which each of us strives for perfection
  • Each individual seeks to cope with the environment and develop superiority in a unique way
  • Adler insisted that our style of Life is not determined for us. We are free to choose and create it ourselves. Once created, however, the style of life remains constant throughout life
• What are the 4 primary types of life-styles?

  Dominant/Ruling Type, Getting Type, Avoiding Type, and Socially-useful Type
• Dominant/Ruling Type


  Aggressive, dominating people who have little social Interest or cultural perception
• Getting Type


  Dependent people who take rather than give
• Avoiding Type


  People who try to escape life's problems and engage in little socially constructive activity
• Socially-useful Type


  People with great deal of social Interest and activity
• What are the 3 mistaken styles according to Adler?

  Dominant, Getting, and Avoiding Type
• Birth Order


  Adler did not propose stages of development; instead emphasized the importance of family atmosphere and the family constellation.
• Oldest Child

  • Tend to be more intelligent, achievement oriented, conforming, and affiliative
  • They often try to regain the glory that was theirs before they were dethroned by younger siblings
  • Thus, they are frequently oriented toward the past and show a high degree of concern with power, which may express itself as a desire to exercise authority, lead, or protect and help others
• Second Child

  • May feel the need to accelerate and catch up with the first child
  • They are apt to be competitive and ambitious and often surpass the first born in achievement and motivation
  • However, they are not concerned with power
• Youngest Child

  • They are more sociable and dependent, having been the "baby" of the family
  • At the same time, they may also strive for excellence and superiority in an effort to surpass their older siblings
• Only Child

  • Tend to be more like older children in that they enjoy being the center of attention
  • Because they spend more time in the company of adults, rather than siblings, they tend to mature sooner and to adopt adult-like behavior earlier in life
• What does Adler consider as the "greatest curse of childhood"?

  Pampering
• Pampered Child

  • Who is excessively spoiled, overindulged, and protected from life's inevitable frustration
  • Such a child is being deprived of the right to become independent and learn the requirements of living within a social order
  • The grows to dislike order and develops a hostile attitude toward it
• Neglected Child

  • The one who feels unwanted and rejected
  • Such a child is virtually denied the right to a place in the social order
  • Rejection arouses resistance in the child, feelings of inferiority, and a tendency to withdraw from the implications of social life
• The Creative Self 


  It is the self in its creative aspects that interprets and makes meaningful the experience of an organism and that searches for experiences to fulfill the person's unique style of life