adler

• Alfred Adler


  • Born on Feb 7, 1870 in Vienna, Austria
  • Second of six children
  • Died on May 28, 1937 (aged 67) in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
  • Suffered rickets as a child
  • Got pneumonia at age 4
  • Turned interest from ophthalmology to psychiatry
• Adler's theories had a significant impact on various areas of psychology, including therapy, child development, and the understanding of personality formation
• Individual Psychology


  • Emphasized the uniqueness of the individual and their relationships with society
  • Believed that all human behavior and experience were driven by a single motivating force called the striving for perfection
• Striving for Superiority and Success

  • Individuals strive for superiority or success as a means of compensation for feelings of inferiority or weakness
  • Psychologically healthy individuals strive for the success and well-being of all humanity
  • Birth order has a significant impact on a child's personality and their feelings of inferiority
• Subjective Perceptions and Internal Determinants of Behavior

  • People's actions and personalities are shaped by their subjective perceptions of reality
  • Individuals have a subjective image of the external world, rather than perceiving actual facts
  • The basic psychological element of neurosis is a sense of inferiority, and individuals spend their lives trying to overcome these feelings without being in touch with reality
• Unity and Self Consistency of Personality


  • Personality is unified and self-consistent
  • Each person is unique and indivisible, and inconsistent behavior does not exist
  • Organ jargon or organ dialect refers to the confusing and seemingly inconsistent behavior that some individuals exhibit
• Social Interest


  • Refers to a person's kinship with other living beings and their sense of belonging in the human community
  • Crucial for living a healthy and fulfilling life
  • Lack of social interest can lead to self-absorption and a focus solely on one's own needs and desires
• Style of Life


  • Refers to an individual's unique, unconscious, and repetitive way of responding to or avoiding the main tasks of living
  • Rooted in a childhood prototype and remains consistent throughout life unless changed through depth psychotherapy
  • Reflects the individual's creative power and is influenced by early childhood situations
• Creative Power


  • The concept of creative power is central to human development and the individual's personality
  • Each individual possesses a unique creative power that allows them to shape their own life and overcome the difficulties they encounter
• Abnormal Development


  • All individuals are born with a sense of inferiority and inadequacy, which motivates them to strive for superiority and compensate for their perceived weaknesses
  • Individuals who experience abnormal personality development may exhibit a strong drive for superiority, which can manifest in various ways
• Safeguarding Tendencies


  • People develop safeguarding tendencies to protect their exaggerated sense of self-esteem from public disgrace
  • Includes depreciation, accusation, self-accusation, withdrawal, moving backward, exclusion, and masculine protest
• Masculine Protest


  • Refers to the societal pressure for individuals to conform to traditional gender roles
  • Can manifest as a rejection of socially constructed norms associated with femininity in women, or a cult of the superman in men
• Adler's Concept of Humanity

  • People are self-determining social creatures who have the ability to make choices and shape their own lives
  • Healthy individuals have a high level of social interest, which involves a concern for the well-being of others and a willingness to contribute to the betterment of society
  • Individuals are primarily motivated by a striving for superiority or success
  • Adler recognized the uniqueness of individuals and their capacity to develop their own potential
  • Adler developed the first holistic theory of personality, psychopathology, and psychotherapy