Alfred Adler

• • It is a product of our CREATIVE POWER= ability to freely shape our behaviour and create our own personality.
• Fictionalism


  The manner in which people strive for success of superiority is shaped not by reality but by subjective perceptions of reality
• Adler's concept of fictionalism


  Stemmed from Hans Vaihinger's book "The Philosophy of As If" where he believed that ideas have no real existence, yet they influence people as if they really existed
• Organ inferiorities


  Considered an impetus, a driving force, towards perfection completion
• Organ inferiorities


  Become significant when they stimulate feeling of inferiority
• Organ inferiorities


  1. Some compensate by moving toward psychological health

  2. Others overcompensate and live in a useless style of life
• Organ inferiorities do not cause a specific style of life but simply provide present motivation for reaching goals
• Organ dialect / organ jargon


  The deficient organ expresses the individual's goal
• The body's organs speak a language that is more expressive
• Original German term "Gemeinschaftsgefühl" = social feeling or community feeling
• Abnormal Development

  All types of maladjustment have one factor underlying them:Underdeveloped Social Interest
• • Neurotics have 3 Characteristics:
  •  Set goals too high
  • Live in their private world
  • Rigid and dogmatic style of life
• • Masculine Protest an erroneous belief that men are superior to women
• Adler: Abnormal development and safeguarding tendencies to protect inflated sense of self image and fragile self-esteem
• Aggression exaggerate superiority complex, to protect their fragile self esteem; same as projection
• Depreciation undervalues other people's accomplishments and exaggerates one's achievements to shield themselves from feeling defeated and being seen in a negative light.
• Accusation is same as projection
• Self-accusation is when you blame yourself for the crime you committed; self harm
• Withdrawal: the action of withdrawing something; regression; running away from the difficulties
• Moving backward;regression
• Standing still is a safeguarding tendency where Avoiding any commitment to action, one avoids responsibility and potential failure
• Hesitating is having no to little confidence and always hesitant
• Constructing obstacle is making your own problem
• Adler Structural concepts is striving for success or superiority
• Striving for Personal Superiority - Little or no concern for othersGoal are more personalMotivated by exaggerated feelings of personal inferiorityActions are self-serving while creating a disguise of social concern
• • Striving for Success - Healthy; concerned with goals beyond self and personal gain. Motivated by social interest and success for all mankindSuccess is not gained at the expense of others
• 1. The value of all human activity must be seen from the perspective of Social Interest.
• Style of life is the term Adler used to refer to the flavor of a person’s life. It includes a person’s goal, self-concept, feelings for others, and attitude toward the

  world.
• Sarah, a 10-year-old, constantly boasts about her achievements in school and sports, often belittling her classmates. What safeguarding tendency might be at play here? Compensation
• Self accusation: Sarah failed her exam and immediately blamed her lack of intelligence for her failure.

  Which safeguarding tendency is she exhibiting?
• Aggeression: After being criticized by his boss, Mark responds by yelling at his colleagues and storming out of the office.
• Hesitating: Emily consistently avoids making decisions, fearing that she will make the wrong choice and face criticism from others.
• Moving backward: Tom feels overwhelmed by the demands of his job and spends most of his time playing video games to escape reality.
• Accusation: Whenever Amy encounters a difficult situation, she finds excuses and blames external factors rather than taking responsibility for her actions.
• “I feel distressed because I wasn’t nicer to my grandmother while she was still living. Now, it’s too late.” -Self accusation
• “The only reason Kenneth got the job I applied for

  is because he is an African American.” - Depreciation
• They safeguard their fictional aspirations because they never do anything to prove that they cannot accomplish their goals. A person who never applies to graduate school can never be denied entrance; a child who shies away from other children will not be rejected by them. - Standing still
• Constructing obstacle Some people build a straw house to show that they can knock it down. By overcoming the obstacle, they protect their self-esteem and their prestige. If they fail to hurdle the barrier, they can always resort to an excuse.
• Firstborn children, according to Adler (1931), are likely to have intensified feelings of power and superiority, high anxiety, and overprotective tendencies.
• second born children begin life in a better situation for developing cooperation and social interest.