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Overview

Alfred Adler Adler’s understanding of human

and his Individual Psychology personality was based on an optimistic
view of people while resting heavily on
the notion of social interest , that is, a
feeling of oneness with all humankind.

Alfred Adler
Freud Adler
Source of motivation is mostly Born on Feb 7, 1870 in
All motivation is rooted from Rudolfsheim, a village near
social influences and striving
sex and aggression. Vienna.
for superiority or success.
People have little or no People are largely responsible
choice in shaping personality. for who they are. He died on March 28, 1937
Present behavior is caused by Present behavior is shaped by while on his speaking tour
past experiences. people's view of future. in Aberdeen Scotland due
Psychologically healthy people to heart attack.
Emphasize unconscious are usually aware of what they
components of behavior. are doing and why they are His mother, Pauline was a
doing it. homemaker and his father,
Leopold was a middle class
Jewish grain merchant.

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He is a weak boy and at the age of 5, he

nearly died due to pneumonia. Being sickly
and the death of his younger brother, Rudolf
motivated him to become a physician.
Notable
Experiences

He attended school with neither difficulty

nor distinction but when he entered
preparation for medical school, he did so
He always competes with his eldest brother,
poorly that his father threatened him to
Sigmund Adler and his childhood was full of
remove him from school and apprentice to a
unhappy competition.
shoemaker. He finished his medical degree
yet still with no special honors probably
because his interest in patient care
conflicted to his professors’ interest in
precise diagnoses.

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He began private practice as an eye
specialist but gave up that specialization
and turned to psychiatry and general
medicine.
Introduction to
Adlerian Theory
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In 1911, Adler became the President of Vienna
Psychoanalytic Society. He presented his views
expressing opposition to strong sexual proclivities
of psychoanalysis and insisted that drive for
superiority was a more basic motive than sexuality.
By then, they realized their irreconcilable
differences. Adler resigned his presidency and
formed Free Psychoanalytic Study together with 9
former members of Freudian circle which later
changed to Individual Psychology.
Three reasons why Adler is less well known:
1. He did not establish a tightly run organization to
perpetuate his theories
2. He was not a gifted writer.
3. Many of his views were incorporated into works
of such later theorists as Maslow, Rogers, etc.
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“ People are born weak, inferior bodies –a

condition that leads to feelings of inferiority
and a consequent dependence on other
people. Therefore, a feeling of unity with
others (social interest) is inherent in people
and the ultimate standard of psychological
health..”

Individual Tenets of
Psychology Adlerian Theory

1. The one dynamic force behind people’s behaviour is the 1. The one dynamic force behind
striving for success or superiority. people’s behaviour is the striving for
success or superiority.
2. People’s subjective perceptions shape their behaviour and
personality.

3. Personality is unified and self consistent.

4. The value of all human activity must be seen from the

viewpoint of social interest.
Striving for
5. The self consisted personality structure develops into a Success or Superiority
person’s style of life.

6. Style of life is molded by people’s creative power.

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Individual Psychology holds that everyone
begins life with physical deficiencies that
activate feelings of inferiority and those
feelings motivate a person to strive for
either superiority or success.
A. Striving for superiority
- Limited to people who strive for personal
superiority over others.
- Socially non productive attempt to gain
personal superiority.
- Actions are largely self-serving and
motivated by overcompensation for his
exaggerated feelings of personal superiority.
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Psychologically unhealthy individuals strive
for personal superiority whereas
psychologically healthy ones seek success
for all humanity. People strive for
superiority or success as means as
compensation for feelings of inferiority or
weakness.
B. Striving for success
- People who are motivated by highly
developed social interest.
- Involves social interest and is aimed at
success or perfection for everyone.
- Social progress is more important than
personal credit.
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What guides individuals on
their decision to strive for
superiority or success?
What determines final goal?
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Final goal has great significance because it
unifies personality and renders all behavior
comprehensible.
Regardless of motivation, each individual is
guided by final goal –either personal
superiority or success of humankind.
Final goal is a product of creative power
and that is people’s ability to freely shape
their behaviour and create their own
personality.
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Ex.
If children feel neglected or pampered
-their goal remains largely unconscious
- children will compensate for feelings of
inferiority in devious ways that have no
apparent relationship to their fictional goal
Ex.
If children experience love and security
-they set a goal that is largely conscious and
clearly understood
- these healthy individuals understand and
pursue it with a high level of awareness
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Ex.
Final goal: To make permanent her parasitic
relationship with her mother.
Re s u l t : A s a n a d u l t , s h e m ay a p p e a r
dependent and self-deprecating, and such
behavior may seem inconsistent with a goal
of superiority.
2. People’s subjective perceptions
shape their behaviour and personality.
Subjective
perceptions
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This subjective, fictional final goal guides

The manner in which a person final goal is our style of life, gives unity to our
shaped by their subjective perceptions of by personality.
their fictions or expectation of the future .

Ex. Personality is unified and

self consistent .
“Humans have a free will that
enables them to make choices.”

Many people act as if they and others have a

free will and are thus responsible for their Unity and Self consistency
choices. No one can prove that free will of Personality
exists, yet this fiction guides the lives of
most of us.

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Adler believes that each person is unique Several ways in which the entire person
and indivisible. operates with
unity and self-consistency

Inconsistent behaviour does not exist;

thoughts, feelings and actions are all
directed toward a single goal and serve a
single purpose.

A. Organ dialect A. Organ dialect

- The disturbance of one part of the body which - The body’s organs speak a language which is
cannot be viewed in isolation and affects the entire u s u a l ly m o re ex p re s s ive a n d d i s c l o s e s t h e
person. individual’s opinion more clearly than words able
to do.

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A. Organ dialect
Example:
A person with arthritis in his hands where the
hands shows us the deformity and handicap which
disables him to do manual work.
It is as if they cry out, “See my deformity. See my
handicap. You can’t expect me to do manual work.”
Without an audible sound, his hands speak of his
desire for sympathy from others.
The value of all human activity
must be seen from the
viewpoint of social interest.
Social Interest
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B. Harmony of conscious and unconscious
- “ We c a n n o t o p p o s e c o n s c i o u s n e s s t o
unconsciousness as if they were antagonistic
halves of an individual’s existence. The conscious
life becomes unconscious as soon as we fail to
understand it and as soon as we understand an
unconscious tendency it has already become
conscious.”
-Social feeling or community feeling.
-Feeling of oneness to all humanity.
-Attitude of relatedness as well as empathy for members
of human community.
-Natural condition of human species that binds society
together.
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What contributes to It originates from mother-child relationship during

early months of infancy. A mother develops a bond
social interest? that encourages the child’s mature social interest
and sense of cooperation by giving a deep-rooted
love for her child –a love that focuses on a child’s
well-being. On the other hand, the father must
demonstrate a caring attitude toward his wife and
to other people.

The self consisted personality

structure develops
into a person’s style of life.

Style of Life

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-Flavors of a person’s life which includes a person’s
goal, self concept, feelings for others and attitude
towards the world.
-It is a product of interactions of heredity,
environment and person’s creative power.
-People with a healthy and useful style of life
actively struggle to solve 3 major problems of life;
neighbourly love, sexual love and occupation and
they so through cooperation, personal courage and
willingness to make a contribution to welfare of
another.
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-A person’s style of life is fairly well established by
the age of 4 or 5 and all actions revolve a unified
style.
-Psychologically healthy people can choose new
options at any point in life. They see many ways of
striving for success.
He proposed four basic style of life:
1. The dominant type: This display a ruling
attitude with social awareness. Such person
behaves without regard for others.
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He proposed four basic style of life: He proposed four basic style of life:

2. The getting type: For Adler, this is the most 3. The avoiding type: This person makes no
common human type. They expect to receive attempt in facing his or her problems. He or she
satisfaction from others and become dependent on avoids possible failures.
them.

Style of life is molded by

people’s creative power
He proposed four basic style of life:

4. T h e s o c i a l ly u s e f u l t y p e : T h i s p e r s o n
cooperates with others and acts in accordance with
their needs. Such persons cope with problems
within a well-developed framework of social Creative Power
interest.

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Each person is empowered with the freedom to
create his own style of life because all people are
responsible for who they are and how they behave.
For Adler, one underlying factor that contributes to
all types of maladjustments is underdeveloped
social interest. Aside from this, the following are
other contributing factors for abnormal
development:
1. Setting goals that are too high.
2. Living in their private world.
3. Having a rigid and dogmatic style of life.
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Abnormal
Development
External Factors in Maladjustment
1. Exaggerated physical deficiencies
People with exaggerated physical deficiencies
sometimes develop exaggerated feelings of
inferiority because they overcompensate for their
inadequacy. They tend to be overly concerned with
themselves and lack consideration for others.
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2. Pampered style of life
People with this kind of style of life as weak social
interest but strong desire to perpetuate the pampered
parasitic relationship they originally had with one or
both of their parents, expecting others to look for them,
overprotect them and satisfy their needs.
3. Neglected style of life
Though no one feels totally neglected or completely
unwanted, abused and mistreated children will
develop weak social interest and tend to create a
neglected style of life . They are distrustful of other
people, are unable to cooperate for the common
good and have a strong sense of envy to the success
of others. Compared to pamper ones, they are more
suspicious and dangerous.
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2. Pampered style of life
Pampered children have not received too much love , but
r a t h e r, t h e y f e e l u n l o v e d . T h e i r p a r e n t s h a v e
demonstrated a lack of love by doing too much for them .
Some of them may also feel neglected, they are fearful
when separated from that patient.
“Adler believed that people use different ways
to protect their inflated sense of self-esteem
against public disgrace . These protective
devices are entirely operating in the
consciousness of an individual. ”
Safeguarding
Tendencies
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1. Excuses
The most common of all safeguarding tendencies
which are typically expressed in the “Yes, but” or “if
only” format. These excuses protect a weak – but
artificially inflated sense of self-worth and deceive
people into believing that they are more superior
than they really are.
2. Aggression
Ex.
“The only reason Kenneth got a good grade is
because he is the teacher's pet.”
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2. Aggression
This is used by people to protect their fragile self-
esteem. Aggression may take the form of:
a. Depreciation: The tendency to undervalue
other’s people achievement and overvalue one’s
own.
Ex. gossip and criticism
b. Accusation: The tendency to blame others for
o n e ’ s fa i l u re a n d to s e e k reve n g e , t h e re by
safeguarding one’s own tenuous self-esteem.
Ex.
I wanted to be a doctor but my parents forced me
to be a teacher. Now, my life is miserable.
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c. Self-accusation: This is marked by self-torture 3. Withdrawal – The safeguarding tendency

and guilt as a way of hurting people who are close through distance. There are four modes of setting
to them. up a distance between a person’s problems and his
or her own self:
Ex.
a. Moving backward: The tendency to safeguard
“I feel distressed because I wasn’t nicer to my one’s fictional goal of superiority by
grandmother while she was still alive. Now, it’s too psychologically reverting to a more secured period
late.” of life. This is designed to elicit sympathy. This is
somehow similar to Freud’s regression.

b. Standing still: Similar to moving backward, but is

not as severe. People who use this do not move in
any directions for they avoid responsibility. d. Constructing obstacles: The tendency for people
to create obstacle they can surpass in order to
c. Hesitating: This is closely related to standing still. protect their self-esteem and prestige.
Their procrastination eventually gives them the
excuse “it’s too late now”. For Adler, compulsive
behaviors are attempt to waste time.

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“ The family and reciprocal relationships with

siblings and parents determine how a person
finds a place in the family and what he learns
about finding a place in the world. ” A. Firstborn children

• According to Adler, they have intensified of power and

superiority, high anxiety and overprotective tendencies.

• They also experience a traumatic dethronement when a

younger sibling is born.
Family Constellation

Negative traits
Positive traits
• Highly anxious
• Nurturing and protective of others • Exaggerated feelings of power
• Good organizer • Unconscious hostility
• Fights for acceptance
• Must always be “right,” whereas others are
always “wrong”
• Highly critical of others
• Uncooperative

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Positive traits

B. Secondborn children – Begin life with cooperation and • Highly motivated

social interest. The secondborn typically matures toward
• Cooperative
moderate competitiveness, having a healthy desire to
overtake the older rival. • Moderately competitive

Negative traits

• Highly competitive C. Younger children – They are the most pampered and run
• Easily discouraged a high risk of being a problem child. They are likely to have
strong feelings of inferiority and to lack a sense of
independence. In addition, they are often highly motivated
to exceed older siblings and to become fast runner, best
musician, athlete and etc.

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Positive traits

• Realistically ambitious D. Only children – They are in unique position of competing

not against siblings but against their parents. They are
Negative traits socially mature and tend to develop exaggerated sense of
superiority and an inflated self-concept.
• Pampered style of life
• Dependent on others
• Wants to excel in everything
• Unrealistically ambitious

Positive traits

• Socially mature

Negative traits

• Exaggerated feelings of superiority

• Low feelings of cooperation
• Inflated sense of self
• Pampered style of life

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