Theories of Personality Lecture 4: Alfred Adler's Individual Psychology

Introduction to Alfred Adler

• Who is Alfred Adler?
  • Austrian physician and psychiatrist.
  • Founded the school of thought known as individual psychology.
  • Influenced thinkers like Abraham Maslow, Karen Horney, Albert Ellis.
• Relationship with Freud
  • Initially a colleague of Sigmund Freud and a founding member of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society.
  • Relationship ended acrimoniously due to theoretical differences.

Differences Between Freud and Adler

1. Motivation Sources
   • Freud: Sex and aggression.
   • Adler: Social influences and striving for superiority or success.
2. Personality Development
   • Freud: Little choice in shaping personality.
   • Adler: People are largely responsible for who they are.
3. Behavior Causes
   • Freud: Present behavior caused by past experiences.
   • Adler: Present behavior shaped by future goals.
4. Consciousness
   • Freud: Emphasis on unconscious components.
   • Adler: Psychologically healthy people are aware of their actions.

Life and Work of Alfred Adler

• Early Life
  • Born February 7, 1870, in Vienna.
  • Weak and sickly as a child, motivated to become a physician after nearly dying.
  • Influenced by competition with his healthy older brother.
• Professional Career
  • Began as an eye specialist, then psychiatry and general medicine.
  • Became a prominent psychologist in the US later in life.

Adler’s Individual Psychology

• Main Tenets
  1. Striving for superiority or success.
  2. Subjective perceptions shape behavior and personality.
  3. Personality is unified and self-consistent.
  4. Value of all activities seen from social interest viewpoint.
  5. Self-consistent personality structure develops a style of life.
  6. Style of life is molded by creative power.
• Striving for Success/Superiority
  • Striving motivated by feelings of inferiority.
  • Healthy individuals aim for success for humanity.

Concept of Fictional Finalism

• People are motivated by fictional goals, unifying their personality.
• These goals are not reality but influence behavior as if they were.

Social Interest

• Definition: Feeling of oneness with humanity.
• Importance: Necessary for psychological health and societal cohesion.

Style of Life

• Definition: The unique way one pursues goals.
• Types:
  1. Ruling
  2. Getting
  3. Avoiding
  4. Socially useful

Creative Power

• Role: Allows individuals to shape their personality and style of life.
• Freedom: People choose between health or neurosis.

Male Adjustment and Safeguarding Tendencies

• Factors of Maladjustment:
  • Physical deficiencies, pampered lifestyle, neglect.
• Safeguarding Tendencies:
  1. Excuses
  2. Aggression (depreciation, accusation, self-accusation)
  3. Withdrawal (moving backward, standing still, hesitating, constructing obstacles)

Concept of Humanity

• Self-determined and socially oriented
• Optimism and forward movement towards perfection.
• Freedom and Choice: Individuals responsible for their psychological health through social interest.