Alfred Adler

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Alfred Adler

• Personality Theory

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Biography Born to a well to do middle class
Jewish family in Vienna Middle child (second
son) Converted to Christianity Unhealthy as
a child
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I remember sitting on a bench bandaged up on
account of rickets, with my healthy elder brother
sitting opposite me. He could run, jump and move
about quite effortlessly, while for me, movement
of any sort was a strain and an effort. Everyone
went to great pains to help me and my mother and
father did all that was in their power to do.
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In the joy over my recovery, there was talk for
a long time about the mortal danger in which I
was supposed to have been. From that time on I
recall always thinking of myself in the future as
a physician. This means that I had set a goal
from which I could expect an end to my childlike
distress, my fear of death. Clearly, I expected
more from the occupation of my choice than it
could accomplish The overcoming of death and
the fear of death is something I should not have
expected from human but only from divine
accomplishments. Reality, however, demands
action, and so I was forced to modify my goal by
changing the conscious form of the guiding
fiction (life-goal) until it appeared to satisfy
reality. So I came to choose the occupation of
physician in order to overcome death and fear of
death.
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I remember that the path to the school led over
a cemetery. I was frightened every time and was
exceedingly put out at beholding the other
children pass the cemetery without paying the
lest attention to it, while every step I took was
accompanied by a feeling of fear and horror.
Apart from the extreme discomfort occasioned by
this fear I was also annoyed at the idea of being
less courageous that the others. One day I made
up my mind to put an end to this fear of death.
Again, I decided upon a treatment of hardening.
I stayed at some distance behind the others,
placed my schoolbag on the ground near the wall
of the cemetery and ran across it a dozen times,
until I felt I had mastered the fear.
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At the age of 35 in a conversation with a
childhood school chum, Adler learned that there
had never been a cemetery on the way to their
school.
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Married a liberal Russian émigré Studied
medicine and became a general practitioner
Served as a physician in the Austrian army during
WW I Was impressed by Freud's book on dreams
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Work with Freud Break from Freud and
acrimonious relationship Adler's success
(publications, psychoanalytic society, journal,
formation of child guidance clinics) Move to
USA in 1935
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Adler's Individual psychology Uniqueness of
each person Importance of an individual's
goals, growth, and free will Innate tendency
towards social interest Holistic approach to
personality
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Striving from inferiority to superiority
tendency towards betterment Inferiority -
natural human condition
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Changing concept of inferiority Organ
inferiority (inherited weaknesses that intensify
the young child's helplessness) elicits healthy
compensation or unhealthy giving up. Aggressive
drive fighting and/or dominance seeking
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Masculine protest assertion of masculine
qualities by males and females because these are
linked with competence, superiority, and control
the emphasis on manliness was considered the
"arch evil of our culture". Superiority
striving striving towards self-improvement and
personal best Perfection striving growth
process within the individual
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Inferiority complex Exaggerated sense of
inferiority and inability to cope
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Superiority complex Inferiority feelings are
repressed and exaggerated feeling of superiority
and arrogance develops (ethnocentrism is
an example on the national scale)
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Fictional finalism A person's image of ultimate
fulfillment (e.g., money, admiration, health,
etc. in neurotics this goal is inflexible)
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The Unity of personality
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Style of life Consistent way of striving,
established by age of 4 or 5 (begins as a
compensation or overcompensation for
inferiority) First memories represent a
person's life story (key way of identifying style
of life even if memory is inaccurate) Dreams
(indication of style of life)
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Mistaken styles of life Ruling type - seek to
dominate may be anti-social or high
achievers Getting type - dependent on others
may become depressed Avoiding type - isolated
and possibly cold
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Healthy lifestyle Developed social interest and
acts in ways beneficial to others
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The development of personality Parental behavior
- Adler assumed critical role of mother because
of time spent with the children
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Pampered child - come to expect that others will
cater to their needs Neglected child - come to
believe that the world will not support them may
adopt the fictional goal of being cared for and
expect constant recognition
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Family constellation birth order First born -
dethroned long for the past Second born -
keeping up with first born as if in a race might
be envious and might become a rebel Youngest -
might be pampered lacks incentive to become
independent Only - likely pampered
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Psychological health Social interest vs.
individualism Three life tasks - Work -
Love - Social interactions