4 | 1Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

• Alfred Adler

4 | 2Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Alfred Adler (1870-1937)

• Experienced childhood illness and several injuries; developed fear of death

• Average student but rose to superior position especially in mathematics

• Studied medicine at the University of Vienna• Was President of the International

Psychoanalytic Association, but disagreed with Freud’s perspective

4 | 3Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Adler’s Basic Concepts

Emphasized the importance of human culture and society in the development of individual personality

• Social Interest – urge in human nature to adapt oneself to the conditions of the social environment

• Finalism – individuals are oriented towards goals that guide their behavior, many of which cannot be proven and are judged by their usefulness

4 | 4Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Adler’s Basic Concepts

• Striving for superiority – the drive for competence and effectiveness in whatever one strives to do– Inferiority feelings arise from childhood dependence

and lead us to strive for superiority– Initially associated inferiority with femininity but later

realized that society played a role in perpetuating male dominance

– Suggested that exaggerated masculinity had negative impact on men and women

4 | 5Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Adler’s Basic Concepts

• Style of life – unique way each individual seeks to cope with environment and develop superiority. Influenced by– Family constellation (birth order)– Family atmosphere (quality of emotional

relationships in the family)

4 | 6Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Adler’s Basic Concepts

• Creative self – interprets experiences of the organism and establishes a person’s style of life. – Individual’s create their own personalities– Consciousness central to personality – we can

understand our motives through self-examination– This view opposite of Freud’s emphasis on

unconsciousness

4 | 7Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Thinking Critically

• Birth Order and Personality– Read through List A and B from your text and check

those that apply to you in comparison with your brothers and sisters. If you are an only child, check those that apply to you in comparison to your peers.

– Add up totals on each list. • First born – more items in List A apply to you• Later born – more items in List B apply to you• Youngest in large family – pattern similar to first born• Middle – show a combination of both lists

4 | 8Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Adlerian Psychotherapy

• Neuroses = unrealistic life goals (fictional finalisms)

• Goals– Establish contact and win confidence of patient– Disclose errors in patient’s lifestyle and provide

insight into present condition

• Aims to restore patient’s sense of reality, examine and disclose errors in goals and style of life, cultivate social interest

4 | 9Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Assessment and Research in Adler’s Theory

• Adler’s theory stems from clinical observations• Primary tools of assessment include study of

– Birth order– Early memories– Dreams

4 | 10Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Philosophy, Science, and Art: Adler’s Theory

• Emphasized philosophical point of view rather than attempt to study personality empirically

• Added criteria of usefulness to philosophical assumptions

• Contributions to counseling and education