Alfred Adler
Alfred Adler
THEORIES OF PERSONALITY
Freud Adler
Reduced all motivation to sex and People are motivated by social influences and
aggression their striving for superiority and success
People have little or no choice in shaping People are responsible for who they are
their personality
Present behavior is shape by past Present behavior is shape by people’s view of
experiences the future
Put high emphasis on unconscious Psychologically healthy people are aware of
what they are doing and why are they doing it
A. Fictionalism
Fictions are people's expectations of the future. Adler held that fictions guide behavior, because
people act as if these fictions are true. Adler emphasized teleology over causality, or explanations of
behavior in terms of future goals rather than past causes.
People's beliefs and expectations of the future.
Adler held that fictions guide behavior, because people act as if these fictions are true.
Example: a belief in an omnipotent God who rewards good and punishes evil
B. Physical Inferiorities
All humans are "blessed" with organ inferiorities(physical inferiorities) that stimulate subjective
feelings of inferiority and move people toward perfection or completion
Deficiencies do not cause a particular style of life; they are motivation for reaching goals
Because people begin life small, weak, and inferior, they develop a fiction or belief system about
how to overcome these physical deficiencies and become big, strong, and superior. But even after they
attain size, strength, and superiority, they may act as if they are still small, weak, and inferior
A. Organ Dialect
The disturbance of one part of the body cannot be viewed in isolation; it affects the entire person. In
fact, the deficient organ expresses the direction of the individual’s goal (organ dialect).
People often use a physical disorder to express style of life, a condition Adler called organ dialect, or
organ jargon.
A boy wetting his bed sends a message that he does not wish to obey his parents
The value of all human activity must be seen from the viewpoint of social interest.
Human behavior has value to the extent that it is motivated by social interest. Natural condion of
human. It binds society
5. Style of Life
The self-consistent personality structure develops into a person’s style of life.
The manner of a person's striving is called style of life, a pattern that is relatively well set by 4 or 5 years
of age. However, Adler believed that healthy individuals are marked by flexible behavior and that they
have some limited ability to change their style of life.
� 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.
� Pattern of life developed as we reach for goal
product of interaction of heredity, environment and person’s creative power
Different types/styles are:
� Ruling Type (Dominating)
� Getting Type (Parasitic)
� Avoiding Type (Denial; Avoidant)
� Socially useful type (Ideal) – appropriate actions to problems, accept weaknesses, willing to change
- Parenting
(Too protective = personal superiority
(Uninvolved = inferiority/unwantedness
Creative Self
-Freedom to create own style of life
-Individual is product of environment and heredity
- Individual influences environment
6. Creative Power
Style of life is molded by people’s creative power.
Style of life is partially a product of heredity and environment—the building blocks of personality—but
ultimately style of life is shaped by people's creative power, that is, by their ability to freely choose a
course of action.
freedom of choice
Their creative power places them in control of their own lives, is responsible for their final goal,
determines their method of striving for that goal, and contributes to the development of social interest
Ultimately style of life is shaped by our creative power; that is, by our ability to freely choose
which building materials to use and how to use them.
People have considerable ability to freely choose their actions and their personality.
Creative power is not limited to healthy people; unhealthy individuals also create their
own personalities.
The most important factor in abnormal development is underdeveloped social interest.
2. Pampered Style of Life- pampered people have a weak social interest but a strong desire to perpetuate
the pampered, parasitic relationship they originally had with one or both of their parents. They expect others to
look after them, overprotect them, and satisfy their needs.
develop low levels of social interest
continue to have an overriding drive to establish a permanent parasitic relationship with their mother
or a mother substitute.
They believe they are entitled to be first in everything
They have not received too much love rather they feel unloved (parents doing too much for them)
3. Neglected Style of Life- children who feel unloved and unwanted are likely to borrow heavily from
these feelings in creating a neglected style of life. These children are distrustful of other people and are unable
to cooperate for the common welfare.
Children who feel neglected often use these feelings as building material for a useless style of life—one
characterized by distrust of other people.
TERMS TO BE REMEMBERED:
Inferiority Feelings
- Compensate for inferiorities
Sources of Inferiorities:
- Physical Appearance
- Parenting
- Socioeconomic status
- Psychological Mentality
Complexes
- Negative coping to inferiorities
Inferiority Complex
-Incompetent self
-Justify Failure
Superiority Complex
-Develop when a person over compensates for normal inferiority feelings
-Believes he is greater than others
Compensate – process of developing one’s abilities in order to overcome real or imagine inferiorities
� Overcompensate may lead to inferiority and superiority complex
Direction
• Negative – take advantage of others
• Positive – help other
―Yes, I would like to go to college, but my children demand too much of my attention.‖
―Yes, I agree with your proposal, but company policy will not allow it.‖
―If only, my husband were more supportive, I would have advanced faster in my profession.‖
Frequently take the form of "Yes, but" or "If only." By making excuses for their shortcomings,
people can preserve their inflated sense of personal worth.
2. Aggression- this protective device is used to safeguard the exaggerated superiority complex, that is, to
protect their fragile self-esteem. Safeguarding through aggression may take the form of depreciation,
accusation, or self-accusation.
Behaving aggressively toward themselves or others.
May take the form of depreciating others' accomplishments, accusing others of being responsible for
one's own failures, and accusing self as a means of inflicting suffering on others.
Depreciation- this is the tendency to undervalue other people’s achievements and to overvalue one’s own.
Accusation- this is the tendency to blame others for one’s failure and to seek revenge, thereby safeguarding
one’s own tenuous self-esteem.
Self-accusation- this safeguarding tendency is marked by self-torture, including masochism, depression,
and suicide, as means of hurting people who are close to them.
3. Withdrawal-the style of running away from difficulties. This is a safeguarding through distance. Adler
recognized the following four modes of safeguarding through withdrawal:
Moving backward- this is the tendency to safeguard one’s fictional goal or superiority by psychologically
reverting to a more secure period of life.
Standing still- people who stand still simply do not move in any direction; thus, they avoid all
responsibility by ensuring themselves against any threat of failure.
Hesitating- this includes procrastinations which eventually give them the excuse ―It’s too late now.‖
Constructing obstacles- people using this safeguarding tendency creates problem and showing people that
they are capable of overcoming the problem or obstacle they created.
Try to escape from life's problems by running away from them; maintaining distance.
People can withdraw psychologically by moving backward, standing still, hesitating, or constructing
obstacles.
D. Masculine Protest
Both men and women sometimes overemphasize the desirability of being manly, a condition Adler called
the masculine protest. The frequently found inferior status of women is not based on physiology but on
historical developments and social learning.
Second born children (middle) begin life in a better situation for developing cooperation and social
interest. Typically, the second born children mature towards moderated competitiveness, having a healthy desire
to overtake the older rival.
Second borns (like Adler himself) are likely to have strong social interest, provided they do not get
trapped trying to overcome their older sibling.
Easiest; Tries to dethrones first born; competition; Insecure
Youngest children are often the most pampered and, consequently, run a high risk of being problem
children. They are likely to have strong feelings of inferiority and to lack a sense of independence. They are
often highly motivated to exceed older siblings and to become the fastest runner, the best musician, the most
skilled athlete, or the most ambitious student.
Youngest children are likely to be pampered and to lack independence, whereas only children may have
even less social interest and tend to expect others to take care of them.
Least amount of power in family; most pampered and protected
Only children are in a unique position of competing, not against brothers and sisters, but against father and
mother. Living in an adult world, they often develop an exaggerated sense of superiority an inflated self-
concept.
Spoiled; Pampered; unsociable (having difficulty)
B. Early Recollections (ERs)- these are the recalled memories which can yield clues for understanding
patients’ style of life. Adler did not consider these memories to have a causal effect to personality.
Adler believed that ERs are not chance memories but templates on which people project their current
style of life.
ERs need not be accurate accounts of early events; they have psychological importance because they
reflect our current view of the world.
C. Dream Analysis- is a method wherein a person’s dreams are used to provide a way of dealing with the
person’s life problems. By analyzing how to confront problems and how to plan future events through dream
analysis, a great deal could be learned about the person’s style of life.
provide clues to solving future problems.
dreams are disguised to deceive the dreamer and usually require interpretation by another person.
D. Psychotherapy- the chief purpose of Adlerian psychotherapy is to enhance courage, lessen feelings of
inferiority, and encourage social interest. Through the use of humor and warmth, Adler tried to increase the
patient’s courage, self-esteem, and social interest. He believed that a warm, nurturing attitude by the
therapist encourages patients to expand their social interest.
Adler innovated a unique method of therapy with problem children by treating them in front of an
audience of parents, teachers, and health professionals. He believed that this procedure would enhance
children’s social interest by allowing them to feel that they belong to a community of concerned adults.
create a relationship between therapist and patient that fosters social interest. The therapist adopts both
a maternal and a paternal role.
Criteria for Evaluating a Theory Concept of Humanity
Characteristics Theory Determinism High on Free Choice
vs. Freedom
Capacity to generate Research Above Optimism Vs. High on Optimisim
Average Pessimism
Falsifiability Low Causality Vs. Very Low in Causality
Teology
Ability to Organize Data High Conscious Vs. Moderate on Unconscious
Unconscious Influences
Ability to Guide Action High Biological Vs. High on Social Influences
Social
Influence
Internal Consistency Low Uniqueness High on Uniqueness
Vs. Similarities
Parsimony High
Prepared by:
References:
Feist, Feist & Roberts (2017). Theories of Personality, ninth Edition. United States of America: McGraw-Hill
Feist, Feist & Roberts (2013). Theories of Personality, eight Edition. United States of America: McGraw-Hill
Bischof, L.J. (1970). Interpreting Personality Theories 2nd Edition. New York: Harper & Rows, Publishers.
Burger, J.M. (1986). Personality Theory and Research. California: Wadsworth Publishing Company.
Feist, J & Feist, F. (2008). Theories of Personality, Seventh Edition. United States of America: McGraw-Hill
Teh, L.A. & Macapagal, M.J. (editors) (2008). General Psychology for Filipino Students. Manila, Philippines:
Ateneo De Manila University Press.