1. Individual Approach
Alfred Adler
ICSP254 Theories of Personality

2. Agenda Psychoanalytic NeoFreudian Object Relations Individual Trait
Social
Humanistic
Biological

3. Inferior feelings
Inferiority feelings – normal condition of all people; motivating force in behavior
Begin at infancy (small, dependent on adults)
Not related to genetic. Rather it’s the environment.
Compensation – our attempts to overcome our real or imagined inferiorities and to strive for higher level of development.

4. Team Hoyt Rick Hoyt was born with severe cerebral palsy
Ironman is the toughest triathlon with 3 endurance events
2.4 miles ocean swim
112 miles bike ride
26.3 miles marathon
Dick Hoyt had a heart attach earlier in 2002.
“Dad, when I’m running, it feels like I’m not handicapped

5. Inferiority Complex
What happens when child unable to compensate for feelings of inferiority?
An inability to overcome inferiority feelings intensifies them, leading to development of an inferiority complex
Poor opinion of themselves, feeling helpless, unable to cope with demands of life

6. 3 Sources that created Inferiority Complex
Organic inferiority – physical disability/weakness. Adler observed circus performers who had special skills that were developed as a result of hard work to overcome childhood disabilities
Spoiling – learned at home that they are the most important children, then get disappointed at school and never learned to wait, and often get socially rejected
Neglected – childhood characterized by lack of love and security lead to feeling worthlessness

7. Superiority Complex
Superiority Complex – a condition that develops when a person overcompensates for normal inferiority feelings
Involves exaggerating one’s abilities and accomplishments, boastful, self-centered, vanity, tendency to look down on others

8. Beyond Compensation
Striving for Superiority – urge toward perfection of completion that motivates each of us
Fictional Finalism – idea that there is an imagined or potential goal that guides our behavior (ex. God)
Style of Life – unique pattern of personal behaviors and characteristics by which each of strives for perfection. Basic styles of life include the dominant, getting, avoid, and socially useful type

9. Style of Life
How did style of life develop? From inferiority and compensation
Ex. A sick child may strive to increase physical prowless by running or lifting weights. These behaviors then become part of the style of life, a pattern of behaviors designed to compensate for inferiority
Determines when aspect of environment we attend to or ignore and what attitude we hold.
Learned from social interactions that occur in early years (firmly set by age 4/5)

10. 4 Basic Styles of Life Dominant Type Getting Type Avoiding Type
Little social awareness
Extreme: sadists, sociopaths
Less: alcoholics, addicts, suicides
Getting Type
Most common
Expects to receive satisfaction from others, so become dependent on them
Avoiding Type
Avoid all life problems
Person avoids possibility of failure
Socially Useful Type
Cooperative
Social interest framework to solve problems

11. Social Interest
Adler believed that getting along with others is the first task we encounter in life. People re motivated by social interest
Social interest or Gemeinschaftsgefuhl (“community feeling)
Our innate potential to cooperate with others to achieve personal and societal goals
Mother-child relationship is the first that child learns about cooperation
People with no social interest may become neurotics or even criminals
War, racism, public drunkenness stem from lack of community feeling

12. Birth Order
One of Adler’s most enduring contribution is idea that birth order is major social influence in childhood, from which we create our style of life.
Even though siblings have the same parents and live in the same house, they do not have identical social environments – exposed to different parental attitudes and treatment.
First-born child, the second-born child, youngest child, and the only child

13. The First-Born
* These are all from your textbook

15. * These are all from your textbook

16. The Second-Born
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17. Second-Born (2)
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18. The Youngest Child
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19. The Only Child
* These are all from your textbook

20. Questions about Human Nature
Past
Present
Nurture
Determinism
Nature
Free Will
Past or Present?
Compensation is Present/future oriented
Free Will or Determinism?
Conscious (not the unconscious) at core of personality rather than driven by forces we cannot control. We create ourselves and direct our future.
Nature or Nurture?
Personalities shaped by unique social environment, not biological

21. Questions about Human Nature
Uniqueness
Universality
Pessimism
Growth
Optimism
Equilibrium
Unique or Universal?
Uniqueness of each person, deny biological motives and goals
Equilibrium or Growth?
Growth (from inferior to perfection)
Optimism or Pessimism?
Optimism