 born to a successful merchant, was born in 1870 and reared in a suburb of Vienna.

 a deficiency disease of childhood that affects the bones and made him clumsy and awkward.
 Twice during his early childhood Adler was run over in the streets
 pneumonia at the age of four. Later, he traced his interest in becoming a doctor to that near-fatal illness.
 His weak physique and feelings of inferiority during childhood were later to find expression in his concepts of
organic inferiority and the striving for superiority
 His sensitivity about being the second son was reflected in his interest in the family constellation and ordinal
position of birth.
 His efforts to get along with others found expression in his conviction that the human being is a social and cultural
animal and in the Adlerian concept of social interest.
 emphasis on the importance of human culture and society >>orientation of each and every behavior and emotion
in a person’s life
 shaping of instinctual expression in terms of one’s attitude toward the environment suggests that underlying all
other instincts and needs is the innate characteristic of social interest

. Social interest refers to that urge in human nature to adapt oneself to the conditions of the social environment
 the movement of all living things is governed by goals
 cannot think, feel, will, or act, except with the perception of some goal (1927). To try to understand human
behavior in terms of external causes is to fail to understand psychic phenomena.
 If we know a person’s goal, we begin to understand in a general way the individual’s behavior.
 psychological motives underlying behavioral events(Freud was misled by the principle of causality into regarding
these motives as past)
 Adler agreed with Jung that teleology is necessary for a full understanding of personality
 decisive factor, and he called this concept of goal orientation the principle of finalism
 did not equate fiction with falseness;>> Fiction comes from the Latin root fictio, which means “to invent,” “fashion,”
or “construct.
 A fiction may be healthy or unhealthy>> should be judged acc to its usefulness>> (God debate)

STRIVING FOR SUPERIORITY:

 psyche has as its primary objective the goal of superiority

 ultimate fictional finalism for which all human beings strive, and it gives unity and coherence to the personalit
 primary drive as a “will to power.
 did not mean that we innately seek to surpass one another in rank or position, nor did he mean that we seek to
maintain an attitude of exaggerated importance over our peers
 desire to be competent and effective in whatever one strives to do.
 perfection as a synonym>> COMPLETION
 striving for superiority may take the form of an exaggerated lust for power
 may seek to exercise control over objects and people and to play God. The goal may introduce a hostile tendency
into our lives,
 s innate and part of the struggle for survival that human beings share with other species in the process of evolution
 According to Adler, life is not motivated by the need to reduce tension or restore equilibrium, as Freud tended to
think; instead, life is encouraged by the desire to move from below to above
 entails adapting oneself to and mastering the environment.
 The striving for superiority arises because as human beings we feel inferior. Inferiority feelings have their origin in
our encounter as infants with the environment
 born immature, incomplete, and incompetent to satisfy even our basic needs
 feelings of inferiority are not deviant but are the basis for all forms of human accomplishment and improvement in
life
 hypothesized that in many cases an individual is born with a potentially weak organ that may not respond
adequately to external demands (1917). This “organ inferiority” can have profound effects on both the body and
the psyche.
  y may have a harmful effect and lead to neurotic disorders, but it can also be compensated for and lead to optimal
achievements.
 Adler termed the compensation for one’s inferiorities the masculine protest. At the time, he associated inferiority
with femininity
 Adler came to appreciate fully the role that culture and society have played in perpetuating male dominance and
privilege
 psychological differences between women and men are the result of cultural attitudes and pointed out the
devastating effect of these attitudes on the lives of children
 exaggerated masculinity has a negative impact on men and women alike

STYLE OF LIFE:

 l seeks to cope with the environment and develop superiority in a unique way.
 One individual may try to develop competence and superiority through intellectual skills. Another may seek self-
perfection by capitalizing on physical strength
 Acts as a perpetual filter>> influencing our views
 Can be changes through self examination and hard work]
 style of life results from a combination of two factors: the inner goal orientation of the individual with its fictional
finalisms and the forces of the environment assist or hinder direction of individual
 “mistaken styles
 ruling type: aggressive, dominating people who have little social interest or cultural perception;
 the getting type: dependent people who take rather than give; and
 the avoiding type: people who try to escape life’s problems and engage in little socially constructive activity.
 the socially useful type: people with a great deal of social interest and activity

 ordinal position of birth and different experiences in childhood.

 emphasized the importance of the atmosphere of the family and the family constellation. Family constellation
refers to one’s position within the family in terms of birth order among siblings and the presence or absence of
parents and other caregivers
 different experiences that each child has as that particular member of the family group
 Oldest children tend to be more intelligent, achievement oriented, conforming, and affiliative.
 regain the glory th, dethroned, equently oriented toward the past, degree of concern with power, desire to exercise
authority
 2nd child e need to accelerate and catch up, running to catch things., competitive, ambitious,
 Last born more sociable and dependent, strive for excellence and superiority in an effort to surpass their older
siblings
 spoiled and pampered may continue a helpless and dependent style of life into adulthood.
 Only children tend to be more like older children in that they enjoy being the center of attention. Because they
spend more time in the company of adults, rather than siblings, they tend to mature sooner and to adopt adultlike
behaviors earlier in life. However, only children are also the most likely to be pampered.
 The quality of emotional relationships among members of the family reflects the family atmosphere,
 which assists in determining whether or not the child will react actively or passively, constructively or destructively,
in the quest toward superiority

creative Self: creative aspects that interprets and makes meaningful the experiences
earches for experiences to fulfill the person’s unique style of life

creative self establishes, maintains, and pursues the goals of the individual

active, creative, and purposeful in shaping its response to the environment.

make their own personalities from the raw materials of their heredity and environment. In his concept of the creative self,
Adler restored consciousness to the center of personality

by reducing unconsciousness to simple temporary unawareness.

to which people can achieve conscious control over their behavior. People, Adler argued, may become largely aware of
their deepest impulses and fictional finalisms

conscious intent create their own personalities and life-styles that will achieve their highest goals.

ADLERIn psychotherapy:
Neurosis unrealistic fictional finliam or life goals
Goals are not realistic unless they take into account our capacities, limitations, and social environment

inferior or rejected as a child may set goals that are too high and unattainable.

re unrealistically low

defeated and unable to cope with certain situations, such as school, people may seek to avoid situations in which they could
develop and perfect those skills that would enable them to perform effectively

Compensation entails making up for or overcoming a weakness.

Overcompensation refers to an exaggerated effort to cover up a weakness that entails a denial rather than an acceptance of
the real situation

nadequate may be suffering from an inferiority complex. In Adlerian terms, there is

a gulf between the real person and excessively high life goals.

exaggerate their own importance may be suffering from a superiority complex. In Adlerian terms, such individuals have
overcompensated for feelings of weakness

complexes originate in a person’s responses to real or imagined feelings of inferiority

neurotics actually live a mistaken style of life, or life lie

imagined or real weaknesses and use them as an excuse rather than a challenge to deal constructively with lif

employ safeguarding tendencies, compensatory devices that ward off feelings of inferiority in a maladaptive rather than
adaptive fashion

therapy aims at restoring the patient’s sense of reality, examining and disclosing the errors in goals and lifestyle, and
cultivating social interest. Radical changes occur when an individual adopts new goal

abandoned the use of the couch, s

reduced the frequency of contact between patient and doctor to once or twice a week

establish contact with and win the confidence of the patient

insight into the present condition

ently and gradually to recognize the errors in personal goals, life-style, and attitude toward life.

sought to minimize latent feelings of rejection and resentment and to cultivate feelings of social interest

subordinating our private gain to public welfare can we attain true superiority
Many of Adler’s concepts have been used to develop more effective methods of child rearing and education

engage in parental training,

ur goals and life-styles. We can change these, should they become inappropriate, through insight into our errors

requently compound the problem of inferiority feelings through>>> extensive use of tests that have a built-in mechanism
for failure.

ts, such as the SAT, include questions that almost no one can answer and that lead to feelings of frustration and failure.
Adler was active in child guidance clinics and involved in penal reform
ASSESSSMENT

temmed from clinical observations

aid close attention to patients’ nonverbal behavior as well as to what they said. He noted how they stood, walked, sat, or
shook hands

nonverbal communication or behavior is indicative of a person’s life-style

systematic empirical research to validate his ideas

viewed the importance of these data in terms of their relevance as clinical observations

3 METHODS TO ASSESS: study of birth order, early memories, and dreams

more older siblings, the lower the IQ

ADLERS THEORY

philosophical viewpoint is clear in his discussion of fictional finalism

ALL are goal-oriented organisms,>>BEH CAN BE STUDIED IN TERMS OF ADHERANCE TO GOAL

inappropriate philosophy and the inappropriate style of life that accompanies it. By recognizing a

cultivating the need for social justice, a person fulfills her or his ultimate potential.

usefulness to the criteria for judging philosophical assumptions: A philosophy is useful if it fosters productive living and
enhances our lives. In doing so, h

Although Adler emphasized the factors in society that contribute to the shaping of personality, he did not adopt a radical
environmentalist position and suggest that personality is entirely shaped by society.

There are forces within the self, such as the drive for superiority and the creative self, that assist in shaping personality.
Thus the individual plays an important, responsible role.

Adler was much more optimistic than Freud about human and societal potential

NATURE s flexible and changeable.

r superiority, implies that many obstacles to growth are imposed by society rather than by human nature itself

Adler envisioned the possibility of creating a better society through the cultivation of our social interest. He stressed the
application of personality theory through the art of psychotherapy, believing that through selfunderstanding and education
we can construct a better world.