STEM 11-2 (Mohamad, Macalandong, Mauna, Barra, & Batua-an) April 13, 2023

Individual
Psychology
A L F R E D
By
ADLER.
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

Today's Agenda

1 Introduction: Alfred Adler 4 Stages of Development

Evaluation: Strengths &

2 View of Human Nature 5 Weaknesses

Summary: Differences between

3 Structure of Personality 6 Adler & Freud
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

ALFRED
ADLER
He was born in February 7, 1870 in Vienna,
Austria. He suffered from rickets and at the
age of four and he almost died from
pneumonia.

Adler’s association with Freud began in 1902.

INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

ALFRED
ADLER
In 1910, Adler was the president of the Vienna
Psychoanalytic Society and co-editor of it
journal. He was also an increasingly vocal critic
of Freudian theory.
In 1911, he severed all connections with
psychoanalysis and went on to develop
individual psychology, his own approach to
personality
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

ALFRED
ADLER
In 1912, he founded the Society of Individual
Psychology and later, wrote the book “The
Practice and Theory of Individual Psychology.”

He was married to Russia, a Russian Immigrant,

and had four children. Later on, Adler died of
heart attack in 1937 at the age of 67, while on a
lecture tour in Aberdeen, Scotland.
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

A theory of human behavior

and a therapeutic approach
that encourages individuals
to make positive
contributions to society as
well as to achieve personal
happiness.
Individual Psychology
 INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY
in ifa nce
iz e its sig
Minim e sc ribing
by d s as
The value of on c ious n es
t in un c o r a ry
Social Interes sim p ly tem p
ies. ess
human activit aw a re n

View of Human
Nature
to be A person can
a
being human Adlerian theory purports that humans are social achieve conscious
mean
feel o s to control over his or
nesel beings and therefore all behavior is socially embedded
inferi f her behavior
or and has social meaning (Watts, 2000b). Adler
emphasized the importance of relationships and being
connected to others, including the larger community in
which people reside.
c o ns c io us intent, Peo
With ple
wn
create their o awa beco
and dee re of me
personalities pes the
fe st y le s t o a chieve and impu r
t i
li lses
ir h ig he s t g oals. fict
i
the fina onal
lism
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

every individual is born with the feeling

that they are inferior to others. To make
Structure of up for this, an aggression drive causes
them to overcome their limitations. This
Personality is referred to as the inferiority complex.
If a person believes that they are
superior to others, they have a
superiority complex.

A B C D E F

Organ Feelings of Striving for Style of Life Fictional Social Interest

Inferiority Inferiority Superiority Finalism
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY

A. Organ Inferiority
Inherited inferiority builds up the normal feeling of weakness
and helplessness.

Explanation For Example

People are more vulnerable to disease in Theodore Roosevelt was a frail child
organs that are less developed or "inferior" but later became an athlete.
to other organs.
Demonsthenes had speech
A person can compensate for a weakness problems but later became an
by either concentrating on developing or orator.
emphasizing other functions that make up
for the weakness.
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

B. Feelings of Inferiority
All children start life with feelings of inferiority because they are completely dependent on adults for
survival. This feeling of being weak, inferior, and impotent stimulates an intense desire to seek power,
thereby overcoming the feelings of inferiority.

Explanation For Example

Masculine Protest. the suggestion that For Someone who feels inferior is driven to
women reject a feminine identity in order to accomplish something.
be valued and compensated in the same
manner as men. Such feelings are the primary motivating
forces behind all personal accomplishments.
Since males and females seek to become
powerful in order to overcome inferiority However, inferiority feelings can also create
feelings, they try to approximate the neurosis. The feelings of inferiority act as a
cultural ideal of masculinity. barrier to positive accomplishment.
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

C. Striving for
is a fundamental fact of life, an innate
need from the time of birth.

Superiority
Adler believed that striving for superiority
Motivated largely by exaggerated feelings can be either beneficial or harmful. If a
of inferiority or the presence if an person concentrates exclusively on
inferiority complex. developing his or her own superiority
while ignoring the needs of others and of
society, then they develop a superiority
complex.
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

D. Style of Life
It is the means by which an individual attempts to gain superiority. It determines which
aspects of life to focus on and how these give a person individual identity.

it determines what is perceived and An unhealthy lifestyle is based on

ignored. selfishness and its contrary to the views of
society.
It specifies a person's future goals
and how these are to be attained. A lifestyle could also develop when a child
models himself or herself after someone
Lifestyle is the idiographic, perceived to be highly influential and
nonconscious plan of how humans can effective.
find importance and connections with
others. According to Adler, one's lifestyle is fairly
well crystallized at the age of four or five.
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

E. Fictional Finalism
Humans construct their own realities -'fictions' - by which they live. Which in turn creates a
fictional future goal which a person aspires for. Adler called this a "guiding self ideal."

Explanation

An individual who has feelings of inferiority is

pushed to strive for perfection using his or her
unique style of life as a means of attaining some
future goal.

Healthy individuals use fictional goals or

ideals as tools in dealing with life.
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

Is the innate need of all human beings to

F. Social Interest
live in harmony and friendship with
others and to aspire for the
development of the perfect society.

is a theory that describes the choices a

person makes in relation to their society.

According to Adler, each person inherits

the potential for social interest. If that
potential is not realized, the individual
lives are a most unfortunate life.
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

Social interest
can be
developed Societal task require
cooperation with fellow
through three humans (division of labor).
tasks:

1 2 3

Occupational task or Love and marriage

constructive work can be task help to
a means for a person to perpetuate society.
help advance society.
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

A person's lifestyle and fictional goals must

consider the improvement of society,
otherwise the person ends up being
neurotic.

t h e f i n a l
In
e r s i o n o f
v
s t h e o r y ,
Adler '
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

Adler did not propose stages of development,

instead, he emphasized the importance of family
atmosphere and the family constellation.

Stages of • Older children tend to be the more intelligent,

Development achievement-oriented, conforming, and affiliate.
• Younger children are more aggressive,
ambitious, sociable, and dependent.
• Only child tends to be similar to an older child.
• Middle children show a combination of
characteristics.
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

THREE ENTRANCE 1 2
First
3
Dream
GATES TO MENTAL Birth Order
Memories Analysis

LIFE:
1 Birth Order

•First born – the focus of the attention until the next child is born.
•Second born – ambitious since he or she is constantly attempting to catch up or
surpass the older sibling.
•Youngest – second worst position after the first born.

ØLaziness – a sign of ambition mixed with discouragement.

•Only child – never dethroned by another sibling, but experiences shock upon
learning that he or she cannot remain the center of attention.
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

THREE ENTRANCE 1 2
First
3
Dream
GATES TO MENTAL Birth Order
Memories Analysis

LIFE:
2 First Memories
-a research technique of asking a person to describe his or her earliest
recollections.

3 Dream Analysis

-a method whereby a person’s dream is used to provide a way of dealing

with the person’s life problems.
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

Evaluation
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

Strengths
1 Adler’s greatest contribution to psychology is his study of birth order and
personality. He likewise emphasized that asking people to describe their earliest
recollections is the best way of discovering the origins of their lifestyle.

2 Adler considered his theory of 3 Adler said that many of our

the creative self as the climax guiding goals are fictional.
of his studies.

Fiction – the individual’s or group’s cognitive construct ot subjective

interpretation of events.
Fictional finalists – cannot be treated as reality because these are not
scientific hypotheses that can be put to a crucial experiment.
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

Weaknesses
1 Adler viewed behavior as the primarily goal-directed and consciously chosen
rather than predetermined by the unconscious mind or biological drive.

2 He took for granted the fact 3 The drive for aggression which he later
that everyone experiences substituted for striving for superiority
some feelings of inferiority. was innately biological like that of the
sexual urge.
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

Summary
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

From the beginning,

Adler's theory of
personality was open
to growth and
evolution.
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

His emphasis shifted

from intrapsychic
which is basically
Freudian, to the
interpsychic.
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

Summary of
Differences
between Adler
and Freud Freud Adler
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

Differences between
Adler and Freud

Sigmund Freud Alfred Adler

Emphasized the Emphasized the conscious

unconscious mind mind
Future goals are Future goals are important
unimportant sources of motivation
Biological motives are Social motives are
primary primary
Pessimistic about human Optimistic about human
existence existence
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

Differences between
Adler and Freud

Sigmund Freud Alfred Adler

Dreams are used to detect Dreams are tools in solving

contents of the unconscious mind. problems
Personality is completely Personality is determined partly by
determined by heredity and the individual themselves
environmental factors. Minimized the importance of sex
Emphasized importance of sex. The goal of therapy is to encourage a
The goal of therapy is to discover lifestyle that incorporates social
repressed early memories. interests
INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY April 13, 2023

Thank you!
Have a
great day
ahead.