WHO WAS ALFRED ALDER?
Alfred Adler was a follower of Sigmund Freud, who denounced many of Freud's teachings to pursue his own beliefs in the study of personality. Though he did turn aside from Freud's theories, Adler, like Freud, is considered a psychoanalyst. One of Adler's most famous contribution to this field of study was his concepts of inferiority. Adler believed that in correlation with a child's physical weakness and utter dependence, that human's begin their life with feeling that they are inferior to their fellow humans. Adler then theorized that from childhood, every person struggles to become superior to those around him. Adler also conceptualized that this struggle and competition with others is the root of a person's behaviors. Human's therefore have a perpetual drive to succeed. However, no all do. Adler attributed certain people's failure to succeed to those people possessing an inferiority complex. The inferiority complex is the resulting emotional state of one who has worked and strives to become superior to others but has had no success. A sense of hopelessness then takes over, and the person gives up trying to overcome, and continues to believe himself of lesser importance and ability than his fellows.
The superiority complex is an exaggerated striving for superiority in which the individual hides their feelings of inferiority. The inferiority, in contrast, is an exaggerated feeling of inferiority in which the individual hides their striving for superiority. While everyone has feelings of inferiority and strive to overcome them, to be called a complex, the feeling or striving must be pathological in nature. In the case of superiority complex, the individual would deny any feelings of inferiority, any attempt to uncover it would likely be met with resistance, or violence. While a patient may exhibit one complex or the other, Adler believed that if one complex was present, then the other can be found hidden in the patient's actions.
IMPACT OF CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES
Adler did agree with Freud on some major issues relating to the parenting of children and the long term effects of improper or inefficient child rearing. He identified two parental styles that he argued will cause almost certain problems in adulthood. The first was pampering, referring to a parent overprotecting a child, giving him too much attention, and sheltering him from the negative realities of life. As this child grows older, he will be ill equipped to deal with these realities, may doubt his own abilities or decision making skills, and may seek out others to replace the safety he once enjoyed as a child. On the other extreme is what Adler called neglect. A neglected child is one who is not protected at all from the world and is forced to face life's struggles alone. This child may grow up to fear the world, have a strong sense of mistrust for others and she may have a difficult time forming intimate relationships. The best approach, according to this theory, is to protect children from the evils of the world but not shelter them from it. In more practical terms, it means allowing them to hear or see the negative aspects of the world while still feeling the safety of parental influence. In other words, don't immediately go to the school principal if your child is getting bullied, but rather teach your child how to respond or take care of herself at school.
BIRTH ORDER AND SIBLING RELATIONSHIPS
5 PSYCHOLOGICAL POSITIONS
* OLDEST RECEIVE GOOD DEAL OF ATTENTION/SPOIL
* SECOND OF ONLY TWO ACTS AS THOUGH THEY ARE IN A RACE COMPETITIVE/SEEK WEAKNESS IN #1
* MIDDLE FEELS SQUEEZED OUT/POOR ME/PROBLEM CHILD
* YOUNGEST PAMPERED/GO THEIR OWN WAY/NEW WAYS OF DOING THINGS
*ONLY CHILD SHARE CHARACTERISTICS OF AN OLDER CHILD/HIGH ACHIEVER/HARD TO SHARE WITH OTHERS
Birth order and the interpretation of one’s position in the family have a great deal to do with how adults interact in the world.
Alfred Adler was a follower of Sigmund Freud, who denounced many of Freud's teachings to pursue his own beliefs in the study of personality. Though he did turn aside from Freud's theories, Adler, like Freud, is considered a psychoanalyst. One of Adler's most famous contribution to this field of study was his concepts of inferiority. Adler believed that in correlation with a child's physical weakness and utter dependence, that human's begin their life with feeling that they are inferior to their fellow humans. Adler then theorized that from childhood, every person struggles to become superior to those around him. Adler also conceptualized that this struggle and competition with others is the root of a person's behaviors. Human's therefore have a perpetual drive to succeed. However, no all do. Adler attributed certain people's failure to succeed to those people possessing an inferiority complex. The inferiority complex is the resulting emotional state of one who has worked and strives to become superior to others but has had no success. A sense of hopelessness then takes over, and the person gives up trying to overcome, and continues to believe himself of lesser importance and ability than his fellows.
The superiority complex is an exaggerated striving for superiority in which the individual hides their feelings of inferiority. The inferiority, in contrast, is an exaggerated feeling of inferiority in which the individual hides their striving for superiority. While everyone has feelings of inferiority and strive to overcome them, to be called a complex, the feeling or striving must be pathological in nature. In the case of superiority complex, the individual would deny any feelings of inferiority, any attempt to uncover it would likely be met with resistance, or violence. While a patient may exhibit one complex or the other, Adler believed that if one complex was present, then the other can be found hidden in the patient's actions.
IMPACT OF CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES
Adler did agree with Freud on some major issues relating to the parenting of children and the long term effects of improper or inefficient child rearing. He identified two parental styles that he argued will cause almost certain problems in adulthood. The first was pampering, referring to a parent overprotecting a child, giving him too much attention, and sheltering him from the negative realities of life. As this child grows older, he will be ill equipped to deal with these realities, may doubt his own abilities or decision making skills, and may seek out others to replace the safety he once enjoyed as a child. On the other extreme is what Adler called neglect. A neglected child is one who is not protected at all from the world and is forced to face life's struggles alone. This child may grow up to fear the world, have a strong sense of mistrust for others and she may have a difficult time forming intimate relationships. The best approach, according to this theory, is to protect children from the evils of the world but not shelter them from it. In more practical terms, it means allowing them to hear or see the negative aspects of the world while still feeling the safety of parental influence. In other words, don't immediately go to the school principal if your child is getting bullied, but rather teach your child how to respond or take care of herself at school.
BIRTH ORDER AND SIBLING RELATIONSHIPS
5 PSYCHOLOGICAL POSITIONS
* OLDEST RECEIVE GOOD DEAL OF ATTENTION/SPOIL
* SECOND OF ONLY TWO ACTS AS THOUGH THEY ARE IN A RACE COMPETITIVE/SEEK WEAKNESS IN #1
* MIDDLE FEELS SQUEEZED OUT/POOR ME/PROBLEM CHILD
* YOUNGEST PAMPERED/GO THEIR OWN WAY/NEW WAYS OF DOING THINGS
*ONLY CHILD SHARE CHARACTERISTICS OF AN OLDER CHILD/HIGH ACHIEVER/HARD TO SHARE WITH OTHERS
Birth order and the interpretation of one’s position in the family have a great deal to do with how adults interact in the world.