individual psychology
Chapter Outline
SUMMARY OUTLINE
I. Overview of Adler's Individual Psychology
An original member of Freud's psychoanalytic group, Alfred Adler broke from that group and advocated a theory of personality that was nearly diametrically opposed to that of Freud. Whereas Freud's view of humanity was pessimistic and rooted in biology, Adler's view was optimistic, idealistic, and rooted in family experiences.
II. Biography of Alfred Adler
Alfred Adler was born in 1870 in a town near Vienna, a second son of middle-class Jewish parents. Like Freud, Adler was a physician, and in 1902, he became a charter member of Freud's organization. However, personal and professional differences between the two men led to Adler's departure from the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society in 1911. Adler soon founded his own group, the Society for Individual Psychology. Adler's strengths were his energetic oral presentations and his insightful ability to understand family dynamics. He was not a gifted writer, a limitation that may have prevented individual psychology from attaining a world recognition equal to Freud's psychoanalysis.
III. Introduction to Adlerian Theory
Although Adler's individual psychology is both complex and comprehensive, its main tenets can be stated in simple form.
IV. Striving for Success or Superiority
The sole dynamic force behind people's actions is the striving for success or superiority.
A. The Final Goal
The final goal of either success or superiority toward which all people strive unifies personality and makes all behavior meaningful.
B. The Striving Force as Compensation
Because people are born with small, inferior bodies, they feel inferior and attempt to overcome these feelings through their natural tendency to move toward completion. The striving force can take one of two courses: personal gain (superiority) or community benefit (success).
C. Striving for Personal Superiority
Psychologically unhealthy individuals strive for personal
SUMMARY OUTLINE
I. Overview of Adler's Individual Psychology
An original member of Freud's psychoanalytic group, Alfred Adler broke from that group and advocated a theory of personality that was nearly diametrically opposed to that of Freud. Whereas Freud's view of humanity was pessimistic and rooted in biology, Adler's view was optimistic, idealistic, and rooted in family experiences.
II. Biography of Alfred Adler
Alfred Adler was born in 1870 in a town near Vienna, a second son of middle-class Jewish parents. Like Freud, Adler was a physician, and in 1902, he became a charter member of Freud's organization. However, personal and professional differences between the two men led to Adler's departure from the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society in 1911. Adler soon founded his own group, the Society for Individual Psychology. Adler's strengths were his energetic oral presentations and his insightful ability to understand family dynamics. He was not a gifted writer, a limitation that may have prevented individual psychology from attaining a world recognition equal to Freud's psychoanalysis.
III. Introduction to Adlerian Theory
Although Adler's individual psychology is both complex and comprehensive, its main tenets can be stated in simple form.
IV. Striving for Success or Superiority
The sole dynamic force behind people's actions is the striving for success or superiority.
A. The Final Goal
The final goal of either success or superiority toward which all people strive unifies personality and makes all behavior meaningful.
B. The Striving Force as Compensation
Because people are born with small, inferior bodies, they feel inferior and attempt to overcome these feelings through their natural tendency to move toward completion. The striving force can take one of two courses: personal gain (superiority) or community benefit (success).
C. Striving for Personal Superiority
Psychologically unhealthy individuals strive for personal