Adler
Chapter 3
Adler: Individual Psychology
Learning Objectives
After reading Chapter 3, you should be able to:
1. Distinguish between striving for superiority and striving for success.
2. Describe the role of subjective perceptions in Adler's theory of personality.
3. Explain how seemingly contradictory behaviors may reflect a single goal of striving for superiority.
4. Define social interest and give examples of what it is and what it is not.
5. Explain organ dialect and give examples of how it is expressed in a person's behavior.
6. Define causality and teleology and discuss Adler's teleological approach to personality.
7. Define style of life and discuss various methods of identifying a person's style of life..
8. List and describe three types of Adlerian safeguarding tendencies.
9. Discuss Adler's ideas on birth order.
10. Compare and contrast Adler's view of women with that of Freud.
11. Summarize recent research on early recollections.
12. Critique Adler's ideas as a scientific theory.
Summary Outline
I. Overview of Adler's Individual Psychology Adler was an original member of Freud's psychoanalytic group, but he never saw himself as a disciple or a follower of Freud. If fact, throughout his life he carried with him the note Freud had sent to him proposing the establishment of an organization of physicians. Adler saw the invitation as Freud's recognition of Adler as an equal. After Adler broke from that group, he built 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 Viennese suburb, 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
Adler: Individual Psychology
Learning Objectives
After reading Chapter 3, you should be able to:
1. Distinguish between striving for superiority and striving for success.
2. Describe the role of subjective perceptions in Adler's theory of personality.
3. Explain how seemingly contradictory behaviors may reflect a single goal of striving for superiority.
4. Define social interest and give examples of what it is and what it is not.
5. Explain organ dialect and give examples of how it is expressed in a person's behavior.
6. Define causality and teleology and discuss Adler's teleological approach to personality.
7. Define style of life and discuss various methods of identifying a person's style of life..
8. List and describe three types of Adlerian safeguarding tendencies.
9. Discuss Adler's ideas on birth order.
10. Compare and contrast Adler's view of women with that of Freud.
11. Summarize recent research on early recollections.
12. Critique Adler's ideas as a scientific theory.
Summary Outline
I. Overview of Adler's Individual Psychology Adler was an original member of Freud's psychoanalytic group, but he never saw himself as a disciple or a follower of Freud. If fact, throughout his life he carried with him the note Freud had sent to him proposing the establishment of an organization of physicians. Adler saw the invitation as Freud's recognition of Adler as an equal. After Adler broke from that group, he built 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 Viennese suburb, 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