Alfred Adler: The Psychological Effects Of Superiority

Improved Essays
Author
Alfred Adler, Austrian psychiatrist, was born in February 7, 1870. Adler was the second of seven children. While growing up, Adler suffered from physical ailments which included rickets and pneumonia. True to his theory on birthing order, Alder was always competitive with his older brother. Alfred Adler was already a part of the medical field. He started his medical career as an ophthalmologist and went on at a later date became a general practicnoer. One of the main areas of interest for Alder was the psychological effects of inferiority. This interest became the driving force behind his interest in psychology. In 1902, Adler joined Sigmund Freud’s informal discussion group. Yet, he never saw himself as part of the group collective
…show more content…
According to Adler, an individual’s private logic is one’s inner voice and justifies one’s style of life. This logic can be both illogical and insane. Next, Adler believes in a universal common sense. This inner voice tells us that people are complex and encourages us to live together peacefully. This is also the internal voice reminds us subtly that relationships take work and suggests that we take responsibility for our actions and not try to deflect blame onto others. Likewise, Adler believes that as individuals we are forward moving, looking towards the future, which he described as teleology. This drive to move forward is fueled by an individual’s strives for perfection. When this drive forward is not impeded, it can lead to uniqueness in character, natural creativity, meaningful connection and …show more content…
This is accomplished by using both empathy and attending skills. In order to cultivate this relationship the environment must be mutually respectful, equal, non-judgement and positive in nature. The therapist encourages the client to become aware of their own worth. In order to do so, the therapist must implement active listening and respect. The therapist must focus on the client’s strengths and resources and discourages client to give in to their fictional beliefs and to focus on progress. This could mean exploring both early recollections and family mapping. Also, to some extent this therapy technique explores dream analysis but, to show new direction or representation for style of life. An assessment is conducted near the early stages of treatment. This assessment helps the therapist and client understand how early experiences and feelings ultimately led the client towards their subjective

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Lasting Legacy When the time comes and this student is looking back at his life knowing that the end is near, there is one legacy that hopefully will be left in the memory of all those who knew him. That is, a legacy of a person who saw the needs of those around him and responded with compassion and action. In the Gospel of Matthew, the bible says: When He (Jesus) saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matt.9:36).…

    • 602 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The relationship that the counselor and therapist share is one of the most important aspects in the counseling process. Establishing an admirable relationship with your client will aid with entrustment, understanding, engagement, responsibilities, and other qualities that may help the client with the issues at hand. In the beginning, we should focus on building a reputable relationship with our clients, to better serve them. We must establish a good rapport with our clients to better our understanding of their current situations. Our relationship with clients is the driving force for reputable…

    • 1161 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Jelani's Homework

    • 665 Words
    • 3 Pages

    mood swings and some of her coworkers have noticed this on her work performance. Her daily routine consists of working 9 to 10 hours coming home to cook for her husband and daughter, also, make sure that Emma’s homework is done and she is ready for school the next day. While she finds it more difficult to do her job, work does appear to be a significant stressor. Jelani has come across ongoing issues paying her overall rent and due to this many more issues have taken place between both Jelani and Brandon. Normally, he will be on his phone more than interacting with her and constantly goes out and comes back late, Brandon has always been a very jealous man, he complains a lot about Jelani.…

    • 665 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    QUESTION #1 1. Personally, I believe Melinda needs to breathe and think about everything carefully. Going to a peaceful location like the beach would be very good for her to clear and mind and figure out exactly what she would like to do. One personal characteristic of effective counselors that would be most helpful in this situation would be effective therapists make mistakes and are willing to admit them. They do not dismiss their errors lightly, yet they do not choose to dwell on them, either (Corey, 2013, p.20).…

    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Adlerian Art Therapy

    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Art therapy is a relatively new field in therapeutic counseling. It is defined as an expressive therapy “through which we many draw on inner feelings and the unconscious to produce a tangible product…that allows clients to explore their deepest and often hidden feelings, and to use symbols to represent their inner feelings and conflicts” (Degges-White, p. 1). While there are a number of theoretical approaches, this paper focuses on Adlerian art therapy, which incorporates a framework based off Alfred Alder’s Individual Psychology. Through the examination of research journals and academic textbooks, the following paper will discuss Alfred Adler, his development of Individual Psychology, and the emergence of Adlerian art therapy, including…

    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A therapist’s authentic use of self is essential to promote the connection with the clients in a unique and specific manner. Being authentic will allow the therapist to forgo the professional pretenses and boundaries to stay in immediate touch with what the family is experiencing (Gehart 2013; Goldberg, 2013). Also the therapist would need to execute personal integrity and stand up for their own personal beliefs. This can continue the authenticity of the therapist and continue the humanistic qualities that are crucial to the theory. Very importantly, the therapist will push for personal responsibility for the clients.…

    • 1045 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Adlerian Therapy Paper

    • 1068 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Adlerian therapy believes that the behavior of humans is motivated and directed towards a specific goal. Adler believed that feelings of inferiority sometimes can motivate people to attempt to reach success. He firmly believed that the conscious was superior over the unconscious. The Adlerian therapy identifies the importance of personal factors. It has a holistic idea in which it takes in account the influence of society on the client and the client's influence on society (Corey, 2013).…

    • 1068 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    From Karen Horney’s perspective, Joe suffers from unconscious anxiety that makes him move towards, against or away from some people in his life. According to Cervone & Pervin (2016), anxiety is what alerts the conscious mind or ego to danger. Because of his past experiences, Joe seems to have a negative attitude towards life and some people around him. He may, for instance, develop the distrust for elder men based on his father’s behavior. He may also have erroneously perceived unfairness and uncertainty in his judgment of his mother’s condition.…

    • 489 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Birth Order Research Paper

    • 1040 Words
    • 5 Pages

    For fourteen years, I been only the child, and then my little sister Gaby was born. As the oldest I am intellectual, and I am expected to help my little sister with her daily needs. I help her with her homework and protect her when we are alone. Sometimes, I have felt the pressure when I had my own things to do like homework, and then I have to pause my things to help my little sister. I don’t have any choice because it is my duty as the oldest to help my little sister.…

    • 1040 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Adlerian Counsellors

    • 263 Words
    • 2 Pages

    2. Adlerian counsellors use early recollections as central part of the lifestyle assessment. Early recollections is a projection strategy used to uncover lifestyle themes by detecting patterns and finding the direction of a client’s striving (Maniacci, Sackett-Maniacci. & Mosak, 2014). Adler discussed early recollections help reveal values to be aimed for and dangers to be avoided (Belangee, 2012). Early recollections help counsellors develop a rapport with the client while providing a wealth of therapeutic information.…

    • 263 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    LITERATURE CITED Adlerian Psychology/Psychotherapy. (2014, July 02). Retrieved January 19, 2016 from http://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/ avourab-psychology Albert, J., Gaspar, R., &Raymundo, M. (2015, July 8). Who are the middle class? Retrieved March 20, 2016 from www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/98624-who-are-middle-class Cagadas, J.L. (2012, June 28). The importance of values, morals, and ethics in the Philippine society.…

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Many Faces of Alice Alice Lee Hudson, while technically not the main character of her featured film, is the primary subject of which the movie is based around. Surprisingly enough, John Carpenter’s The Ward stars everyone but Alice as the women of North Bend Psychiatric Hospital fight for their lives against an unknown demonic entity. As each of the girls begin disappearing from their ward one by one, it is revealed that the aforementioned entity is actually Alice and that the other patients are nothing but delusions representing the various pieces of her fractured personality. The main problem Alice faces from the experiences depicted in the film is her ability to remain in control of her own body, ultimately finding herself overpowered…

    • 1898 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This comparative paper explores the similarities and differences between individual psychology and cognitive behavioural therapy. First, I will present a brief overview of two theories. An examination of the similarities and differences between the two theories as followed. Individual Psychology (IP) According to the Adler (1992), humans are social by nature and he believes that individual’s personality is developed early in life.…

    • 900 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The therapist it seems must come to the relationship being fully self aware and able to leave any of their own ‘baggage’ outside of the session. If this is not possible, it would be important to communicate what is happening to the client so that the psychological contact remains and the therapist is able to enter the world of the client unhindered. The client needs help and the counsellor is there to help. The fourth condition necessary for therapeutic change is Unconditional Positive Regard, “The therapist experiences unconditional positive regard for the client” (Rogers,1957) described by Means and Thorne as “the label given to the fundamental attitude of the person-centred counsellor towards her client.…

    • 2311 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This approach is interesting because it addresses the resiliency of the client and the client can build upon a strength-based foundation to work towards solutions (George, 2008). I feel that this approach can be applied in many different situations to build on the strengths and past successes than to correct the past failures or mistakes. Secondly, in this approach the therapist understands, accepts, and uses the client’s unique worldviews during the process of identifying and amplifying exceptions (George, 2008). Lastly, this approach uses the imagination of client to visualize the future through questioning that can allow for a clear picture of what the solution may look like even when the problem may not be clearly defined. I find one of my strengths through the use of the peer evaluation form shows that I have good techniques to ask the right questions to gain a better understanding of the problem the client is presenting.…

    • 1612 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays