Alfred Adler: An Overview
Alfred Adler was born in Vienna, Austria. Plagued by childhood illnesses and accidents, Adler struggled to overcome them. Adler believed that much of behavior is driven by efforts to conquer childhood feelings of inferiority, feelings that triggered striving for superiority and power. Like Freud, who Adler followed, Adler believed that childhood is important, but Adler was still quick to point out that he was not a disciple of Freud. Adler was a large figure in the development of the psychoanalytic theory, but he was also one of the first major figures to break away and form his own school of thought. Among Adler's famous concepts include the inferiority complex and the concept of striving for superiority.
Inferiority and Superiority
Adler’s theory states that we all are born with in the world with an impression of inferiority. Inferiority Complex is a term used to describe people who are compensate for feelings of inferiority by acting in ways that make them appear to be superior. We start as weak, helpless children and strive to overcome these deficiencies by becoming superior to those around us, which Adler called striving for superiority.
Childhood Experiences
Adler believed a “misbehaving child, is a discouraged child,” and when that child is helped to feel valued, significant, and competent, they are more likely to cooperate. Adler considered this the most successful tactic in coping with difficult child behaviors.
Adler agreed with Freud on issues relating to the styles of parenting. Adler identified two parental styles that he argued will cause almost certain problems in adulthood. The first is pampering, referring to overprotecting a child, giving that child too much attention, and sheltering them from the negative realities of life. As the child grows older in life, they won’t be prepared to deal with those negative realities, and as a result will doubt their abilities or decision making skills, and may seek out others to replace the safety they felt as a child. The second parenting style Adler identified was neglect, which refers to a child not being protected from the world and is required to face the struggles of life alone. This type of parenting can cause the older version of the child to fear the world, have a strong sense of mistrust for others, and have a hard time forming intimate relationships. Alder felt there was an in-between state that would suffice, which was to protect the child from the evils of the world, but not over shelter them from it.
Adler agreed with Freud on issues relating to the styles of parenting. Adler identified two parental styles that he argued will cause almost certain problems in adulthood. The first is pampering, referring to overprotecting a child, giving that child too much attention, and sheltering them from the negative realities of life. As the child grows older in life, they won’t be prepared to deal with those negative realities, and as a result will doubt their abilities or decision making skills, and may seek out others to replace the safety they felt as a child. The second parenting style Adler identified was neglect, which refers to a child not being protected from the world and is required to face the struggles of life alone. This type of parenting can cause the older version of the child to fear the world, have a strong sense of mistrust for others, and have a hard time forming intimate relationships. Alder felt there was an in-between state that would suffice, which was to protect the child from the evils of the world, but not over shelter them from it.