Question

The personal experience of a theorist can impact his or her choice of central personality concepts. A central concept for Adler was inferiority feelings while Horney concentrated on basic anxiety. Define and describe each concept and discuss possible links between it and the life circumstances and experiences of the theorist who proposed it.

Answer 1

Alfred Adler, a colleague of Freud’s and therefore the 1st president of the national capital psychoanalytic Society (Freud’s band of colleagues), was the primary major theoretician to interrupt removed from Freud (Figure). He later on based a college of science known as individual science, that focuses on our drive to complete feelings of inferiority. Adler (1937, 1956) projected the thought of the complex. AN complex refers to a person’s feelings that they lack price and don’t answer to the standards of others or of society. Adler’s ideas regarding inferiority represent a significant distinction between his thinking and Freud’s. Freud believed that we have a tendency to square measure impelled by sexual and aggressive urges, however, Adler (1930, 1961) believed that feelings of inferiority in childhood square measure what drive folks to try to achieve superiority which this trial is that the force behind all of our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Adler conjointly believed within the importance of social connections, seeing childhood development rising through social development instead of the sexual stages Freud made public. Adler noted the inter-relatedness of humanity and therefore the got to work along for the betterment of all. He said, “The happiness of grouping lies in operating along, in living as if every individual had set himself the task of causative to the common welfare” (Adler, 1964, p. 255) with the most goal of science being “to acknowledge the equal rights and equality of others” (Adler, 1961, p. 691).

With these ideas, Adler knew 3 elementary social tasks that every one folk should experience: activity tasks (careers), social group tasks (friendship), ANd love tasks (finding an intimate partner for a long-run relationship). instead of specializing in sexual or aggressive motives for behavior as Freud did, Adler targeted on social motives. He conjointly emphasized acutely aware instead of unconscious motivation, since he believed that the 3 elementary social tasks square measure expressly familiar and pursued. that's to not say that Adler failed to conjointly believe unconscious processes—he did—but he felt that acutely aware processes were additional vital.

One of Adler’s major contributions to temperament science was the thought that our birth order shapes our temperament. He projected those older siblings, UN agency begins out because the focus of their parents’ attention, however, should share that focus once a brand new kid joins the family, compensate by turning into overachievers. The youngest kids, per Adler, could also be spoiled, departure the center kid with the chance to attenuate the negative dynamics of the youngest and oldest kids. Despite widespread attention, analysis has not once and for all confirmed Adler’s hypotheses regarding birth order.

Karen Horney was one amongst the primary girls trained as a neurologist shrink. throughout the nice Depression, Horney captive from Deutschland to us, and later on captive removed from Freud’s teachings. Like Jung, Horney believed that every individual has the potential for fulfillment which the goal of depth psychology ought to be moving toward a healthy self instead of exploring babyhood patterns of dysfunction. Horney conjointly disagreed with the neurologist concept ladies have enviousness and square measure jealous of male biological options. per Horney, any jealousy is possibly culturally primarily based, thanks to the larger privileges that males usually have, which means that the variations between men’s and women’s personalities square measure culturally primarily based, not biologically primarily based. She additional instructed that men have female internal reproductive organ envy, as a result of they can not provide birth.

Horney’s theories targeted on the role of unconscious anxiety. She instructed that standard growth may be blocked by basic anxiety stemming from desires not being met, like childhood experiences of loneliness and/or isolation. however, do kids learn to handle this anxiety? Horney instructed 3 varieties of cope (Table). the primary cope vogue, moving toward folks, depends on affiliation and dependence. These kids become captivated with their folks and different caregivers in a trial to receive attention and affectionateness, that provides relief from anxiety (Burger, 2008). once these kids become old, they have a tendency to use this same cope strategy to upset relationships, expressing AN intense would like for love and acceptance (Burger, 2008). The second cope vogue, moving against folks, depends on aggression and self-assertiveness. kids with this cope vogue notice that fighting is that the best thanks to upset AN sad home scenario, and that they upset their feelings of insecurity by bullying different kids (Burger, 2008). As adults, folks with this cope vogue tend to criticize with hurtful comments and exploit others (Burger, 2008). The third cope vogue, moving removed from folks, centers on detachment and isolation. These kids handle their anxiety by retreating from the globe. they have privacy and have a tendency to be self-sufficing. once these kids square measure adults, they still avoid such things as love and friendly relationship, and that they conjointly tend to gravitate toward careers that need very little interaction with others (Burger, 2008).