ALFRED ADLER

Although the names of Freud and Jung are still quite familiar, and some of their concepts at least partially understood by many people, Alfred Adler's recognition quotient is much lower. Yet, he was one of the important members of the group that developed psychodynamic theory in its current form and a psychoanalytic practitioner of great renown. In the following pages, the intent is to situate Adler within the tradition, describe his contributions to psychodynamic theory and psychoanalytic practice, and explore applications of his work to specific situations or case.

Psychodynamic theory and psychoanalytic practice begins with Freud. For him, it was sexual conflict that underlay many of people's problems and the sexual instinct that was central to human development. He created a stage theory of several psychosexual stages, starting with the oral stage and ending with the adult genital stage. He also developed a model of personality which included the id, ego, and superego, with the ego serving as mediator, the superego as conscience, and the id as the unconscious disruptive influence continually trying to erupt and obtain immediate gratification for its needs and desires. The ego also contained both conscious and unconscious material, but some of the unconscious material was available to the individual through psychoanalytic techniques such as free association and dream analysis (Strachey, 1966).

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ure or biology, as the critical aspect in child development. He did not deny the influence of nature, but insisted that psychosocial factors were the more critical elements in the development of personality. Adler contributed terminology that is still widely used in popular culture, although people probably do not recognize their origin, or their full meaning. For example, he developed the concepts of the inferiority complex and the superiority complex. In Adler's theory, children might develop inferiority complexes because of their relative impotence and ignorance in relationship to their parents. This could be reinforced by comparisons with others, including peers, who seem to have more power, more intelligence, and more of something that the child characterizes as desirable (Hoffman, 1997). The inferiority complex could lead the child to become emotionally paralyzed, unable to act because of a belief in the inevitability of their failure or inadequacy (Morris, 1988). Birth order was also an important determinant of personality in Adler's view, particularly in relationship to the feelings of inferiority later children might develop. Again, these children might not be less intelligent or less athletic, but if they felt

Category: Psychology - A