physical weaknesses by developing other qualities and characteristics that stand out (Adler, 1924). For example, Morris (1988) mentioned Stevie Wonder and Wilma Rudolph as individuals who exemplify this theory, with their physical limitations far overshadowed by their great accomplishments.
This was not the end of his theorizing about compensation, however. He later realized that not all people were motivated by the desire to compensate for physical limitation. Instead, he speculated that people engaged in compensation in order to over their feelings of inferiority. These feelings of inferiority were not necessarily reflective of their real situation. In other words, people could feel inferior about their intelligence, even if they were exceedingly bright. This feeling would still lead them to try to compensate for their perceived lack of intelligence.
This is an example of Adler's attitude toward people's basic nature. He consistently took the
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