Biography of Alfred
Adler
Andrea Fulgham '00
Alfred Adler was born in Vienna, Austria on February 7, 1870. He was the second of seven children of a Hungarian-born grain merchant. In his childhood he suffered from pneumonia and the death of a younger brother; these experiences contributed to his early decision to become a physician. He attended classical secondary school and received a degree from the University of Vienna Medical School in 1895. Adler wrote his first book at age 28, in 1898 which deals with the health conditions of tailors. "In 1902, when Adler was on of the few who reacted favorably to his book on dream interpretations, Freud sent him a post card suggesting he join the circle which met weekly in Freud’s home to discuss newer aspects of psychopathology." (pg. 2) Adler became an active member but did not consider himself a disciple of Freud. He could not agree with Freud’s basic assumption that sex was the main determinant of personality. Adler sought to understand and influence man precisely in terms of what makes him different from machines and animals, whereas Freud tried to explain man in terms of his similarity to machines and animals. Another example of their differences is that Freud saw sexuality as humanity’s driving force, whereas Adler saw a sense of competence as the key to happiness. He was one of the first to say we ought to look at relationships in terms of power issues whether in romance, the workplace, or between parents and children. Adler’s view diverged ever more from those of Freud, and in 1911 he resigned from Freud’s circle to formulate with eight colleagues his own school. In 1916, Adler went off to World War I to serve in the military hospital and when he returned in 1919 he organized a child-guidance clinic in Vienna and also became a lecturer at the Pedagogical Institute. Adler saw prevention through education as the first level of intervention and as a great investment in the future. The next level of intervention was through counseling. Adler’s style of counseling is supportive and short and is focused on the specific problems. These interventions can help individuals cope with life’s stresses. He was one of the first psychiatrist to apply mental hygiene in the schools. These are just a few of the contributions that he made to mental health.
Adler developed numerous child guidance principles for every parent to follow. Here are some examples of his principles: (1) parents who show respect for the child while winning his respect for them, teaches the child to respect himself and others, (2) encouragement implies faith in and respect for the child as he is. A child misbehaves usually when he is discouraged and believes he cannot succeed by useful means, (3) acting instead of talking is more effective in conflict situations. Talking provides an opportunity for arguments in which the child can defeat the parent. If the parent maintains a calm, patient attitude, he can, through quiet action, accomplish positive results. (4) Never do for a child what he can do for himself. A dependent child is a demanding child. Children become irresponsible only when parents fail to give them opportunities to take on responsibility. And lastly, (5) Have fun together and help to develop a relationship based on enjoyment, mutual respect, love and affection, mutual confidence and trust, and a feeling of belonging. Instead of talking to nag, scold, preach, and correct, utilize to maintain a friendly relationship. Speak to your child with the same respect and consideration that you would express to a good friend. Again, these are just a few principles that he formed for parents to follow to acquire a good relationship with their children.
In 1926, Adler was invited to lecture at Columbia University and to teach at Long Island University. When he saw the threat to Austria in 1932, he emigrated with his wife to New York. On May 28, 1937 he suddenly collapsed while walking in the street and died of a heart failure within a couple of months, while on a lecture in Scotland. Two of his four children took up the practice of psychiatry in their father’s tradition in New York City. Adler’s lectures were always over crowed from the beginning and he communicated as easily with his audiences in English as he did when using his native German tongue.
One of Alfred Adler’s most significant contributions to psychology has been the relationship between birth order and personality development. " Adler hypothesized that the position of the child in the family introduces specific problems which are handled in generally the same way. Such experiences associated with birth order result in a characteristic personality for each ordinal birth position." (Encyclopedia of Psychology, pg. 154) Adler says to understand a human being, the entire context of the family needs to be understood. As the family develops, different needs arise and the fulfillment of these needs are assigned to each child in order of birth. The style of coping is never the same for any two children as the situation changes. Adler clearly makes a distinction that it is not the child’s number in the order of successive births, but the situations in which he is born and the way he interprets it that influences his character. Some factors that influence ordinal position are age, family size, relationship with extended family, and the sex of the siblings.
The four most frequent and common divisions of birth order are first borns, middle borns, last borns, and only child. The following are the overall general characteristics that Adler states for each division of birth order. Parents have more time and attention to devote to their first child and tend to be more cautious, indulgent, and protective. For a while, the first born has no other siblings to compete with and only adult role models around the home to copy. However, when a sibling is born the first born has the desire to maintain their privileged position with their parents. These children are more likely to score high on intelligent tests, be highly motivated, and have a high need for achievement. Other frequent characteristics include vulnerability to stress, dependency on approval of others, task orientation, and assertiveness.
The middle child or second born will strive harder and will often compete to take over the position of the first born. Middle children will usually compete in areas other than those in which the first born is accomplished, Adler calls this phenomenon the "teeter-totter principle." Research indicates that middle children are sensitive to injustices, unfairness, and feelings of being wrong. Middle children are able to work well in teams, relate well to older and younger people, and are able to maintain good relationships. Out of any of the other categories, these children are the most trusting and the most willing to respect opinions of others.
The youngest child is considered the baby of the family and will never be dethroned. This child tends to be spoiled by parents and other siblings. The result of this is a sense of security and having a noncompetitive nature. " The youngest child tends to be the most powerful in the family, resorting to the aggressive acting out which Adler calls the passive methods such as shyness, cuteness, or inadequacy." (Encyclopedia of Psychology, pg. 155) These children develop a lighter side to their personalities and are fun loving. Out of all the birth positions, the youngest tends to have the highest self-esteem and to be best liked.
The only child will again never be dethroned or never pursued. These children never have to compete for attention and will constantly have adult models around. Research indicates that only children have problems with close relationships and tend to be loners and lonely. They also tend to be selfish, with the lowest need of affiliation. Next to the first-born, the only child has the highest need for achievement. However, these children are the most likely to be referred for clinical help with psychiatric disorders. Knowledge of birth order effects may help a person understand, accept, and use the constructive aspects more effectively. Also, this may not be a cure for emotional problems, but may be an aid to curing emotional problems.
Adler based his psychology on the central concept of the feeling of community. this term is a multi-level concept that people may understand and put into practice at some levels and ignore the others. His value-oriented psychology included human beings being capable of cooperation in living together, striving for self-improvement, and self-fulfillment. Adler states that the central problem that humans face is how to live on this planet together, appreciating what others have contributed in the past, and making life better for present and future generations. Adler focused frequently on the connections among living beings on many different levels. If people can understand and feel connected to the world, then many of the self-created problems, such as war, prejudice, and discrimination, might never exist. Being connected among people is not only essential for living together in society, but also for the personal development of each individual. In addition, Adler thinks that humans need to be connected to their past and future. Our capabilities today depends on the contributions made in the past. Adler’s system was named "Individual Psychology" which deals with a social psychology in which the individual is seen and understood within his or her social context. Some very key points in Adler’s Individual Psychology are how an individual develops is unique and creative and secondly, we should always focus on the whole of the person rather than the sum of the parts.
Alfred Adler also made some significant contributions to Personality Psychology. He believed, like many other psychologists, that the first five years of life is central to the development of personality. When humans go through their childhood years the feeling of inferiority is quite normal, which is not being able to function as we would like. Also, during the adolescent years, Adler says that we all create the final goal, which is an imagined ideal situation of overcoming our inferiorities. The influences of family and the external social world become very critical when children are trying to overcome their inferiorties and trying to develop their final goal. Children can learn to cope with and overcome difficulties if they have love, support, and encouragement from the family. As a result, these children will be courageous to continue to grow and to make a contribution to life.
Adler is also known for his Classical Alderian psychotherapy, which is characterized as a diplomatic, warm, empathetic, and Socratic style of treatment. "The Socratic method guides clients to clarify meanings, reasons, and feelings; gain insight into intentions and consequences; consider alternative opportunities; reach rational decisions; and generate effective plans for action." (pg. 3) This particular psychotherapy can be divided into twelve stages, and within each stage, cognitive, affective, and behavioral changes are gradually advanced. There are six different phases in this psychotherapy and within these phases can be up to three stages. The support phase is first which includes stages one and two. Stage one is called empathy and relationship and the goal here is to provide warmth, hope, and encouragement. The information stage is next and the goal here is to gather relevant information and to explore early childhood influences and memories. Next is the encouragement phase and the clarification and encouragement stages are included here. The goal of the clarification stage is to evaluate consequences of ideas and to correct mistaken ideas about self and others. And the goal of the encouragement stage is to help generate alternatives. Phase three insight includes interpretation-recognition and knowing stages. These stages goals include identifying what has been avoided, integrating birth order, and having the individual accept what needs to be changed. Stages seven, eight, and nine are included in the change phase. Emotional breakthrough-missing experience is stage seven and the goal here is offer corrective developmental experiences and to use guided imagery. Doing differently is stage eight and here one is trying to convert insight into new attitude and to break old patterns. And stage nine, called reinforcement, is trying to affirm positive results and feelings. The fifth phase, called challenged includes the social interest, goal redirection, and support and launching stages. Overall these three stages are trying to get the client to use their positive feelings of themselves to find a new direction and goal for themselves. the six phase is meta-therapy is discussing with the client the meaning of their life and their commitment to their mission. Classical Alderian psychotherapy has the potential for bringing each individual to an optimal level or personal, interpersonal, and occupational functioning.
In conclusion, it is evident that throughout Alfred Adler’s life he has made many contributions to the field of psychology ranging from his "Individual Psychology" to his ideas about the development of personality. However, when most people hear the name Alfred Adler I think they would automatically think of the birth order concept. As a young child he had many obstacles to overcome, but in the end he had numerous achievements to be proud of.
