Alfred Adler illness 2

Alfred Adler
ALFRED ADLER
1870 - 1937
Dr. C. George Boeree

I would like to introduce Alfred Adler by talking about someone Adler never knew: Theodore Roosevelt. Born to Martha and Theodore Sem'or in Manhattan on October 27, 1858, he was said to be a particulai-ly beautiful baby who needed no help entering his new wor1d. His parents were strong, inteTligent, handsome, and quite we11-to-do. It should have been an idyllic childhood

But "Teedie," as he was called, was not as healthy as he first appeared. He had severe asthma, and tended to catch colds easily, develop coughs and fevers, and suffer from nausea and diarrhea. He was small and thin. His voice was reedy, and remained so even in adulthood. He became malnourished and was often forced by his asthma to sleep sitting up in chairs. Several times, he came dangerously close to dying from lack of oxygen.

Not to paint too negative a picture, Teedie was an active boy -- some would say over-active -- and had a fantastic personality. He was full of curiosity about nature and wou1d lead expeditions of cousins to find mice, squirrels, snakes, frogs, and anything else that could be dissected or pickled. His repeated confinement when his asthma flared up turned him to books, which he devoured throughout his life. He may have been sickly, but he certainly had a desire to 1ive!

After traveting through Europe with his family, his health became worse. He had grown taller but no more muscular. Finally, with encouragement from the famlly doctor, Roosevelt Senior encouraged the boy, now twe1ve, to begin lifting weights. Like anything else he tackled, he did this enthusiastically. He got healthier, and for the first time in his life got through a who1e month without an attack of asthma.

When he was thirteen, he became aware of another defect of his: when he found that he couldn't hit anything with the rifle his father had given him. when friends read a billboard to him -- he didn't realize it had writing on it -- it was discovered that he was terribly nearsighted!

In the same year, he was sent off to the country on his own after a bad attack of asthma. On the way, he was way1aid by a couple of other boys his own age. He found that not only couldn't he defend mmself, he couldn't even lay a hand on them. He later announced to his father his intention to learn to box. By the time he went to Harvard, he was not only a healthier Teddy Roosevelt, but was a regular winner of a variety of athletic contests.

The rest, as they say, is history. "Teedle" Roosevelt went on to become a successful New York assemblyman, North Dakota cowboy, New York commissioner of police, Assistant secretary of the Navy, lieutenant colonel of the "Rough Riders," the Governor of New York, and best-selling author, an by the age of forty. With the death of President William McKinley in 1901, Theodore Roosevelt became the youngest president of the Uniteded States.

HOW is it that someone so sickly should become so healthy, vigorous, and successful? why is it that some children, sickly or not, thrive, whi1e others wither away? is the drive that Roosevelt had peculiar to him, or is it something that lies in each of us? These kinds of questions intrigued a young viennese physician named Alfred Adler, and led him to develop his theory, called individual Psychology.

Biography

Alfred Adler was born in the suburbs of Vienna on February 7, 1870, the third child, second son, of a 3ewish grain merchant and his wife. AS a child, Alfred developed rickets, which kept h-im from wa1king until he was four years old. At five, he nearly died of pneumonia. it was at this age that he decided to be a physician.

Alfred was an average student and preferred playing outdoors to being cooped up in school. He was qin'te outgoing, popular, and active, and was known for his efforts at outdoing his older brother, Sigmund.

Founder of individual Psychology

Recognized Environmental Influence on Behavior

Stressed the present over the past

Theorized gender differences were culturally based

Influenced Abraham Mas1ow and Carl Rogers

Adler's early history:
Younger brother died in his bed when he was 3
Almost died from pneumomia at age 5
Suffered from rickets as a child
Received a medical degree in 1895
Met Freud in 1901
Fully broke off from Freud by 1911
Established family counseling centers

Taught extensively 1n the U.S.

Adlerian theory of Mind

Believed in the conscious and the unconscious.

However, his primary focus was on 2 things:

An individual can only be known as a who1e person.
Lifestyle

The relationship between the individual and society.
Ecological Psychology

Social Interest

An human behavior concerns striving for Success we set goals and then strive to obtain them These goals develop from early childhood
Inferiority Complex: feeling sman and helpless, a child desires to grow, in order to become as powerfu1 as the adults around her/him. These infenority complexes help develop the
Life goal: how a person ideally wou1d like to "live, based upon their own attitudes and personal experiences.
An individuals personality is determined by age 5
All human experience is subjective
Adler believed in the creative power in people
This is why Adler treated them as individuals

Our lifestyle develops through
Schemas of Apperception: our subjective view of the objective wor1d

It contains our
Self-Concept: who one is and se1f-worth.
Self-ldeal: who you wou1d 1-ike to be; symbol-ic of your life goal.
Wor1d image: what your relationship vvith the environment is, how you believe the wor1d works.
Ethical Convictions: Personal code of how you and others should behave.

Social interest and Cormnumty feeling:
Social Cooperation is key to reducing feelings of inferiority.
By helping others, you are helping yourself.
Healthy people with a we11 developed social interest Strive for success
(collective superiority).

Neurotic Individuals strive for personal superiority.
Psychological growth is seen as moving a person from a position of personal superiority to collective superiority.
. Work: provides a sense of satisfaction and self-worth to the degree we feel it helps others.
Friendship: provide essential links to commumties and cooperation is necessary for work.
Love: The closest union possible between 2 people.

What can hurt your psychological grovrth?

Three childhood conditions can create a neurotic person:
Organ inferiority: Childhood illness can lead to a sense of infenonty and an inability to compete. This leads to w1thdrawa1 from society later in life.
Pampering: Spoiled children never develop a strong sense of social interest, because successfully manipulating the environment has a1ways come easily to them
Neglect: Never learns love or cooperation , so has difficulty in an three three task areas in adulthood. Often become cold and hard as adults.

Adler's view on Birth Order
Adler a1ways wanted to know how many sibl-ings a ch-ild grew up with, and what the child's position in the fannly was.
Firstborn: Unique experience of being both an only child and an older child.
Second born: personality partially shaped by their perception of the firstborn child's attitude toward them.
Youngest: Often pampered, at high risk for becoming problem children.
Only children: May lack social interest and develop a parasitic attitude toward other people;
Typical Positive and negative Traits and Birth Order
+ Traits - Traits
First Born
Nurturing and Protective of Others Highly Anxious
Good organizer Exaggerated feelings of power
Unconscious hostility
Sees things as right/wrong
Highly criticical
Uncooperative

Second Born
Highly Motivated Highly competitve
Cooperative Easily discouraged
Moderately Competitive

Youngest Child
Realistically Ambitious Dependent on others
wants to excel in everything
Unrealistically Ambitious

Only Child
Socially Mature Exaggerated feelings of Superiority
Low Cooperation Skills
Inflated sense of self

Adlerian Therapy

Since Adler believed neurosis resulted from lack of courage, exaggerated feelings of inferiority, and underdeveloped social interest, he tried to increase patients courage, self-esteem, and social interest. "Everybody can accomplish everything" He established a congenial, nonthreatening relationship with his patients.
Faced patients directly
Treated them as an equal partner
Tried to convince the patient of the power they have to make themselves better.

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