Essay Sample on Leading Personality Theorist: Alfred Adler

Introduction

One of the greatest psychologists who ever lived was Alfred Adler. He was an Australian physiotherapist and medical doctor, who lived between 1870 and 1937. According to Mosak and Di Pietro (2015), Adler is credited with developing the school of individual psychology, and his works were partly influenced by Sigmund Freud. Even though he suffered medical conditions such as pneumonia and rickets as a child, he was able to overcome his challenges and attain great feats, as a scholar and a professional.

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Some of Adler's notable works was the individual theory that explains how humans use inferiority complex as motivation to accomplish their goals and aspirations. He was also credited with developing four personality types, which include the socially useful, ruling, learning, and avoidance traits. These personalities explain human motivations, thoughts and behaviors, which impact their viewpoint in life (Mosak & Di Pietro, 2015). Adler immensely contributed to a variety of social and spiritual issues, and was considered an influential person in society at the time.

This essay will evaluate Adler as an individual and the many contributions he made in society. Specifically, it will discuss the psychology theories that he developed, and their role in understanding human behavior. Through evaluating his works, psychology students and the general public will appreciate the role that he played in shaping the field of psychology, and its influences in the modern day and age.

Adler's Biography

Alfred was born in 1870 and he was an Australian physiotherapist, medical doctor, and founder of the individual psychology school of thought (Oberst and Stewart, 2017). His emphasis was on the inferiority complex and its role in shaping the development of a person. Adler was generally sickly as a child, and he developed conditions such as pneumonia and rickets, when growing up. However, he was interested in the fields of philosophy, sociology, and psychology. Alfred studied and became a specialist eye doctor, and later psychiatrist and neurologist.

In 1902, he was invited by Sigmund Freud to discussion groups that featured scholars such as Wilhelm Stekel and Rudolf Reitler. They began the psychoanalytic movement, and he later disengaged from this group and formed his own. In 1912 he founded the Individual Psychology Society, and he held the view that the social realm was as important as the internal realm, in understanding psychology (Oberst and Stewart, 2017). Adler went on to develop a unique personality theory and school of psychotherapy, and is considered to be one of the most profound psychologists of the 20th Century.

Adler's Individual Psychology Theory

Adler developed this theory which states that human behavior and thought process is shaped by an individual's strive for power and superiority. He also explained that the pursuit of dominance is linked to man's attempts to compensate for feelings of inferiority. Moreover, individual psychology focuses on a person's entire environment including the people he/she interacts with, as opposed to focus on an individual as an isolated being (Karen, 2011). People therefore develop personality traits based on their response to the external stimuli from their environments. There are three main ways that a person can respond to external influence, and these are compensation, resignation and over-compensation.

In compensation, people experience certain disadvantages, which make them perceived themselves as inferior and inadequate. Their main goal becomes to address these weaknesses and end the drawbacks that limit pursuit of their potential in life (Karen, 2011). Such people usually empower themselves and this lead to success in their individual and social life. For instance, if a person experiences poverty when growing up, he or she may dedicate their life to education, employment, and investment, to overcome poverty. If such an individual become wealthy, he/she will have used the influence of poverty to compensate for his/her perceived inadequacies to achieve success in life.

In resignation, a person usually suffers from a certain disadvantage, but instead of trying to overcome it, he/she reconciles and accepts the problem as being part of their life (Karen, 2011). Adler stated that the majority population falls into this segment, and that most people view the world as uninterested in sympathy. An example is of a person who is born into poverty, and he/she accepts this situation as their fate. People who have resigned usually do not take active steps to change the circumstances that influence the adverse situations in their lives.

Over-compensation is a situation where people experience certain disadvantages and become obsessed with overcoming their shortcomings. Such people are so fixated with compensating for their weaknesses, such that they over-indulge in their pursuits. An example is an individual who is born into poverty, and he/she believes that they should acquire wealth in any way possible, such that they are willing to engage in criminal activities to attain their goal.

Personality Theory and Traits

Adler held the view that humans feel inferior since birth, and this encourages them to rely on their parents and guardians when growing up. However, they develop a drive towards becoming superior and overcoming inferiority, and this inspires their behavior (Hoffman, 2018). Some humans are unable to achieve superiority, and they develop the inferiority complex. Based on these human characteristics, Adler created four personality traits.

The first is the ruling trait, and this are people who will attain superiority through pushing other people. They usually have high energy levels and this makes them dominate other people. Examples include sadists, bullies, and alcoholics. The second is the learning trait, and these are people who build shells around themselves, due to their sensitive nature (Hoffman, 2018). They usually possess low levels of energy and depend on other people to assist them cope with challenges in life. If they find life overwhelming, they usually develop anxiety, phobias, and obsessions, among others.

The third trait is avoidance, and people who have this personality type usually have low energy levels. Their survival strategy is avoiding life, and when overwhelmed, they develop psychosis and live in their own world (Hoffman, 2018). The last trait is the socially useful type, and this is a person who has high energy levels, and takes interest in other people. People with this personality type are considered to be healthy.

Conclusion

In summary, Adler played an important role in advancing the field of psychology. He was an accomplished psychologist and medical doctor who developed theories that explained human behavior. He stated that human beings are born inferior and that they are primarily driven by the urge to fight inferiority complex and attain superiority. His individual psychology theory explains how external influences that are driven by inferiority complex, help attain human goals. Based on this theoretical foundation, he also developed four personality types that are avoidance, socially useful, learning, and ruling. The theories developed by Adler can explain many human traits, even at present. It is important to appreciate his contribution to society and evaluate how his theories can be advanced and improved to further understand human thoughts, actions, drive, and aspirations.

References

Hoffman, E. (2018). The drive for self: Alfred Adler and the founding of Individual Psychology. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing

Karen, J. (2011). 'The Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler', ASIIP Conference. Retrieved from http://www.adleriansociety.co.uk/phdi/p3.nsf/imgpages/0939_KarenJohn-ASIIPConf-April2011.pdf/$file/KarenJohn-ASIIPConf-April2011.pdf

Mosak, H. H. & Di Pietro, R. (2015). Early Recollections: Interpretive Method and Application. New York: Routledge

Oberst, U.E., & Stewart, A.E. (2017). Adlerian psychotherapy: An advanced approach to Individual Psychology. New York: Brunner-Routledge