Alfred Adler Essays - Adlerian Psychology, Complex, Psychoanalysis

Alfred Adler Adler, Alfred Adler, Alfred (1870-1937), Austrian psychologist and psychiatrist, born in Vienna, and educated at Vienna University. After leaving the university he studied and was associated with Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis. In 1911 Adler left the orthodox psychoanalytic school to found a neo-Freudian school of psychoanalysis. After 1926 he was a visiting professor at Columbia University, and in 1935 he and his family moved to the United States. In his analysis of individual development, Adler stressed the sense of inferiority, rather than sexual drives, as the motivating force in human life. According to Adler, conscious or subconscious feelings of inferiority (to which he gave the name inferiority complex), combined with compensatory defense mechanisms, are the basic causes of psychopathological behavior. The function of the psychoanalyst, furthermore, is to discover and rationalize such feelings and break down the compensatory, neurotic will for power that they engender in the patient. Adler's works include The Theory and Practice of Individual Psychology (1918) and The Pattern of Life (1930). Alfred Adler studied personality around the time of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung but developed very different ideas (Cloninger, 1996). Although he changed his theory many times during his lifetime, he always believed people had control over their lives and made choices concerning themselves. He named his theory Individual Psychology because he felt each person was unique and no previous theory applied to all people. Adler's theory is comprised primarily of four aspects: striving towards superiority, the unity of personality, the development of personality, and psychological health, which includes intervention. Motivation of Actions Adler believed the main goal of all people is to move to a better way of life, although he admits the ways to achieve this goal varies among people (Cloninger, 1996). He first used the term inferiority complex as being overcome by feelings of lack of worth. In other words, the person is not achieving their goal to moving positively in life. People wish to move from feelings of inferiority to superiority. He wrote, We all wish to overcome difficulties. We all strive to reach a goal by the attainment of which we shall feel strong, superior, and complete (Ansbacher & Ansbacher, 1956). Superior and superiority, in his usage, has a slightly different meaning than what is commonly thought. It is not necessarily feelings of superiority over others but more along the lines of self-improvement, such as striving for one's personal best. He eventually switched from superiority striving to simply perfection striving. This was the final stage in the development of his theory. Alder also used the word superiority complex. This complex occurred when a person tried to overcome their inferiority complex by repressing their actual feelings. They are usually very arrogant and tend to exaggerate their achievements. Along with the idea of trying to overcome inferiority, Adler claimed that every person had an idea about what their perfect self would be like (Cloninger, 1996). He called this imagined goal the fictional finalism. Fictional finalism gives clearer direction as to what decisions to make concerning oneself. Although people may have some idea about their goal, they rarely fully comprehend it. Also, throughout one's lifetime the goal may be altered. The general direction, however, usually remains the same. Adler wrote, . . .in every mental phenomenon we discover anew the characteristic of pursuit of a goal, and all our powers, faculties, experiences, wishes and fears, defects and capacities fall into line with this characteristic (Ansbacher & Ansbacher, 1956). Adler believed that it was impossible to understand a person without understanding that person's fictional finalism. Unity of Personality The second aspect of Adler's theory was the unity of personality (Cloninger, 1996). Psychologists before him, including Freud, discussed how different parts of a person's personality are at war with each other. Adler believed the conscious and unconscious worked in union with one another towards the fictional finalism. Both had the same goal. Adler claimed that each person has a unique style of life, which not only includes the common goal but also how the goal is going to be achieved and the person's concept of one's self and the world. Styles of life can be either positive or negative. Adler hated lumping large groups of people into

The effects of mental health stigma in the media and society

The effects of mental health stigma in the media and society Mental Health StigmaSuraya YosofAllison GreenEnglish 205The Effects of Mental Health Stigma in the Media and SocietyIf someone is diagnosed with a physical illness or viral infection, we expect them to receive treatment until it's cured or it is not harmful to him or her. If someone had cancer or Tuberculosis we don't simply tell them to "brush it off" or "you don't need help with that". Yet when it comes to mental illness, people suffering from it are expected to just brush it off and not receive treatment. Society does not accept nor understand the treatment of mental illness. The media places stigma and discrimination against people with mental illness. That people who are suffering from mental illnesses avoid getting treatment for their illness; in order to not be labeled as "crazy" or "being socially unacceptable". Although physical and mental illnesses are not the same; mental illness can also have severe consequences such as isolation, self-harm and death.Society and the media play a huge role in mental health stigma among patients with psychiatric disorder, and their refusal and avoidance of receiving mental health care.Stigma is defined as mark a disgrace towards a certain group base on a particular circumstance or quality (Oxford dictionary).There are two types of stigma surrounding mental illness; the first one is public perceived stigma. This is the public common beliefs and stereotypes towards mental illness. It is also the common public response to people who seek help for psychological problems (Bathje, Pryor, 2011, p.161). The second one is self-stigma is the views held by the individual that he or she is socially unacceptable and accepts how the public perceived mental illness.(Maier, Gentile, Vogel, and Kaplan, 2013, p. 239)I've had my own experience of the stigma surrounding mental...