Adler's Personality Analysis

Bound (2001) explains that biggest part of reflection in action is noticing. Because I was familiar to Freudian thought noticed I was prejudiced and approached his theories with distance. First point of turn was when I connected to his influences. Due to his personality flaws for first time I viewed him as human rather than a symbol. In contrast to my familiarity with Adler ideas was vague. Sigmund Freud faced countless neuroses of his own personality, like phobia of travel, addiction and countless anxieties (Gilman, 1993). He assumed the origin of psychopathology is in unconscious conflicts developed in childhood. Surprisingly he admitted his own. After both lecture and readings I was able to think about whether Freud hypothesised tripartite

Furthermore according to Freud the events in childhood shape our defence mechanisms and how we deal with anxiety in adulthood. I can see why Freud thought that the anxiety associated with guilt leaves its mark, as we learn through our own past experiences. His theories were prominent in times when parenting styles were different from those today and it is not difficult to think why he generalised anxiety in adulthood as an internal reminder of punishment and fear of abandonment. However Adler’s work supplemented Freud’s theory by pointing out the influence of society which have personal relevance. Adler’s idea might have been influenced by his political views and experiences that a middle-class Jewish experienced, those entitled a power struggle and discrimination. He said “A man's capabilities determine his place in the total production of human society. Much confusion has clouded this simple truth, because the striving for power and the lust for dominance have introduced false values into the normal division of labour. This striving for dominance has disturbed and thwarted the total production, and has given us false basis for the judgment of human values.” (Adler, 1927, p. 121). Even in the context of psychology he was influenced by politics of society, as I view this as a statement against

Id represent basic biological urges and strives for gratification and demands of the Pleasure Principle (Freud, 1922). Logically Id develop first and Freud ideas were surely rooted in parenthood. Having children I know that an infant does not conform and is driven by basic instincts. My daughter first cry for food was her first communication. As she grew her efforts sophisticated with clear development of something Freud call a super-ego. The compromise was established between the desire to fulfil her biological urges and the reality of her need to conform to the norms of the environment. Suppressing a forbidden impulse take great effort for the child but might be funny for adults. It is humouring to see a 3 year old struggling not to eat the cake of the table. The ego obeys the reality principle, as it struggle to satisfy “bodily” of the Id. My daughter circle the table giving countless reasons why she should eat the cake before everyone. “I ate dinner yesterday” her ego said diplomatically, while over time her understanding of manners develop illustrating a superego. Adler on the other hand believed that personality is provided by forces of creative power, social interest and involvement in the two. According to his theory we are goal orientated social creatures that thrive to achieve some kind of place within the