Question

1. According to Adler’s theory the style of life is influenced by two main factors; please mention then and further explain each.
2. Discuss the main goals of Adlerian Therapy and its best tools for assessing personality.
3. How has your birth order influenced you?

Answer 1

STYLE OF LIFE

Alfred Adler defined 'style of life' as one of the many constructs that are used to describe an individual's dynamics of personality.This style of life is reflected in a person's daily tasks such as in their work, relationships and other activities by the distinct, repetitive and unconscious way of approaching or avoiding them. There are four styles of life namely, the getting type, the ruling type, the avoiding type and the socially useful type. These style of life is deeply rooted to a person's childhood prototype that remains constant throughout their life. It cannot be changed easily unless an intense psychotherapy is used.

The getting type: People with such style of life are dependent on others and they are much of a receiver than a giver. For example, a person is dependent on his partner and only be getting care and comfort from them rather than reciprocating it.

The ruling type: People with such style of life are dominating and aggressive and they may not be much interested in social activities or in getting along with others. For example, a person is dominating in his work and only be ordering and demanding work from their coworkers rather than coordinating with them.

The avoiding type: People with such style of life try to avoid taking part in social activities and they also try to escape or avoid their problems. For example, a person is very reserved and avoids taking part in events or situations that would give them any sort of trouble and remain on the safer side.

The socially useful type: People with style of life is very much interested in social activities and get along well with people. For example, a person engages in party or meeting people and enjoys hangs out with them.

Goals of Adlerian therapy:

This therapy focuses on helping people by making them more confident and comfortable in their own environment. It uses individual psychology to promote social equality among people by providing mutual respect and dignity in spite of their differences. Adler stated that every individual is goal oriented, they function with an indivisible unit of personality and all human beings have a desire to belong to each other and be treated equally.

Assessment:

In Adlerian therapy assessment includes, obtaining the client's background information, their early childhood memories, their family dynamics which all help in identifying and understanding the individual's style of thinking and how it had contributed to their personality and how it influences their present problem.   

Birth Order:

Adler stated that people possess certain positive and negative traits based on their birth order. Since I am a first born, I possess the following traits as stated by Adler, I am a nurturing person and I also have a sense of protection over other people like my younger sibling and my friends. I also possess negative traits like being anxious, and also feel that I must be right in whatever I do even though others might be wrong.