© 2011 brooks/cole, a division of cengage learning chapter 11 individual psychology one of the most...

© 2011 Brooks/Cole, A Division of Cengage Learning

Chapter 11

Individual Psychology

One of the most beautiful gifts in the world is the gift of encouragement. When someone encourages you, that person helps you over a threshold you might otherwise never have crossed on your own.

John O’Donohue


Chapter Objectives

After reading this chapter, you should be able to:•Outline the development of individual psychology and Adler

•Explain the theory of individual psychology

•Discuss the counseling relationship and goals in Adlerian counseling

•Describe assessment, process, and techniques

•Demonstrate some therapeutic techniques

•Clarify the effectiveness of Adlerian counseling

•Discuss Adlerian play therapy


Alfred Adler

• Born in 1870 in Vienna, Austria

• Received medical degree

• Was a member of Freud’s discussion group

• Emphasized human nature as being fundamentally social

• Moved to U.S. in 1935; died in 1937


Individual Psychology

• German word Individualpsychologie meaning “psychology of the whole that cannot be divided”

• Basically a psychology that is concerned both with individuals as they are in themselves and in their relationships with others


Nature of People

• People develop a sense of inferiority because they are born completely helpless and remain that way for childhood

• Human behavior falls on a continuum between concepts of masculinity, representing strength and power and femininity, symbolizing weakness and inferiority


Nature of People

• Need for Success: People seek power and prestige and strive for goals related to social approval.

• Goals of Behavior: All behavior is goal directed.

• Lifestyle: Pattern of behavior that will predominate throughout a person’s life.

• Social Interest: A person’s amount of social interest is a good barometer of mental health.

• Family Environment: Three environmental factors affect the development of a child’s personality: family constellation, family atmosphere, and the prevalent methods of training.


The Family Constellation

• One goal of counseling is to construct a picture of the family dynamics and the child’s place in the family constellation

• Ordinal position in the family is a key to the lifestyle pattern being developed by the child and may have a significant effect on how that child perceives reality


Family Atmosphere

• Adlerians stress the importance of the family atmosphere in the development of the child

• Family constellation is the description of how family members interact

• Family atmosphere is the style of coping with life that the family has modeled


Family Atmosphere Profiles


Theory of Counseling

Adler’s four ties create reality and meaning in people’s lives:1. People are on earth to ensure the continuance of

the human species.

2. Our survival depends on our need to cooperate with our fellow human beings.

3. Human beings each live in two sexes--the masculine, powerful side of our nature and the feminine, weaker side of our nature.

4. Human problems can be grouped into three categories: social, occupational, and sexual.


The Well-Adjusted Child Exhibits the Following Qualities:


Theory of Counseling

• Two fundamental styles of life: direct and indirect approaches through strength and power or through weakness

• Focus of counseling is harnessing the drive to compensate for weakness so that positive, constructive behavior results

• Adler believed that people are pulled by their goals and priorities


Counseling Method

• No distinction between conscious and unconscious material

• Frequently analyze inferiority feelings

• Questions similar to lifestyle interviews

• Examine the academic, extracurricular and social adjustments

• Primary goal is to point out to the client the overcompensation and defensive patterns being used to solve problems and to find more successful ways


Counseling Method

• Counselor’s job is to re-educate children who have developed mistaken ideas about some concepts of their lives

• Counselor and child are equal partners in the process

• Child is a responsible person and can learn better ways to meet personal needs

• Positive view of human nature indicated through the counselor’s faith, hope, and caring attitude toward the child


Counseling Process

Phase I. Examine formative years of the person.

Phase II. Collect early recollections from the child’s past.

Phase III. Illustrate what they are doing and the principles under which they operate.

Phase IV. Reorientation toward living through encouragement process.


Early Recollections

• Earliest impressions of life and how the child feels about them

• Ask child to remember as far back as possible, recollect specific incidents, with as many details as possible, including reaction at the time

• Three to six of those help show pattern in lifestyle


Goals of Misbehavior

• As children grow and interact, they gradually develop methods for achieving their goal of belonging.

• Several factors such as family constellation, family atmosphere and the child’s reactions to these are critical in the development of coherent patterns of behaviors and attitudes



• Dreikurs and Soltz analyze immediate goals of children

• Children with no pattern of misbehavior have the goal of cooperation and collaboration

• They find their place and feel good about themselves

• Socially and personally effective

• By contrast, discouraged child pursuing mistaken goals



1. Attention Getting2. Power Struggle3. Revenge Seeking4. Display of Inadequacy

• Adults can teach themselves and children about these mistaken goals and help children find other ways to meet their goal of belonging


Interventions for Four Goals

• Four goals intended to help adults understand that how they feel about what the child is doing most clearly explains the child’s mistaken goals (attention, power, revenge, and withdrawal)

• Steps outlined for determining goal, learning corrective response and child’s reaction to the correction follow


“Four-goal Technique”

1. Observe the child’s behavior in detail.

2. Be psychologically sensitive to one’s own reaction to the behavior.

3. Confront the child with the goal of the behavior.

4. Note the recognition reflex.

5. Apply appropriate corrective procedures.


Purpose of Your MisbehaviorWhen you get into trouble for what you do, is it because you….

___want people to notice you?___want people to do more for you?___want to be special?___want some affection?

___want to be the boss?___want to be in charge?___want people to do what you want?___want people to stop telling you what to do?___want power?

___want to get even?___feel like you have treated unfairly?___want people to see what it feels like to hurt?___want people to know you don’t like what they have done?

___want to be left alone because you can’t do it anyway?___want to be left alone because you might fail?___want people to stop asking you to do things?


Purpose of Misbehavior

Attention Getting• Client: “Life is only good when I’m the center of the attention.”• Counselor: “Does being disruptive make you noticeable?”

Power Struggle• Client: “Life is only good when I get my way.”• Counselor: “Could it be that you want to have it your way? Be the

boss?

Revenge• Client: “The best way to handle my feelings is to hurt you.”• Counselor: “Could it be that you want to hurt them because they

hurt you?”

Display of Inadequacy• Client: “Best way to get out of work is to mess up everything.”• Counselor: “You feel helpless and do not know what to do?”


ATTENTION GETTING

Corrections of Misbehavior and Attention Getting

----------------------------------------------------------------------ADULT’S REACTION• Feels annoyed

----------------------------------------------------------------------THE PROBLEM GOAL AND FAULTY LOGIC• Wants to be noticed

----------------------------------------------------------------------ADULT”S CORRECTIVE PROCEDURES• Gives attention when child is not making a bid for it.• Ignores misbehaving child

----------------------------------------------------------------------ADULT”S INTERPRETATIONS OF CHILD”S GOAL TO HIM/HER• All questions must be asked in a friendly non-judgmental way and

NOT at times of conflict.“Could be that you want me to notice you?”


POWER STRUGGLE

Corrections of Misbehavior and Power Struggling

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------ADULT’S REACTION• Feels threatened

----------------------------------------------------------------------THE PROBLEM GOAL AND FAULTY LOGIC• Wants to be the boss

----------------------------------------------------------------------ADULT”S CORRECTIVE PROCEDURES• Withdraw from the conflict

“Take your sail out of their wind”----------------------------------------------------------------------ADULT”S INTERPRETATIONS OF CHILD”S GOAL TO HIM/HER• All questions must be asked in a friendly non-judgmental way

and NOT at times of conflict.“Could be that you want to be the boss?”


REVENGE

Corrections of Misbehavior andRevenge

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------ADULT’S REACTION• Feels deeply hurt

----------------------------------------------------------------------THE PROBLEM GOAL AND FAULTY LOGIC• Wants to get even

----------------------------------------------------------------------ADULT”S CORRECTIVE PROCEDURES• Avoid punishment.• Enlist a “buddy” for them.

----------------------------------------------------------------------ADULT”S INTERPRETATIONS OF CHILD”S GOAL TO HIM/HER• All questions must be asked in a friendly non-judgmental way and

NOT at times of conflict.“Could be that you to get even?”


DISPLAY OF INADEQUACY

Corrections of Misbehavior andDisplay of Inadequacy

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------ADULT’S REACTION• Feels hopeless

----------------------------------------------------------------------THE PROBLEM GOAL AND FAULTY LOGIC• Wants to be left alone

----------------------------------------------------------------------ADULT”S CORRECTIVE PROCEDURES• Lots of encouragement

----------------------------------------------------------------------ADULT”S INTERPRETATIONS OF CHILD”S GOAL TO HIM/HER• All questions must be asked in a friendly non-judgmental way and NOT

at times of conflict.“Could be that you want to be left alone?”


Remember

• Misbehaving children are discouraged children trying to find their place

• They are acting on the faulty logic their misbehavior will give them the acceptance they want

• First goal, attention, minor discouragement; fourth goal, inadequacy, deep discouragement

• Corrective procedures may range from encouragement to logical consequence


EncouragementPraise

(reinforcement) BriberyOccurs before child completes or starts task

Occurs after child performs behavior or completes task

Occurs during child’s misbehavior

Focus is on encouragement, intrinsic reinforcement, and logical consequences

Focus is on extrinsic reinforcement

Focus on extrinsic manipulation of child’s behavior

“I have faith in you.” “I’m proud of you.” “I know you can do it: let me help you get started.”

“Good job.” “I liked the way you handled that.” “You played a good game.”

“If you quiet down, I’ll give you a candy bar.” “I’ll buy you a surprise if you stop fighting.” “Stop bothering me and you won’t have to help with the dishes.”


Consequence

Determine the natural/logical consequences: a consequence relates directly to what would happen if others did not interfere.


Logical Consequences versus Punishment

Logical Consequences Punishment

express the reality of the rules established by social order

express the power of personal authority rather than social reality.

related directly to the misbehavior. rarely related to the misbehavior.

cancel out the practice of adults making moral judgments

Punishment, replete with all the accompanying lecturing, nagging, and insulting, inevitably involves moral judgment.

have a here and now effect deals with the past.

are such that the adult can maintain the pleasant voice of a friendly by-stander.

Punishment has a tendency to disturb the relationship of the person to the situation and to the person in authority.


Punishment Logical Consequences

CharacteristicsUnderlying Message

Likely Results CharacteristicsUnderlying Message

Likely Results

1. Emphasis on power of personal authority

“Do what I say because I say so.”

Rebellion, desire for revenge, lack of self-discipline, sneakiness, irresponsibility

1. Emphasis on reality of social order

“I trust you to respect the rights of others.”

Cooperation, respect for self and others, self-discipline, reliability

2. Rarely related to action: arbitrary

“I’ll show you.” “You deserve what you’re getting!”

Resentment, desire for revenge, fear, confusion, rebellion

2. Logically related to misbehavior: sensible

“I trust you to make responsible choices.”

Learning from experience

3. Implies moral judgment

“You’re bad.” “You’re not acceptable.”

Feelings of hurt, guilt, desire to get even

3. Treats person with dignity, separates deed from doer

“You are a worthwhile person.”

Senses he/she is acceptable even though behavior is not


Punishment Logical Consequences

CharacteristicsUnderlying Message

Likely Results CharacteristicsUnderlying Message

Likely Results

4. Emphasis on prior behavior

“You’ll never learn.” “I can never count on you.”

Feels unacceptable, feels that can’t make good decisions

4. Concerned with present and future behavior

“You are able to take care of yourself.”

Becomes self-evaluating, self-directing

5. Threats of disrespect, violence, or loss of love, either open or concealed

“You better shape up!” “No child of mine would do a thing like that.”

Fear, rebellion, guilt feelings, desire to “get back”

5. Voice communi-cates respect and good will

‘I don’t like what you are doing, but I still love you.”

Feels secure about parent’s love and support

6. Demands of compliance

“Your preferences don’t matter.” “You can’t be trusted to make wise decisions.”

Rebellion, defiant compliance

6. Presents choices

“You are capable of deciding.”

Reasonable decisions, increased resourcefulness


Considerations

• Logical consequences are not appropriate for clients who display inadequacy. Do not criticize, pity or give up. Encourage and concentrate on what the client can do.

• Punishment does not work. Hitting, denying privileges and criticizing teach that power is important. It is negative, discipline is not.

• Rewards are something given to someone in an inferior role.


Levels of Isolation

1. Seat #1 Seat #2

2. Quiet Corner

3. Time Out Room

4. Systemic Exclusion

5. Hospital

6. Jail

7. Death


Adlerian Play Therapy

• Begin by assuming referred children are discouraged children

• They have negative convictions about themselves and the world

• Goal is the reduction of this discouragement

• Therefore, choose play techniques to provide encouragement


Adlerian Play Therapy

Phase 1: Establish a democratic, empathic relationship

Phase 2: Explore child’s lifestyle, highlight beliefs, attitudes, goals, emotions and motives

Phase 3: Interpret the lifestyle, faulty convictions and self-defeating goals and behaviors

Phase 4: Help the child use the insight and convert it into action


Benefits of Adlerian/Individual

Counseling• Cultural groups favoring a family, group,

and/or community emphasis in counseling will find individual psychology to be comfortable and compatible in examining their lives and behavior patterns for possible change.

• Parent Education

© 2011 brooks/cole, a division of cengage learning chapter 11 individual psychology one of the most...

Documents

family members

family dynamics

family environment

child family constellation

inferiority slide

martyr slide

reality slide

john odonohue slide