Adler Inferiority Complexes and Personality

Reflections Upon Adlerian Therapy

According to the psychologist Alfred Adler, contrary to the assumption that human beings are limited based upon their heredity or environment, it is the constrained nature of the individual’s perspective which is often the source of most psychological problems. The average individual “sees all problems from a perspective which is his own creation” (Adler, 1935, p.185). The nature of modern existence forces human beings to confront their limitations with greater awareness of the perceptions of others, which can create an overwhelming sense of inferiority when challenges arise.

Adler believed that there are three fundamental struggles all people must grapple with: how to behave towards others, how to find meaningful work, and how to find love (Adler, 1935). Everyone wants to succeed in their quest to find success in these three areas, and all three quests are interrelated. Many people try to make up for failures in one area with success in another. However, the degree to which an individual sees him or herself as competent and successful in these three arenas will vary greatly, based upon individual, subjective perceptions rather than upon objective criteria.

Adler also classified different personalities into types: the dominant type, which gets through life by bullying others, the type who attempts to lean upon others for support and constant reassurance, and the third type who is avoidant of others (Adler, 1935). The individual’s type or orientation something that is set in infancy. Until the child is convinced differently (such as through the process of therapy), this interpersonal style will likely remain with the child throughout the child’s life into adulthood.

These three common types are ill-equipped to engage in social life. They lack the ability (in different ways) to contribute to the world, and to collaborate with others meaningfully. Their failures to do so inevitably lead to neurosis and psychosis. The fourth, healthy type can enjoy activities to help others, as well as help the self. Through these outwardly directed actions, genuinely arising from an interest in others outside the self—actions which are not designed to dominate or for self-validation—the individual establishes a healthy and independent sense of identity. A society made up of such individuals is happier and more productive.

In Adler’s concept of the self, there are thus many antecedents of modern psychological concerns, such as personality types and self-esteem. Adler was one of the first theorists to conceptualize what today would be called an inferiority complex, or someone who perceives him or herself as inferior, even if the individual’s accomplishments are not limited compared with those around him or her. Perceptions, rather than reality, determine the emotional state.

There is also a strong moral imperative in Adler’s psychological formulation. Adler believed people were happiest as social animals, engaging with others in positive ways. Withdrawing from social life is not an answer, and society cannot function if people lock themselves away in their rooms, obsessed with their own private interests. But too much of a focus on individual achievement also leads to unhappiness, as the individual’s idealized self will always fall short of reality. On the other hand, simply looking to others as a means to an end, and demanding that others validate the self via the ability to dominate others or lean upon others for constant emotional support is not useful, either.

Many of Alder’s observations are particularly pertinent today, given it is easier to compare the self with others from many different walks of life. In the past, even in Adler’s day, comparisons were limited to friends, relatives, and people who could be observed in the immediate community. Today, the Internet has opened up a much wider scope for comparison about what is normal. Often this perception is false, and created by carefully curated images and words.

As noted by Mosak & Maniacci (1999), Adler made a clear break with Freud in his philosophy. Rather than dividing the individual’s psyche into ego, id, and superego, Adler held it necessary to view the individual in terms of the totality of the individual’s consciousness. Adler focused upon the individual’s relations to others in a social context, versus solely focusing on sexual relationships. “Individuals develop and live in a social context. The idea of a person living outside of a world is incomprehensible. People have challenges; that is part and parcel of being human” (Mosak & Maniacci 1999, p. 20). Therefore, even if there are certain aspects of Adler’s theories that are not entirely deterministic, Adler was adamant that it is impossible to live without being influenced by others. The struggle is to make sure someone influenced by others in a positive way, and to influence others in a similarly empowering and supportive fashion, through collaboration and give and take.