Alfred Adler's theory of encouragement and inferiority feelings in psychotherapy

Self-Confidence Theory

Adler Influence

According to Albert Adler, when we feel encouraged, we feel capable and appreciated and will generally act in a connected and cooperative way. When we are discouraged, we may act in unhealthy ways by competing, withdrawing, or giving up. It is in finding ways of expressing and accepting encouragement, respect, and social interest that help us feel fulfilled and optimistic. Adler believed that we all have one basic desire and goal: to belong and to feel significant.

Thinking, feeling, emotion, and behavior can only be understood as subordinated to the individual's style of life, or consistent pattern of dealing with life. The individual is not internally divided or the battleground of conflicting forces. Each aspect of the personality points in the same direction.

An individual's aspirations may be influenced by hereditary and cultural factors but ultimately springs from creative power of individual and is consequently unique. A person which feels inferior especially during childhood may create a goal to obtain security and success. According to Adler, depth of the inferiority feeling usually determines the height of the goal which then becomes the "final cause" of behavior patterns. A way of responding to our family constellation may become the prototype of our world view and attitude toward life.

In this Theory, a person is encouraged to overcome their feelings of insecurity, develop deeper feelings of connectedness, and to redirect their striving for significance into more socially beneficial directions. Through a respectful Socratic dialogue, they are challenged to correct mistaken assumptions, attitudes, behaviors and feelings about themselves and the world. Constant encouragement stimulates clients to attempt what was previously felt as impossible. The growth of confidence, pride, and gratification leads to a greater desire and ability to cooperate. The objective of therapy is to replace exaggerated self-protection, self-enhancement, and self-indulgence with courageous social contribution.

In Adlerian psychotherapy, clients are encouraged to overcome their feelings of insecurity, develop deeper feelings of connectedness, and to redirect their striving for significance into more socially beneficial directions. First strategy, is the Assessment though thoroucgh analysis of a person's life style to guide through therapeutic process. Second Strategy is through a respectful Socratic dialogue where a person is challenged to correct mistaken assumptions, attitudes, behaviors and feelings about themselves and the world. The third strategy is Guided and Eidetic Imagery. Eidetic Treatment can be used diagnostically to access vivid symbolic mental pictures of significant people and situations that are often charged with emotion while Guided imagery can be used therapeutically to change the negative imprints of childhood family members that weigh heavily on a client and often ignite chronic feelings of guilt, fear, and resentment.

Constant encouragement stimulates clients to attempt what was previously felt as impossible. And Role Playing Strategy offers clients opportunities to add missing experiences to their repertoire, and to explore and practice new behavior in the safety of the therapist's office. Group members, rather than the therapist, can play the roles of substitute parents or siblings. In this way, a client can engage in healing experiences and those who participate with him can increase their own feeling of community by contributing to the growth of their peers. Therapists can offer coaching, encouragement and realistic feedback anout probable social consequences the growth of confidence, pride, and gratification leads to a greater desire and ability to cooperate. The objective of therapy is to replace exaggerated self-protection, self-enhancement, and self-indulgence with courageous social contribution.

Adlerian Psychology focuses on people's efforts to compensate for their self-perceived inferiority to others. These feelings of inferiority may derive from one's position in the family constellation, particularly if early experiences of humiliation occurred; a specific physical condition or defect existed; or a general lack of social feeling for others was present. Adler believed that the ultimate purpose of psychotherapy was to help people contribute to the social evolution of mankind.

Skinner Influence

Skinner's theory is that human acts are the product of heredity and environment. Core to all of behaviorism is the assumption that human and animal behaviors are determined by learning and reinforcement. Whether by classical conditioning or operatant conditioning, species acquire new skills, deepening on the effects these skills have on the specie's environment. If an action proves to have a positive outcome (e.g., if by pressing a button, a rat receives food), the organism is more likely to continue to repeat this behavior. However, if the outcome is negative (e.g., if by pressing a button, a rat receives a shock), the organism is less likely to repeat the behavior.

Behavior modification -- often referred to as b-mod -- is the therapy technique based on Skinner's work. It is very straight-forward: Extinguish an undesirable behavior (by removing the reinforcer) and replace it with a desirable behavior by reinforcement. It has been used on all sorts of psychological problems -- addictions, neuroses, shyness, autism, even schizophrenia -- and works particularly well with children. There are examples of back-ward psychotics who haven't communicated with others for years who have been conditioned to behave themselves in fairly normal ways, such as eating with a knife and fork, taking care of their own hygiene needs, dressing themselves, and so on.

Ellis Contribution

Albert Ellis is one of the pioneers in the field of psychotherapy. He believed that individual construction of experience is a critical point in intervention for change. Ellis posited that in general, human beings have two basic goals: to continue living and in such a way to maximize happiness and minimize suffering. In addition, he believed that dysfunctional affect and behavior are highly correlated with "irrational beliefs," describes as any aspect of human volition that prohibits individuals from achieving subjectively desirable goals. His solution to this problem is to teach human beings how to use rational, like goal-enhancing, scientific flexible, thinking not only to achieve goals but to change their emotions and behavior for the better. People with rational thinking will take proper responsibility for their lives and emotions, accept uncertainty and themselves, and practice tolerance. They will make reasonable compromises, take risks and have higher levels of frustration tolerance, and sacrifice immediate pleasures for long-term benefits

Celebrity with Self-Confidence

One of the celebrities which epitomes and radiates with self-confidence is Oprah Winfrey. Being the first black woman to have her own shows and obtained the title of Queen of Daytime TV, Oprah Winfrey can be tagged as an epitome of self-confidence.

Her childhood, having unmarried parents, a grandmother who hits her, a mother who is less supportive and encouraging than her grandma, and cousins, uncle, and family friend who molested her at the start of nine, rise above it all. Despite her dysfunctional home, she is very intelligent and skipped two of her earliest grade and by the age of 13 received a scholarship to attend High School. She became pregnant at the age of 14 but lost it afterward. During high school, she won an oratorical contest which won her scholarship to Tennessee State University studying communication. After graduating, she became the first black female news anchor in Nashville's WLAC-TV. In 1983, Winfrey relocated to Chicago to host WLS-TV's low-rated half-hour morning talk-show, AM Chicago. The first episode aired on January 2, 1984. Within months after Winfrey took over, the show went from last place in the ratings to overtaking Donahue as the highest rated talk show in Chicago. It was renamed the Oprah Winfrey Show. And the rest is history.

Considering her past, childhood and experiences and positive outlook in life, she didn't let anything deter her from reaching her goal and becoming successful. In fact, she uses them to inspire and reach out to others.

Conclusion

Self-confidence is an attitude which allows individuals to have positive yet realistic views of themselves and their situations. Self-confident people trust their own abilities, have a general sense of control in their lives, and believe that, within reason, they will be able to do what they wish, plan, and expect.

Surprisingly, lack of self-confidence is not necessarily related to lack of ability. Instead it is often the result of focusing too much on the unrealistic expectations or standards of others, especially parents and society.

Theorists may have different views on dealing with different behaviors; however, they are of the same goal: to continuously improve an individual in dealings with oneself and people around. Beliefs are important in determining success. One of the beliefs a must have: Self-affirmation or self-confidence in one's ability. To continuously develop and improve a person's self-confidence, he must emphasize strength by giving credits for everything you try and acknowledge efforts, take risks by approaching new experiences as opportunities to learn rather than occasions to win or lose, use self-talk to counter harmful assumptions and unrealistic goals and promote positive behavior in each situation, and finally self-evaluate by learning to evaluate yourself independently. Doing so allows you to avoid the constant sense of turmoil that comes from relying exclusively on the opinions of others. Focusing internally on how you feel about your own behavior, work, etc. will give you a stronger sense of self and will prevent you from giving your personal power away to others.