Striving for Perfection
12/01/09 01:54 PM Filed in: Teleological Psychology
Adlerian Psychology – from “The Education of Children”
The fundamental fact in human development is the dynamic and purposive striving of the psyche. The ever present goal (unconscious) is to strive for greatness, perfection, and superiority.
The construction of our personality, its particular style and goal, is not built on objective reality but on the subjective view we take of the facts of life.
Style of life – line of action or pattern of behavior
This striving presupposes another important psychological fact – the feeling of inferiority. We attempt to dissipate this feeling of inferiority by bettering the situation. In other words we compensate (i.e., lessen this feeling). When we make psychological compensations, we open up the possibility of making mistakes.
There are three classes of children who manifest very clearly the development of compensatory traits: those who have weak or imperfect organs (a particularly Adlerian theme), those who have been treated with severity and no affection, and those who receive too much attention and pampering.
The sense of inferiority and striving for superiority are two phases of the fundamental fact in human life and are inseparable. In children we find inordinate ambition and an exaggerated sense of inferiority acting like a poison in the soul.
The important thing to look for is the degree of social feeling the individual manifests. Social feeling is the crucial and deciding factor in human development. Social feeling is the barometer of an individual’s normalcy.
The fundamental fact in human development is the dynamic and purposive striving of the psyche. The ever present goal (unconscious) is to strive for greatness, perfection, and superiority.
The construction of our personality, its particular style and goal, is not built on objective reality but on the subjective view we take of the facts of life.
Style of life – line of action or pattern of behavior
This striving presupposes another important psychological fact – the feeling of inferiority. We attempt to dissipate this feeling of inferiority by bettering the situation. In other words we compensate (i.e., lessen this feeling). When we make psychological compensations, we open up the possibility of making mistakes.
There are three classes of children who manifest very clearly the development of compensatory traits: those who have weak or imperfect organs (a particularly Adlerian theme), those who have been treated with severity and no affection, and those who receive too much attention and pampering.
The sense of inferiority and striving for superiority are two phases of the fundamental fact in human life and are inseparable. In children we find inordinate ambition and an exaggerated sense of inferiority acting like a poison in the soul.
The important thing to look for is the degree of social feeling the individual manifests. Social feeling is the crucial and deciding factor in human development. Social feeling is the barometer of an individual’s normalcy.