Discussion on Theories of Personality

Discussion on Theories of Personality

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Discussion on Theories of Personality

the concept of the self has played a major role in recent formulations regarding personality. Adler’s contribution to this new trend of rec- ognizing the self as an important cause of behavior is considered to be a very significant one (H. L. and R. R. Ansbacher, 1956).

A third feature of Adler’s psychology which sets it apart from clas- sical psychoanalysis is its emphasis upon the uniqueness of person- ality. Adler considered each person to be a unique configuration of motives, traits, interests, and values; every act performed by the per- son bears the stamp of his own distinctive style of life. In this re- spect, Adler belongs to the tradition of William James and Wilhelm Stern who are said to have laid the foundation for personalistic psy- chology.

Adler’s theory of the person minimized the sexual instinct which in Freud’s early theorizing had played an almost exclusive role in the dynamics of behavior. To this Freudian monologue on sex, Adler added other significant voices. Man is primarily a social and not a sexual creature. He is motivated by social and not by sexual interest. His inferiorities are not limited to the sexual domain, but may extend to all facets of his being, both physical and psychological. He strives to develop a unique style of life in which the sexual drive plays a minor role. In fact, the way in which he satisfies his sexual needs is determined by his style of life and not vice versa. Adler’s dethron- ing of sex was for many people a welcome relief from the monot- onous pansexualism of Freud.

Finally, Adler made consciousness the center of personality. Man is a conscious being; he is ordinarily aware of the reasons for his behavior. He is conscious of his inferiorities and conscious of the goals for which he strives. More than that, he is a self-conscious in- dividual who is capable of planning and guiding his actions with full awareness of their meaning for his own self-realization. This is the complete antithesis of Freud’s theory which had virtually reduced consciousness to the status of a nonentity, a mere froth floating on the great sea of the unconscious.