Analysis Corey Worthington's Personality Using Adlers Concept - Research Paper Example

Corey Worthington's story can be considered as an example of teenage escapades that most adolescents engage in nowadays. People are having contradicting views and reactions regarding Corey's case. Using Adler's concepts, it is helpful to analyze the personality and behavior of Corey Worthington for better understanding. Adler's view of human nature was in direct conflict with Freud's. While Adler acknowledged the presence of unconscious forces, he minimized its significance by describing unconsciousness as simply temporary unawareness. He opposed Freud's rigidity by enumerating the extent of which a person can achieve conscious control over his or her behavior. Freud offered the hope of being able to endure and live without fear of one's unconscious conflicts, but he never offered freedom from them. (Adler, 1957) Corey, using Adler's concepts, may become aware of their deepest impulses and fictional finalism and, with conscious intent, create his own personalities and lifestyles to achieve the highest goals. In the end, Adler's position was almost the complete antithesis of Freud's which emphasized that behavior is largely determined by forces we are unaware of. (Adler, 1957) By restoring consciousness to the center of personality, Adler aroused Freud's ire. For Freud, Adler espoused the illusion he had sought to destroy. (Bruck, 1978) In the case of Corey, his actions is a result of his decisions which he made with his awareness of the possible consequences as well as the implications that may be brought about by his deeds Feelings of inferiority. All children start life with feeling of inferiority because they are completely dependent on adults for survival. This feeling of being weak, inferior, and impotent stimulates an intense desire to seek power, thereby overcoming the feelings of inferiority. (Adler, 1957) "The final goal is a fictional creation of the individual--an imagined ideal situation of perfection, completion, or overcoming. Movement toward the final goal is motivated by a striving to overcome the feelings of inferiority. Although the final goal represents a subjective, fictional view of the future, it is what guides the person in the present." (Adler, 1933) In relation to this concept, Corey is an adolescent, 16 years of age, who wants to express freedom and power through his independence from the restrictions set by his parents. He wanted to feel responsible by being able to make decisions on his own without consulting his parents first. It is possible that Corey felt inferior when his parents are around due to the fact that he knows that he is completely dependent on them when it comes to finances and other aspects. To be able to cope with the inferiority complex that Corey is feeling and also in constructing his own final goal, the guidance and affection of the family and the siblings are important for the experiences that he have will shape him to the person he wants himself to be. It has often been said that the adolescent stage in life span is a turbulent stage wherein there are a lot of changes occurring physically, emotionally, mentally and socially in a teenager. (Davidson, 1991) Adolescents, like Corey, needs to count on to others such as his family for understanding and educating him the values and beliefs that will encourage cooperation, independence and interdependence. If there is a lack of family influence in the life of Corey, his feelings of inferiority becomes exaggerated. It was also mentioned that the first social interaction starts during infancy which involves the mother and the baby. The influence that the mother has on a child should be remarkable for it is critical in establishing the basic social connections of the baby's life. (Bruck, 1978) The relationship that Corey has with his mother should be analyzed to check if he is receiving adequate amount of support and guidance to enable him to fulfill the three tasks of life according to Adler which are work, community and love. Since the home is the place where he and his family are often confined together, having the house on his own with no parents to tell him to do things, Corey felt superior for he knew that he had the liberty to do whatever he wanted inside the house where his parents actually rule when they are around. Aside from this, teenagers also experience the pressure to compete with other teens. It could be assumed that Corey wanted to prove to his peers and friends that he could do something that they cannot and that is to organize a house party to be attended by as many people as possible. This way, Corey would have thought that he would gain the admiration ad respect from other teenagers like him. For Adler, to become more powerful meant to become more masculine and less feminine. He referred to this drive as Masculine Protest. "The over-valuing of men often leads to extremely high expectations, and when men begin to see that they cannot meet these expectations, their inferiority feelings also increase." (Adler 1980). Adler felt that the healthiest arrangement is a recognized equality of value between men and women, which would then result in a higher level of cooperation between them. Since both males and females seek to become powerful in order to overcome inferiority feelings, they both attempt to approximate the cultural ideal of masculinity. Both males and females engage in masculine protest. (Stein, 1990) Having numerous pretty girls in the party increased Corey's masculine ego for he thought that others guys at his age could probably not have so many women gathered around them. Adler did not consider feelings of inferiority bad. According to him, it is normal among human beings and therefore not a sign of weakness or abnormality. In fact, such feelings are the primary motivating forces behind all personal accomplishments. (Stein, 1988) In Corey's situation, his feelings of inferiority were used as a means of accomplishing his personal goal which is not considered to be socially acceptable and selfish. For example: Someone who feels inferior is driven to accomplish something. However, inferiority feelings can also create neurosis. When a person becomes overwhelming by feelings of inferiority and is prevented from accomplishing anything, the feelings of inferiority act as a barrier to positive accomplishment. Such a person is said to have an inferiority complex. (Stein,1990) Striving for superiority is a fundamental fact of life, an innate need from the time of birth. It is the master motive that leads people to pursue a superior or perfect society. Adler believed that striving for superiority can either beneficial or harmful. (Stein,1988)If a person concentrates exclusively on developing his or her own superiority while ignoring the needs of others and of society, then they develop a superiority complex. Corey's pursuit for superiority made him ignore the needs of others. He was completely did not take into account the feelings of his parents as well as the other people around him who completely felt his acts to be inappropriate. Aside from this, he did not pay attention to the law enforcers who only wanted to do their job in maintaining the peace and order of their community. It was even said in the article that Corey did not even show any signs of remorse for his actions. Someone with a superiority complex tends to be domineering, vain, boastful, arrogant, and insulting to others. For Adler, such a person lacks social interest and is undesirable. (Muller, 1968) Style of life is the means by which an individual attempts to gain superiority. Lifestyle determines which aspects of life are focused on and how these give a person individual identity. It determines what is perceived and ignored. It specifies a person's future goals and how they are to be attained. An unhealthy lifestyle is based on selfishness and is contrary to the views of society. (Davidson, 1991) According to Adler, one's lifestyle is fairly well crystallized at the age of four or five. Children develop a lifestyle could be aimed at compensating or overcompensating inferiority. A lifestyle could also develop when a child models himself or herself after someone perceived to be highly influential and effective. (Muller, 1968) "The style of life, then, becomes the way in which individuals approach or avoids the three main tasks of life and try to realize their fictional final goal. In healthy persons, this dealing with the tasks of life is relatively flexible. They can find many ways of solving problems and, when one way is blocked, they can choose another." (Dreikur, 1964) This is not the case of Corey who can be described as a disturbed individual who usually insist on one way or no way. He chose to disobey his parents and to abuse the independence and trust given to him by his parents. Given the money and power to spend all he wanted, Corey was able to reach and sustain a lifestyle that others could only hope for. Knowing that he has the edge among other teenagers, financial freedom, Corey decided to spend his money throwing out huge and extravagant parties in order for him to feel superior. Based on Adler's concepts, Corey's lifestyle can be considered as unhealthy since he disregards the feelings of other people as well as his actions are contradicting the laws being implemented in their community. Fictional Finalism is the fictional future goal which a person aspires for. Adler called this "guiding self ideal". This gave Adler's theory a strong teleological component although it did not ignore the past altogether. (Stein, 1988) Corey Worthington is pushed by feelings of inferiority to strive for perfection using his unique style of life as a means of attaining some future goal. Adler emphasized that future goals or ideals were convenient fictions invented to make life more significant than it actually warrants. Neurotic individuals cling to these fictions at all cost. Social interest is the innate need of all human beings to live in harmony and friendship with others and to aspire for the development of the perfect society. This social interest is very much evident in Corey's situation wherein he strives to get the approval of the society as sign of his success and superiority. (Muller, 1968) Unhealthy individuals such as Corey do not use fictional goals or ideals as tools in dealing with life. Life is bearable without meaning, so they choose not to invent meaning. Life is chaotic without a plan for living, so healthy individuals invent a plan. For healthy individuals, goals, ideals, or plans are means of living more effectively and constructively. But, for the neurotic like Corey these are ends in themselves, rather than a means to an end, and are therefore retained even when proven ineffective in dealing with reality. According to Adler, each person inherits the potential for social interest. If that potential is not realized, the individual lives a most unfortunate life. Social interest can be developed through three tasks: 1. Occupational tasks or constructive work can be a means for a person to help advance society. 2. Societal tasks require cooperation with fellow humans (division of labor). 3. Love and marriage tasks help to perpetuate society. (Adler, 1933) Who determines whether or not a child will have a well developed social interest For Adler, it is the nature of the mother's early interactions with the child that primarily determines if the child develops a healthy, open attitude toward other people. It is also essential to take into account the relationship that Corey has with his mother. There are very few sentences describing his relationship with his mother except for the line stating that Jo, Corey's mom, is a peacemaker that instead of scolding him on television, she preferred to talk things out first with his son. The first major social stimulation a child encounters is in relation to the mother. The mother-child relationship acts as a model for subsequent social relationships with others. If the mother maintains a positive, cooperative atmosphere, the child will tend to develop social interests. But if the mother binds the child exclusively to her, the child will learn to exclude other people from his or her life and develop low social interest. (Hoffman, 1994) In the final version of Adler's theory, a person's lifestyle and fictional goals must consider the improvement of society, otherwise the person ends up being neurotic. Relations between children and parents frequently consist of a continuing alternation between indulgence and rejection. Although few parents actually reject their children, many children feel humiliated and defeated. Parental rejection is overcome when parents learn better ways of handling their children. (Hoffman, 1994) Many of us harbor deep feelings of rejection by our parents, when in reality they gave us their best efforts. Adler (1992) addressed that we are fully responsible for the meaning attached to parental behavior and action. Thus, in the end, the individual is responsible for the lifestyle that he or she adopted. Adler's greatest contribution to psychology is his study of birth order and personality. He likewise emphasized that asking people to describe their earliest recollections is the best way of discovering the origins of their lifestyle. (Hoffman, 1994) Adler's Theory culminated in his insistence in understanding an individual through his or her attitude towards the world. For Adler, people are primarily social, not sexual, creatures. We are motivated by social interests; our primary problems are social in nature. Again, in relation to Corey's situation, his social needs for acceptance and approval as well as his innate desire for superiority are his main drives for his decisions and actions. Adler considered his theory of the creative self as the climax of his studies: "In a sense, I have been referring to the creative self all along. It is the self in its creative aspects that interprets and makes meaningful the experiences of the organism and that searched for experience that will aid in fulfilling the person's unique style of life." (Stein, 1990) Adler said that many of our guiding goals are fictional. However, his use of the word "fiction" did not necessarily mean "not true." Adler said that we cannot know whether our goals are true or false because there is no way we can scientifically test these. Because we are unable to completely understand things as they really are, we instead structure our own ideas of reality. "Fiction" is the individual or group's cognitive construct or subjective interpretation of events. It tells them that it is best to tell the truth, that all people are basically good, or that hard work will eventually pay off. In Adlerian vocabulary, these are basic concepts of fictional finalist. (Mueller, 1968) Fictional finalists cannot be treated as reality because these are not scientific hypotheses that can be put to a crucial experiment. They are constructs or inventions of the human psyche that arise as it encounters the world. Under the influence of fiction, people believe that it is to their best advantage to be hones. They will strive to be so, even though there is no way in which they can ultimately test the belief as a hypothesis. (Dreikurs, 1964) Adler (1992) agreed with Freud on the importance of dreams. To Adler, these provide a clue to solving problems and a tool for planning the future. However, Adler disputed Freud's theory of infantile sexuality and the importance of the unconsciousness. Adler emphasized the role of social interest wherein one attempts to work toward a better society in harmony with other people. Adler restored consciousness to the center of personality through his concept of the creative self. He believed that we are aware of everything we do and can understand our behavior through self-examination. From the beginning, Adler's theory of personality was open to growth and evolution. His theory became more comprehensive and conclusive as his work matured, without contradicting his earlier ideas. (Mueller, 1968) Adler chose the term individual psychology for his conception of personality. Nevertheless, he realized early in his theorizing that the individual could not be considered in isolation or apart form their context. His emphasis shifted from the intrapsychic (within the psyche) which is basically Freudian, to the interpsychic (interpersonal relations). (Adler, 1992) The increasing number of youth offenders does not stem from a single cause nor a single set of causes. Sociologists agree that social disorganization is one of the most important factors that influence the rate of juvenile delinquency. Thus, in slum areas, where families come from different regions of the country or speak different dialects, where people are constantly on the move, and where diverse cultural standards flourish side by side with little interaction and community solidarity, delinquency is most often found. Some researchers suggest that more often delinquents have parents characterized by drunkenness or criminality, ineffective household management, economic difficulties and low self-respect. Delinquency often indicates that their families are not concerned about their welfare. Most delinquent children do not experience a real home life. They are left to themselves the whole day with any companion they choose to have. (Hoffman, 1994) Clear knowledge of the causes of the emergence of youth offenders can naturally lead to a better understanding of how to control and prevent delinquency. Such reasoning is based on the frequent experience of being able to solve a problem successfully after the causes have been determined. It is suggested that there should be wholesome family relationship to prevent delinquency. Some sociologists maintain that emphasis on the Christian and moral virtues in the education of both parents and the youth are important. Parents of children coming from good families should not think that their duty has ended when they have showered their children with luxury and free use of money. The delinquent must know the bad effects of being delinquent to himself and to his environment. He should be warned that he change his wrongdoings. He needs some interest, self-interest and the attention of others, particularly of the parents. Feeling of Community. "At the cognitive level, they can acknowledge the necessary interdependence with others, recognizing that the welfare of any one individual ultimately depends on the welfare of everyone. At the behavioral level, these thoughts and feelings can then be translated into actions aimed at self development as well as cooperative and helpful movements directed toward others." (Adler, 1933) Corey evidently has not acknowledged the feeling of community very similar to what Alder conceptualized. The teen did not seem to care about the welfare of others by his continuous avoidance of the law and taking for granted the peace and order that was once in their community before he organized the chaotic party. Aside from this, his actions are aimed to satisfy his own desires and wishes that he did not perform anything else that can be named as self-constructive. The interconnectedness of one's self to the society is another important idea of Adler. He stated that an individual must work first towards his own development before he will be able to successfully interact with the society. (Mueller, 1964) Knowing Corey's attitude and behavior it can be said that he needed to make improvements regarding his personality with the help of his parents for guidance in order for him to be ready to face the outside world in a more appropriate and socially acceptable manner. "Adler conceived of psychological disturbances generally occurring in the presence of two conditions: an exaggerated inferiority feeling and an insufficiently developed feeling of community." (Davidson, 1991) Given these factors, Corey may experience or anticipate failure before a task that appears impossible and may become "discouraged." When Corey was discouraged, he resorted to fictional means to relieve or mask--rather than overcome--his inferiority feelings. (Stein, 1998) What he was attempting to do is bolster his feelings of self by "tricks," while he avoided actually confronting their seemingly impossible difficulties. These tricks may give him a comforting but fragile feeling of superiority. To be a fully functioning individual, according to Adler, means solving each of the areas of life more cooperatively, more courageously, with a greater sense of contribution and a greater sense of satisfaction. With this, Corey must identify and work toward becoming her best self. He needs increase the individual's feeling of community. A matter of gaining insight, but of using that insight to take concrete steps to improve relationships with family, friends, community, and work. REFERENCES: Adler, Alfred. First Childhood Recollection. International Journal of Individual Psychology, 1933, 11, 81-90. Adler, Alfred. The Education of Children. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1957. Adler, Alfred. Understanding Human Nature. Trans. from the 1927 edition by Colin Brett. Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 1992b. Bruck, Anthony. Twenty Lives. Unpublished manuscript, 1978. Davidson, Adele K., ed. The Collected Works of Lydia Sicher: An Adlerian Perspective. Fort Bragg, California: QED Press, 1991. Dreikurs, Rudolf and Soltz, Vicki. Children: the Challenge. New York: Hawthorne/Dutton, 1964. Dreikurs, Rudolf and Grey, Loren. A New Approach to Discipline: Logical Consequences. New York: Hawthorn Books, Inc., 1968. Hoffman, Edward. The Drive for Self. New York: Addison-Wesley, 1994. Mller, Alexander. Alfred Adler's Individual Psychology. Unpublished translation of Die Individualpsychologie Alfred Adler's, 1968. Stein, Henry. "Twelve Stages of Creative Adlerian Psychotherapy," Individual Psychology, 1988, 44, 138-143. Stein, Henry. Classical Adlerian Psychotherapy: A Socratic Approach, Audiotape study program. San Francisco: Alfred Adler Institute of San Francisco, 1990. Vaihinger, Hans. The Philosophy of "As If": A System of the Theoretical, Practical and Religious Fictions of Mankind. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1925. Read More