Adler had a handful of theories about why we are the way we are. Major ones are inferiority, parenting styles, and birth order.
Adler believed that we all begin with feelings of inferiority as children, and strive to overcomes these feelings our entire lives. Some people are particularly driven to overcome these feelings and strive to be very successful and powerful. This theory would argue that our most powerful leaders (presidents, religious leaders) are driven by a need to be superior in order to negate their inferior feelings. If you think about it, one could analyze W. Bush by saying that he was driven by a need to become president to shake off the feeling that he was the least successful and dumbest of the Bush dynasty. And now he's the least popular president in the history of popularity polls. That can't be good for the inferiority complex.
Parenting styles refer to how parents protect their children from the world. If a parent shelters their child from even the knowledge of bad or dangerous things in the world, when the child grows up and discovers them, the child will regress and seek the same shelter they had with their parents. This could manifest in living with their parents and refusing to 'grow up' or finding a significant other to act as a surrogate parent. When parents do not shelter their children from any of the bad or dangerous things in the world the children grow up to distrust everyone and have difficulty forming healthy relationships. Adler recommends parents do not shelter their children from the bad in the world, but do protect them from danger.
Lastly, Adler has a lot to say about birth order. He believes that the oldest child originally believes they are the center of their parents' world, and when the second child is born, this theory is shattered. The oldest child resents the younger child, feels inferior, and competes for love and attention. The older child is also under pressure from the parents to be responsible for the younger child. This theory states that the oldest child will be the one with the most emotional problems. The youngest child is the child that is most doted on by the parents', so that child is most likely to grow up feeling inferior to others, believing they are not capable of taking care of themselves. According to Adler, the middle child is the one who will be the most emotionally stable. Coincidentally, Adler was a middle child.
Adapted from:
Robbins, S.P., Chatterjee, P., & Canda, E.R. (2006). Contemporary human behavior theory: A critical perspective for social work (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Showing posts with label behavior theory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label behavior theory. Show all posts
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Freud and Personality
Well, it had to happen. We have to talk about Freud. We'll start with the Id, Ego, and Superego.
The id represents our basic human instincts. They are drives that want to be satisfied right now . The id is present at birth. Some of the basic drives it represents are food, attention, and sex.
The ego develops as the baby becomes a child. The ego strives to fulfill the needs of the id while staying within socially acceptable behavior. The child realizes that s/he cannot have everything all the time. "I really want that cookie, but if I just take it mom will be mad. I'll try asking politely."
The superego develops when the individual internalizes societal norms and buys into them. The superego can also be seen as our conscious.
The id and the superego are in constant battle... "I really want to take my coworker's Mt. Dew out of the fridge and eat it... but that would be stealing..." In a well balanced individual, the ego is able to negotiate between the id and the superego.
Sublimation is the term used for when one socially unacceptable drive is channeled into a socially acceptable one. The book that I'm working from uses sex as an example, saying that sexual urges are seen as socially inappropriate, so we turn to marriage, in which sex is socially appropriate. I prefer their other example, channeling aggressive or violent behaviors into competitive sports.
adapted from:
Macionis, J. (2008). Sociology (12th ed.) New Jersey: Pearson.
The id represents our basic human instincts. They are drives that want to be satisfied right now . The id is present at birth. Some of the basic drives it represents are food, attention, and sex.
The ego develops as the baby becomes a child. The ego strives to fulfill the needs of the id while staying within socially acceptable behavior. The child realizes that s/he cannot have everything all the time. "I really want that cookie, but if I just take it mom will be mad. I'll try asking politely."
The superego develops when the individual internalizes societal norms and buys into them. The superego can also be seen as our conscious.
The id and the superego are in constant battle... "I really want to take my coworker's Mt. Dew out of the fridge and eat it... but that would be stealing..." In a well balanced individual, the ego is able to negotiate between the id and the superego.
Sublimation is the term used for when one socially unacceptable drive is channeled into a socially acceptable one. The book that I'm working from uses sex as an example, saying that sexual urges are seen as socially inappropriate, so we turn to marriage, in which sex is socially appropriate. I prefer their other example, channeling aggressive or violent behaviors into competitive sports.
adapted from:
Macionis, J. (2008). Sociology (12th ed.) New Jersey: Pearson.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Management
Management
Theory X and Theory Y are theories that describe employee motivation. Theory X states that workers are only motivated by not getting in trouble. That is, workers are inherently lazy, do not want to work, and are not invested in their work or the company. Theory Y states that employees are motivated by doing good work. They enjoy working, and desire to be creative in their jobs. A manager in Theory X would act as an authoritarian boss, constantly prodding the workers to do their jobs. A manager in Theory Y would encourage ideas and value collaboration between management and employees.
Theory Z, which was developed after X and Y, is also known as the Japanese management approach. Theory Z can best be described as loyalty begetting loyalty. The company is loyal to the employee, providing long term employment, job security, promotion from within, and concern for the holistic needs of the employee and his/her family. In return, the employee has high job satisfaction and high production rates, and the employer sees low turnover. Examples of employers taking care of the employees holistic needs could include on-site daycare, (or crib in the cubicle- it happens!) exercise or meditation in the morning, and pets in the office place (I really wish I could bring my cat to work.)
Americans with disabilities act of 1990: this act prohibited discrimination in the workplace, in housing, and in public accommodations (the library, the mall, etc). The law states that employers must make ‘reasonable accommodations’ for employees with disabilities. Personally, I knew a man who had kidney failure and needed dialysis. The only time the clinic could run him was in the morning, so a reasonable accommodation in this case was to push his shifts back a few hours three times a week to accommodate dialysis. An example I have experienced that was very illegal was another dialysis patient being fired because the employer said he was driving up the cost of the business’s health insurance.
Kettner, P. M. (2002). Achieving excellence in the management of human service organizations. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Theory X and Theory Y are theories that describe employee motivation. Theory X states that workers are only motivated by not getting in trouble. That is, workers are inherently lazy, do not want to work, and are not invested in their work or the company. Theory Y states that employees are motivated by doing good work. They enjoy working, and desire to be creative in their jobs. A manager in Theory X would act as an authoritarian boss, constantly prodding the workers to do their jobs. A manager in Theory Y would encourage ideas and value collaboration between management and employees.
Theory Z, which was developed after X and Y, is also known as the Japanese management approach. Theory Z can best be described as loyalty begetting loyalty. The company is loyal to the employee, providing long term employment, job security, promotion from within, and concern for the holistic needs of the employee and his/her family. In return, the employee has high job satisfaction and high production rates, and the employer sees low turnover. Examples of employers taking care of the employees holistic needs could include on-site daycare, (or crib in the cubicle- it happens!) exercise or meditation in the morning, and pets in the office place (I really wish I could bring my cat to work.)
Americans with disabilities act of 1990: this act prohibited discrimination in the workplace, in housing, and in public accommodations (the library, the mall, etc). The law states that employers must make ‘reasonable accommodations’ for employees with disabilities. Personally, I knew a man who had kidney failure and needed dialysis. The only time the clinic could run him was in the morning, so a reasonable accommodation in this case was to push his shifts back a few hours three times a week to accommodate dialysis. An example I have experienced that was very illegal was another dialysis patient being fired because the employer said he was driving up the cost of the business’s health insurance.
Kettner, P. M. (2002). Achieving excellence in the management of human service organizations. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Feminist Standpoint Theory
Feminist Standpoint Theory can be applied to individuals (in their environment), groups, and communities. The theory states that problems are created when the dominate group oppresses non dominate groups, and that oppression can be as passive as not realizing the realities of the non dominate group.
This theory originated with the idea that women understood women in society better than men, but has been expanded to include other oppressed populations such as people of color, gay and lesbian individuals, the elderly, children, and people in poverty.
According to Standpoint Theory, all theories that look at reality from a general standpoint are inherently looking at the realities of the dominant population.
If oppressed populations understand their world better than those from the outside, then appropriate societal change cannot be made for the oppressed population by the dominant population. Change must be lead by the oppressed group, because only they truly understand the reality of their situation.
Theory adapted from:
Robbins, S.P., Chatterjee, P., & Canda, E.R. (2006). Contemporary human behavior theory: A critical perspective for social work (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson.
This theory originated with the idea that women understood women in society better than men, but has been expanded to include other oppressed populations such as people of color, gay and lesbian individuals, the elderly, children, and people in poverty.
According to Standpoint Theory, all theories that look at reality from a general standpoint are inherently looking at the realities of the dominant population.
If oppressed populations understand their world better than those from the outside, then appropriate societal change cannot be made for the oppressed population by the dominant population. Change must be lead by the oppressed group, because only they truly understand the reality of their situation.
Theory adapted from:
Robbins, S.P., Chatterjee, P., & Canda, E.R. (2006). Contemporary human behavior theory: A critical perspective for social work (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson.
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