Case Study Reflecting Theories of Freud and Adler

Paper Summary:

This paper presents the case study of "Joe," a family friend of the author, and includes analysis based on the psychological theories of Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler. After outlining Joe's background and current status, the paper notes that the similarity between Freud and Adler is that they both agree that the fulfillment of the motivations of an individual build up his overall behavior and personality. The paper explains that Freud has always, like most current psychologists, broken down and reduced all of the personality traits or mental factors to a place where they can be easily applied within the dynamics of psychology, whereas Adler's utilization of elements like instincts, wishes, dreams, and incentives that are not objectified and cannot be touched, poses hurdles in proving his theories and philosophies in the current psychological setup.

Outline:
Individual Information
Theory Description
Integration
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"This case study will be focused on the life of a family friend and how the theories of Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler are reflected in the build-up and traits of this individual's personality. To understand one's personality fully, it is important to understand the background to their life i.e. their parents and the environment that they grew up in. This family friend, let's call him Joe, has a really strict father, a disciplinarian who, all his life has, shown affection through the use of harsh and timely advice. His mother was a stark contrast and mainly helped Joe in establishing a strong spiritual and solid foundation of the rights and wrongs in this world. Joe respects his father for all his accomplishments but had been extremely attached to his mother. The family shares a good socio-economic status as both the father and mother are business managers in respected companies."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Adler, A. (1956). The Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler. N.Y.: Basic Books.
• Ashley D, Orenstein DM (2005). Sociological theory: Classical statements (6th ed.). Boston, MA, USA: Pearson Education, 312
• Boeree, G. C. (2008). Personality Theories. http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/
• Freud, S. (1995) The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud. N.Y.: Modern Library.
• Hergenhahn BR (2005). An introduction to the history of psychology. Belmont, CA, USA: Thomson Wadsworth, 475

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