Assignment 3: Political Personalities As we have seen this week when looking at both psychoanalytic and neo-psychoanalytic theory, much of our mental health and success in adulthood is related to the events and relationships of our childhood. Much like Freud, Alfred Adler believed that childhood events are pivotal for the adult. For Adler, his pivotal childhood events were the development of rickets which kept him from walking until the age of four and contracting a near-fatal case of pneumonia at age five. These events served to inculcate a lifelong ambition which centered around his becoming a physician in order to focus on the curing of deadly diseases. According to Alfred Adler, all people have moments when they feel inferior. For many, such moments will lead them to strive to compensate for that weakness. When this happens, it leads to what he calls “superiority striving,” in which the person is motivated by his or her feelings of inferiority to overcome and strive for betterment, achievement, and perfection. It is important to note that superiority striving is different from simply striving for power. Adler considered this an unhealthy desire because the sole goal is power. The way that someone strives to meet his or her goals from an Adlerian point of view is referred to as a style of life. Adler is also known for his study of birth order and its impact on personality. Research Adler’s theory using your textbook, the Internet, and the Argosy University online library resources. Based on your research, respond to the following: Choose a social or political leader (current or past) to examine through an Adlerian framework of superiority striving and style of life. Superiority Striving What might be the motivation behind this leader’s career choice, according to Adler’s theory? What was this person’s perceived inferiority or weakness? How did this person obtain his or her high level of superiority striving? For example, Franklin Roosevelt's bout with polio may have been responsible for some of his motivation. Style of Life What was his/her goal and unique style of life that could be used to achieve this goal? What steps did this person take to overcome their perceived inferiority? Did this leader act out of social interest or for personal gain? What was the long-term outcome of his/her striving? Birth Order How would you apply Adler’s theory of birth order to this personality? Format your paper so it is double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font, and with normal one-inch margins. Include a title page with a running head, an abstract, and a reference page. Do this for all the papers for this course. Write a 2–3-page paper in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M1_A3.doc. For example, if your name is John Smith, your document will be named SmithJ_M1_A3.doc. By Wednesday, December 10, 2014, deliver your assignment to the M1: ...

1. Assignment 3: Political Personalities
As we have seen this week when looking at both psychoanalytic
and neo-psychoanalytic theory, much of our mental health and
success in adulthood is related to the events and relationships of
our childhood. Much like Freud, Alfred Adler believed that
childhood events are pivotal for the adult. For Adler, his pivotal
childhood events were the development of rickets which kept
him from walking until the age of four and contracting a near-
fatal case of pneumonia at age five. These events served to
inculcate a lifelong ambition which centered around his
becoming a physician in order to focus on the curing of deadly
diseases.
According to Alfred Adler, all people have moments when they
feel inferior. For many, such moments will lead them to strive
to compensate for that weakness. When this happens, it leads to
what he calls “superiority striving,” in which the person is
motivated by his or her feelings of inferiority to overcome and
strive for betterment, achievement, and perfection.
It is important to note that superiority striving is different from
simply striving for power. Adler considered this an unhealthy
desire because the sole goal is power. The way that someone
strives to meet his or her goals from an Adlerian point of view
is referred to as a style of life.

2. Adler is also known for his study of birth order and its impact
on personality.
Research Adler’s theory using your textbook, the Internet, and
the Argosy University online library resources. Based on your
research, respond to the following:
Choose a social or political leader (current or past) to examine
through an Adlerian framework of superiority striving and style
of life.
Superiority Striving
What might be the motivation behind this leader’s career
choice, according to Adler’s theory? What was this person’s
perceived inferiority or weakness? How did this person obtain
his or her high level of superiority striving? For example,
Franklin Roosevelt's bout with polio may have been responsible
for some of his motivation.
Style of Life
What was his/her goal and unique style of life that could be
used to achieve this goal? What steps did this person take to
overcome their perceived inferiority?
Did this leader act out of social interest or for personal gain?
What was the long-term outcome of his/her striving?
Birth Order
How would you apply Adler’s theory of birth order to this
personality?

3. Format your paper so it is double-spaced, in 12-point Times
New Roman font, and with normal one-inch margins. Include a
title page with a running head, an abstract, and a reference
page. Do this for all the papers for this course.
Write a 2–3-page paper in Word format. Apply APA standards
to citation of sources. Use the following file naming
convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M1_A3.doc. For example, if
your name is John Smith, your document will be named
SmithJ_M1_A3.doc.
By Wednesday, December 10, 2014, deliver your assignment to
the M1: Assignment 3 Dropbox.
Assignment 3 Grading Criteria
Maximum Points
Identified a socio-political leader and evaluated the leader’s
motivation for superiority striving.
32
Analyzed the leader’s style of life by identifying his/her goals,
achievements, actions, and goals and discussed the long-term
outcomes of these.
32

4. Applied Alder’s theory of birth order to the leader’s personality
development.
16
Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated
ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of
sources; displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
20
Total:
100
Television provides us with many interesting examples of
interpersonal and neurotic behaviors. In this assignment, you
will delve into the life and actions of some of your favorite
television characters and analyze them using Horney’s coping
strategies.
Interestingly, Horney’s three coping strategies for one’s
neurotic needs correlate very well with three of Adler’s
different personality types:
Horney’s moving-toward strategy—Adler’s getting or leaning
type
Horney’s moving against—Adler’s ruling or dominant type
Horney’s moving away from—Adler’s avoiding type

5. Using Horney’s theory of coping with neurotic needs with three
different interpersonal orientations, select a TV program of your
choice containing a character that Horney would identify as
exhibiting neurotic behaviors. As you watch a full episode of
this show, focus on this character and tally each instance of
moving-toward, moving-against, and moving-away behavior.
Research Horney’s theory using your textbook, the Internet, and
the Argosy University online library resources. Based on your
research, respond to the following:
Discuss this character’s neurotic needs and trends.
What do you think has happened in his/her life that has led to
these behaviors?
In addition to general life events, how has gender and culture
influenced the character’s neurotic needs and behaviors?
How do these interpersonal orientations impact the way this
character interacts with others and develops relationships?
Write your initial response in 4–5 paragraphs. Apply APA
standards to citation of sources.
By Saturday, November 8, 2014, post your response to the
appropriate Discussion Area. Through Wednesday, November
12, 2014, review and comment on at least two peers’ responses.