Tag Archives: alfred adler

Is Power Your Thing?

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Freud insisted that all human motivation was based on the sex drive.

His pupil, Dr. Alfred Adler, disagreed. He thought that mastery over others was the main drive in human affairs.

Interpersonal power is the capacity to influence others while resisting their influence over you. Dozens of books are written each year on how to gain control and mastery over others.

Professor David McClelland studied the power motive in thousands of subjects. He concluded that the will to power as a human necessity much like the need for recognition, achievement, or love. In the course of his extensive research he identified three characteristics of people with a high power drive:

  1. They act in vigorous and determined ways to exert their power
  2. they spend a lot of time thinking about ways to alter the behavior and thinking of others
  3. They care very much about their personal standing with others

If any of these characteristics sound like you, it might mean that you’re compulsive about having power over others. Take this quiz, which may provide some further insight into your motivation. Continue reading →

What Is Private Intelligence And Why Is It Not Intelligent?

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Private intelligence

In the case of a neurotic failure in life, a person’s reasoning may be ‘intelligent’ within his own frame of reference, but is nevertheless socially insane. The person thinks it all adds up but the rest of us don’t see the deeper context and to us, it looks nuts.

For example, a thief said: “The young man had plenty of money and I had none; therefore I took it.” Since this criminal does not think himself capable of acquiring money in the normal manner, in the socially useful way, there is actually nothing left for him but robbery. So the criminal approaches his goal through what seems to him to be an ‘intelligent’ argument; however his reason is based on private intelligence, which does not include social interest or responsibility.

A man may be solidly married but insists of endless destructive affairs, with women who have nothing to offer his career or children. He is destroying the good part of his life, being bent on something which is very foolish. In private intelligence, it’s the right thing to do. But once the wider context is added, the actions no longer make sense.

Reasoning which has general validity is broad intelligence, which is connected with a social interest and context. Whereas isolated private intelligence may seem ‘clever’ to the individual concerned but if it conflicts with social needs it is of little value.

Neurotics, psychotics, criminals, alcoholics, vandals, prostitutes, drug addicts, perverts, etc are lacking in social interest. They approach the problems of occupation, friendships and sex without the confidence that they can be solved by cooperation. Their interest stops short at their own person – their idea of success in life is self-centered, and their triumphs have meaning only to themselves. Continue reading →