Adler and the Science of Character: Optimism and Pessimism

Discover the definition of character for Alfred Adler, the creator of Individual Psychology and the differences between optimism and pessimism.

Hello friends!

Continuing our Free Course on Adler’s Individual Psychology, today we will look at his conceptions of character, in the chapter entitled: “The Science of Character”. Specifically, we will talk about two types of character described by the author: optimism and pessimism.

Definition of Character

Adler defines what he means by character as follows:

“We call character trait every special way of expression, by which the individual tries to adapt to the world where he lives (…) Character is a psychic attitude resulting from the way in which the individual faces the environment where he exercises his activity. It is the standard of procedure that conditions, within the individual’s sense of sociability, his struggle to acquire consideration and social predominance” (ADLER, p. 161).

Thus, character is the pattern of conduct that is created from the contact of the individual with his environment, since his early childhood. Adler criticizes the theses that character is hereditary or biological (temperament or endocrinological). For him, when we notice the same character trait in several members of a family, we are just noticing that that character trait, in particular, was imitated by the younger ones as a way of adapting to life:

“Character traits are not inherited, as many assume; they are not congenital. They should be considered as models, planes of existence, which allow the human being to live his life and manifest his personality in all situations, without the need to consciously reflect on it” (ADLER, p. 162).

Examples of character traits

As always, it makes it easy to understand the concept of character and character traits from examples. Before we get into optimistic types and pessimistic types, it’s interesting to look at other possibilities as well.

Adler writes: “A child, for example, is not born lazy; he becomes lazy because laziness seems to him the most suitable means of making life easier. while allowing him to maintain his sense of importance” (ADLER, p. 162).

With this quote, we can see that Adler refutes the idea that character comes with birth. It places emphasis on the relationship between the individual and his environment. As environmentalism is his central thesis and as the way the subject faces the environment where he is born is of paramount importance, we have again the two aspects without which we cannot understand his Individual Psychology:

– it is essential to understand the environment in which the individual is born;

– it is essential to understand how the individual seeks to dominate his environment (sense of importance and inferiority or superiority complex).

In the author’s words:

“Every child is faced with so many obstacles in life that none of them grows up without ceasing to struggle to get their share of importance. The forms that this struggle can take are variable, but each human being seeks to solve, in an individual way, the problem of his personal importance” (ADLER, p. 164).

And, further on:

“The sense of sociability is, after the struggle for domination, the most important factor in character formation” (ADLER, p. 165).

Optimism and Pessimism as Character Developments

For Adler, we can understand the character from certain easily visible characteristics. As character develops from childhood – always taking into account the human tendency towards socialization and the tendency towards domination – the consequences that the environment can impose and individual reactions weave together, creating and forming the pattern of behavior.

Thus, given the tendency of all human beings to try to dominate, a child who does not encounter many obstacles may have a more optimistic view of life:

“In the absence of these obstacles your initial attitude will not be disturbed; she will rush heartily against her difficulties; but in the face of serious obstacles the child is transmuted, we will no longer have the frank and optimistic child before us, but the child who learned that fire burns and that there are opponents to beware of. So she will seek to achieve her aim of commanding attention and gaining power through psychic deviousness” (ADLER, p. 171).

Next, Adler defines the fundamental differences between the character of an optimist and a pessimist:

Optimists: “These courageously bear all obstacles, not taking them too seriously. They are confident in themselves and assume a happy attitude with relative ease. There aren’t many things in life because they are held in high regard, not considering themselves forgotten or insignificant. They are, therefore, capable of overcoming life’s obstacles more easily than other people, who only see them as so many justifications for their weakness and inadaptation. In the most difficult situations, optimists remain calm, convinced that their mistakes can always be rectified” (ADLER, p. 173).

Pessimists: “Of a completely different sort are pessimists. It is with them that the greatest problems of education arise for us. These are individuals who would acquire an inferiority complex as a result of facts and impressions from their childhood, and for whom all kinds of embarrassments contributed to strengthen their feeling that living is not an easy thing. They always face the dark side of existence as a result of their pessimistic personal philosophy, which was fed, in childhood, by inadequate treatment. They are much more aware of life’s difficulties than optimists, and it is easy for them to become discouraged. Tortured by a feeling of insecurity, they are constantly looking for support” (ADLER, p. 173).

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would also like to mention Adler’s conclusion to this chapter (which is an introduction to Part 2 of Book The science of human nature about character – we will see more about this topic in the following lessons):

Adler says: “The character of a human being should never serve as the basis of a moral judgment, but as an index of the attitude of that human being towards his environment and his relations with the society in which he lives” (ADLER, p. 187) .

That is, studying character – optimism or pessimism, laziness or delinquency – does not aim to point fingers and show the mistakes of others. The intention is to understand what is behind each of the attitudes. It is important to remember the author’s great concern with the education of children and the attempt to find a way for them to grow up not only well adapted but also happy.

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