Alfred Adler's Personality Theory

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There many personality theories that can be related to the film Divergent. Two of which are Alfred Alder’s theory of individual psychology, looking specifically at striving for superiority and Gordon Allport’s trait theory. Personality is the “organization of a person’s character, temperament, intellect, and physique, which determines his unique adjustment to the environment” (Eysenck, 1970). These two theories examine how personality develops and features of an individual or group’s personality.

Alfred Alder’s personality theory placed a major emphasis on a person’s social involvement, known as individual psychology (Drapela, 1987). The basics of Adler’s theory is that man is motivated by social urges. Relating himself to others, engaging in cooperative social activities, placing social welfare above self-interests and acquiring a social lifestyle (Hall & Lindzey, 1970). Each of these features is in Divergent’s community. As within factions, people are motivated by community desires, engage in activities together and place the welfare
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These dominant one’s whole life and are easy to point out using these traits (Hjelle & Ziegler, 1976). In Divergent, these are the factions and the main core trait that comes with each making each person recognisable to that faction. For Dauntless it’s bravery, Abnegation is selflessness, Amity is peacefulness, Candor is honesty and Erudite is intelligence. In Divergent clothing is another way to distinguish and recognise a person’s cardinal trait as Dauntless wear black and red, Abnegation wears grey, Amity orange and yellow, Candor wears white and Erudite wear blue. Although these traits develop at different rates. Some may develop before if born in that faction and others like transfers will develop later once they transform their cardinal traits from their previous faction into the new one (Allport,

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