Final answer:
Alfred Adler's Individual Psychology introduced concepts such as the inferiority complex, the striving for superiority, and the impact of social tasks on personality. His theory diverges from Freud by emphasizing social motives and conscious motivation over sexual drives and the unconscious.
Step-by-step explanation:
Alfred Adler's theory on personality, as part of the Neo-Freudian discipline, differs significantly from Sigmund Freud's perspectives. Adler introduced several key concepts within his Individual Psychology that highlight the social and purposeful nature of human behavior. Among these, the most essential are the feelings of inferiority and the resultant striving for superiority, the influence of birth order on personality development, and the emphasis on the social nature of humans. Adler's approach also includes the notion of conscious motivation over unconscious impulses, diverging from Freud's psychoanalytic focus.
Adler identified three fundamental social tasks that have a profound impact on personality: occupational tasks, societal tasks, and love tasks. He underscored the role of our social embeddedness in shaping who we are, contrasting Freud's emphasis on sexual and aggressive motivations. Crucially, Adler claimed that compensation for perceived inferiorities drives our behavior, leading to the striving for personal growth and community contribution. His concept of the inferiority complex, alongside the ideas of social interest and communal life, offer an insightful lens into the study of personality that prioritizes the interconnectedness and purposive nature of human existence.