Individuals live most of their lives striving to achieve certain objectives. While some set life goals and work towards achieving them, others work towards their goals since it is a societal convention and a culture that has always been passed down from one generation to another. Many reasons exist as to why people endeavor and put a lot of effort in a bid to accomplish their mission in life. For some, it is the feeling of inferiority or weakness. Put simply, it is this feeling that catapults them to set out and meet their targets. In other words, the targeted level of achievement serves as a compensation or prove against the weakness or inferiority; this is the Adler’s Theory (Carlson & Slavik, 2013). Abraham Lincoln is one of the most prominent American leaders to whom the theory applies.
Abraham Lincoln was born in a poor family to the extent that his father could barely sign his name. They lived in a tiny cabin space that primarily served as their home. Abraham did not like his father due to his sternness. There was little concern for education in their family and at the age of nine, Abraham lost his mother. He later lived with his stepmother who pushed him to pursue education. Abraham’s childhood was not easy. Despite finding learning to be challenging, he was involved in hard labor and struggled a lot to grow up sufficiently as a young man. It was these hardships and challenges in acquiring an education which Abraham experienced first-hand that made him choose a leadership career.
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There are a number of things that made Abraham consider himself as inferior. First, the fact that he lost his mother at a tender age coupled with his father’s sternness made him feel inferior. Also, having troubles at school was an aspect he perceived as a weakness. The hard labor he was exposed to at an early age also served as an element of inferiority. There are two main ways through which Abraham obtained a high level of superiority striving. First, he defied the odds of his background, hardships, and troubles in education. The other reason is that the problems he faced when growing up motivated him to struggle and be in a position where he could help other people escape the same fate.
Lincoln’s primary goal was to serve and help individuals’ lead better lives. His unique style appealed to the people as he portrayed wittiness, integrity, humility, and intelligence. In addition, his tree-felling skills and handiness were factors that contributed towards his rise (Colbert, 2009). Lincoln worked hard to better himself and subsequently achieved his high level of superiority striving by securing several jobs. Through these jobs, he gained favor and popularity, which further acted as a springboard to his political career. These steps served the purpose of both personal growth and community service. Indeed, Abraham often volunteered to fight against Indian enemies and arresting local burglars.
Apart from providing his basic needs, Lincoln mainly acted out of social interest. His troubled childhood motivated him to defy the odds and become what no one could have ever expected. Apart from this element of personal growth, most of his endeavors were based on social interest. The long-term outcome of Lincoln’s striving was that he was the most instrumental figure in the ending of slavery in the US. Indeed, even though this was one of the greatest causes of the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln is historically known to be the president who ended slavery. Being the second child of his parents, Adler’s theory of birth order can be applied to explain Abraham’s personality of being ‘diplomatic,’ competitive, independent, and caring.
References
Carlson, J. & Slavik, S. (2013). Techniques in Adlerian Psychology . Taylor & Francis.
Colbert, D. (2009). Abraham Lincoln . Simon and Schuster.
