Personality Psychology †Sojourner Truth Essay

Sojourner impartiality (c.1797 26 November 1883)Sojourner integrity dedicated her spiritedness to fighting knuckle downry, and advocating adjoin rights for women. She beginning(a) began come up toing in 1827, giving individualised testimony of the evils and cruelty of slavery and later as a steady supporter of suffr climb on, also advocated for equal rights for women. At the 1851 Womens Rights blueprint in Akron, Ohio, she delivered her speech Aint I a charr which is without delay revered among classic text of feminism. She lived her animateness in the water-shed years of American abolition of slavery and became a leader and recognized as an double for equality of rights and dispatchdom. At birth, justice was key outd Isabella and was a slave for the first twenty-eight years of her life because she was a child born by slaves. In 1826, verity began life as a free woman completely if only after eighteen years in 1843 at the age of forty-six years, she rename herse lf, Sojourner Truth is my name, because from this day I will bye in the light of His truth. (p.77). The moment of naming herself marked Truths cognitive freedom from her enslaved previous(prenominal).Neo-Analytic Approach to PersonalityThe neo-analytic approach to spirit offer that the individuals gumption of self as the core of character holding that the self struggles to cope with emotions and drives on the inside and the demands of others on the right(prenominal) (Friedman & Schustack, 2011) that homo nature is lordly and intention-oriented that society and culture shapespersonality and that ontogeny continues by dint ofout lifespan. For the analysis of Sojourner Truths personality, the judgments of neo-analytical theorist Alfred Adler argon selected for the purpose.Adlers Concept of HumanityFeist & Feist (2006) described Adlers concept of cosmos as that pile are self-determinant, and their unique personalities are make by how they interpret their lives and experie nces. plurality are ultimately responsible for their take personalities and possess the cr flowive magnate to transform feelings of inadequacy towards a final examination goal of either personal superiority or goal of mastery for society.i. Striving for superiority or triumphAdler believed that the central core of personality is the striving for superiority towards a final goal. The final goal darn fictional and has no objective existence unifies personality and renders all told demeanor comprehensible. According to Feist & Feist (2006), Adler posit that feelings of lower rank motivate a person to strive for either a self-centered (selfish) goal of superiority, or an altruistic goal of success for all humans. The final goal compensates and reduces feelings of wanting(p)ity and weakness, and drives the individual to seek either superiority or success. Truth was a slave for twenty-eight years. During her enslavement, she was abused and treated as chattel or property. Her s lave-masters dictated and hold s sort her life. Her enslavement caused Truth to feel inferior but yet her reaction to those feelings of inferiority was to strived for a goal for success (for society).Throughout her life as a free woman, Sojourner Truth utilize herself to fight against slavery and for equal rights for all. During the American Civil War, Truth risked her life to gather and deliver supplies to black volunteer regiments and was continually involved in various political causes. With the National Freedmans Relief familiarity she continued to strive to better hold ins and lives for all African Americans of which her last parkway (sadly unsuccessful) was a land distribution programme for fountain slaves.ii. Social pastimeAdler (1956) state that those who strive for success (instead of self-centered superiority) possess a sense of personal worth that is tied closely to their contributions to human society. Social march on is more than important to them than persona l credit (Feist & Feist, 2006, p.72). Truth transcended her oppressed past turned out to be a healthy individual who was motivate without personal gain to help others to seek success for all humanity (Feist & Feist, 2006). She was not motivated by personal gain.iii. Fictionlism / Peoples demeanor and personality is shaped by their subjective perceptions. Adlerian approach maintains that that people are motivated by their subjective perceptions of what is straightforward, and not by what is true. Their subjective perceptions of populace (i.e. fictions) influence them as if were reality. According to Feist & Feist (2006), fictions, regardless true or false, are muscular influence on peoples life.An example of a fiction is the belief in an military unitful divinity that guides and helps shape galore(postnominal) peoples lives and actions. This is clearly demonstrated in Truths life.Sojourner Truths parents taught her to believe in god, and that idol is always with her and sh e is never alone (McKissack & McKissack, 1992, p.22). Throughout her life, she held this belief in an omnipotent idol, and it was her source of solace (especially during her enslavement), and later guide her in decision-making and actions. Truth believed that beau ideal was her true master. later eighteen years as a free woman, a chance encounter became the tipping point of her self-realisation. A woman asked for her name and upon that very moment Truth realized that all her life she had her slave-masters name and on that pointby declared, The only master I have now is God and His name is Truth. And gave herself the last name Truth (McKissack & McKissack, 1992, p.77).Truth maintained a practice of meditation and deep prayer through which she claimed God communicates with her. In her public speaking,she usually began with a declaration of her spiritual link, Well, Children, I speaks to God and God speaks to meI talks to God and God talks to me. (McKissack & McKissack, 1992, p.8 2 and 117).Truth sought spiritual guidance during stressful times. For example when she had recently only left her former slave-master Dumont, she was intimidated by threats to her children to return to Dumonts farm. After the incident she shared Jesus stopped me and that she experienced a powerful force that turned her aroundwhen she tried to go back to the Dumont farm. Truth held that the event was a pro set in motion meaningful spiritual experience that confident(p) her that she was never going back to enslavement (McKissack & McKissack, 1992, p.41).Another example of Truths staunch belief that God was on her side In her fight to free and pretend her son to be returned to her, Truth prayed for godlike intervention,God show those somewhat me that you are my Helper (McKissack & McKissack, 1992, p.43). She was aided by Quaker abolitionists and a fair judge ru take justly in her favour.iv. Value of human activity must be evaluated on the nates of affectionate interest. Adler pos it that kindly interest is the natural human condition and that it binds society as a whole. According to Feist & Feist (2006), Adler held that complaisant interest is the only gauge to be used in judgement the worth of a person Healthy individuals strives for perfection for all people in an ideal communityare genuinely concerned about people and have a goal of success that encompasses the well-being of all people (p.75 & 77).Sojourner continually spoke against slavery, campaigned for emancipation of slaves, suffrage and equal human rights. She spoke out against mistreatment and injustice in the army, gathered and distributed donations of food and clothing, and helped in military wards and hospitals. In 1864, Truth was recognized for her work and efforts by president Abraham Lincoln at the White House.v. Mascu puff Protest / Society & elaboration Shapes People Adler reasoned that culture and society influenced people to overemphasize the splendor of being manly, i.e. masculine protest. Many societies promote the belief that men are superior to women, implicitly implying that women are inferior. However Adler uphold that women have the physiological and psychological needs as men and therefore want more or less the same things that men want (Feist & Feist, 2006, p.85). This echoes feminists campaigns for equal rights political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities.Truth attended the first national (USA) Womens Rights Convention in 1850, and was inspired as well as motivated to speak and advocate for Equality before the law without distinction of sex or colour (McKissack & McKissack, 1992, p.106). From that time on, she spoke for abolition of slavery and equality for women. In her 1851 speech at the Womens Rights Convention in Akron,Ohio, Truth dispute gender discrimination, subordination, and dispelled the illusion of woman as the weaker sex. That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, an d to have the top hat graze everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place And aint I a woman? quality at me Look at my arm I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me And aint I a woman?I could work as much and eat as much as a man when I could get it and bear the lash as well And aint I a woman? (McKissack & McKissack, 1992, p.112-114)vi. LifestyleA modus vivendi encompasses daily activities erstwhile engage ones goals. According to Hergenhahn (2009), Adler believed that for a lifestyle to be genuinely effective it must contain considerable interest, i.e. working toward a society that would provide a better life for everyone. People with a healthy, socially useful lifestyle express their social interest through action. (Adler described a lifestyle without adequate social interest as a Mistaken Lifestyle.) According to Feist & Feist (2006), Adler considered ternion intertwined social issue s as fundamental to an effective lifestyle occupational tasks choosing and pursuing a career that makes one feel worthwhile societal tasks creating friendships and social networks and love tasks finding a suitable life-partner.Truths lifestyle embodied all of Adlers identified three social issues * occupational tasks Truth embraced a career to fight for emancipation of slavery and equal rights for women. Besides public-speaking against slavery, Truth also worked to improve living conditions for all. In 1865, at the age of seventy, Truth accepted the task to promote order, cleanliness, industry, and virtue among the patients at the Freedmans Hospital (McKissack & McKissack, 1992, p.149).* Societal tasks Regardless when she was a slave or as a free woman, Truth formed relationships which led to social networks of friends, supporters, and even fans. Her circle of friends included Lucy Stone, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Harriet Tubman, John Brown, Richard Allen, John Jay, Frederick Dougla ss, and many many more equally enlightened beings.* Truth was separated from Robert, her first love who was a slave from another farm, because his slave-master forbade their marriage as children from slave-parents would perish to the slave-mothers owner. Later Truth married (on orders of her slave-master) Tom, one of the other slaves be to the same slave-master. Eventually, they grew to love each(prenominal) other in their own way and shared common respect for each other (McKissack & McKissack, 1992, p.33).viiCreative PowerAdler believed that each person possess the power to create their own lifestyle. In line with existentialistic philosophy, Adler agreed that people are ultimately responsible for who they are and their behaviour. People are their own architect and can build either a useful or a useless lifestyle (Feist & Feist, 2006, p.79). The creative power propels each and every one towards a goal, regardless whether in the didactics of social interest or not. An individua ls creative power empowers that individual to control their own life to determine their final goal and strive for that goal, and contributes to development of social interest.Truths personality reflected her optimal creative power that helped her manifest an effective lifestyle, successfully overcoming her lamented enslavement and and then striving for success for all humans. In Abraham Maslows hierarchy of needs, Truth would be considered an actualized personality.ConclusionAdlerians maintain that people are naturally positive and goal-oriented. He also posited that mentally healthy people strive for societal success for all humans. In analysis of Sojourner Truths personality, it is found that Truth explicitly actualized Adlers Individual Psychology Truth manifested her creative power to strive for success (for all humans), thereby lived an effective (valued) lifestyle which embodied social interests and dispelled implicit inferiority of being a former slave, black, and a woman, with a staunch belief that divine power (God) direct and helped her throughout her life.ReferencesFeist, J., & Feist, G.J. (2006). Theories of Personality (6th ed.). USA McGraw-Hill Asia. Friedman, H.S., & Schustack, M.W. (2011). Personality Classic Theories and Modern inquiry (4th ed.). Boston PearsonHergenhahn, B.R. (2009). An Introduction to the History of Psychology (6th ed.). Belmont, CA. WadsworthLiebert, R., Liebert, L. (1998). Liebert & Liebert Spieglers Personality Strategies and Issues (8th ed.). pacific Grove, CA. Brooks/Cole.McKissack, P.C.,& McKissack, F.(1992). Sojourner Truth Aint I a Woman? New York Scholastic.