Adler’s Safeguarding Tendencies

Adler
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Adler’s Safeguarding Tendencies
People always employ a survival tactic that protects their sense of self and maintains their esteem in public. Adler addressed this need as safeguarding tendencies which people use to protect themselves from public judgment and criticism. They include excuses, aggression, and withdrawal (Rasmussen, 2021). The tendencies aim to please people and keep their real selves under a mask. As a result, people often lack comprehension of how to address criticism in the right way and fail to learn from their mistakes. Excuses stand out more because many people defend their ill behaviors and incapacities by making excuses. Most of the time, people blame one another for not undertaking the desired action or being on the best behavior (Rasmussen, 2021). Aggression is usually present in the form of negative attitudes toward other people to protect and preserve their assumed superiority (Watts, 2017). Withdrawal is probably the weirdest reaction, where people create distance from others to protect their image. People with withdrawal tendencies may seem antisocial and awkward and often have distress and self-doubt. The essay will address the ‘excuses’ tendency and the instances it has been portrayed in the scripture.
When an action is criticized or disapproved, it’s common for people to start making excuses such as ‘I could have done better, but because….’ In the scripture, Eve's ordeal with the serpent is the most coherent example of an excuse as a safeguarding tendency. In Genesis 3: 12-13, Eve defended herself by making an excuse when God questioned why she ate the fruit from the forbidden tree (Zondervan, 1983). She claimed ...