Which concepts are identified with Adlerian theory as important concepts?

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Adlerian theory emphasizes how feelings of inferiority motivate behavior and how people strive for mastery and significance, with birth order shaping personality patterns. The inferiority complex describes how intense feelings of inadequacy can drive a person to compensate, sometimes productively by striving to improve, other times maladaptively if those feelings overwhelm them. The opposite side of that coin is the superiority complex, a defensive overcompensation that may show up as arrogance or exaggerated self-importance to mask deeper insecurity. Birth order is another key Adlerian idea, proposing that being firstborn, a middle child, the youngest, or an only child influences personality through family dynamics and expectations. Concepts like self-actualization belong to Maslow, dream interpretation and free association are associated with Freud, and classical and operant conditioning come from behavioral approaches.