Enemies of society

Enemies of society
Adler noted that vain or prideful people usually try to keep their outlook hidden,
saying that they are simply “ambitious,” or even more mildly “energetic.”
They may camouflage their true feelings in ingenious ways: To show that they
are not vain, they may purposely pay less attention to dress or be overly modest.
But Adler’s piercing observation of the vain person was that everything in
life comes down to one question: “What do I get out of this?”
Adler wondered: Is great achievement simply vanity put in the service of
humankind? Surely self-aggrandizement is a necessary motivation in order to
want to change the world, to be seen in a good light? His answer was that it
isn’t. Vanity plays little part in real genius, and in fact only detracts from the
worth of any achievement. Really great things that serve humanity are not
spurred into existence by vanity, but by its opposite, social feeling. We are all
vain to some extent, but healthy people are able to leaven their vanity with
contribution to others.
Vain people, by their nature, do not allow themselves to “give in” to society’s
needs. In their focus on achieving a certain standing, position, or object,
they feel that they can shirk the normal obligations to the community or family
that others take for granted. As a result, they usually become isolated and
have poor relationships. So used to putting themselves first, they are expert at
putting the blame on others.
Communal life involves certain laws and principles that an individual
cannot get around. Each of us needs the rest of the community in order to
survive both mentally and physically; as Darwin noted, weak animals never
live alone. Adler contended that “adaptation to the community is the most
important psychological function” that a person will master. People may outwardly
achieve much, but in the absence of this vital adaptation they may feel
like nothing and be perceived as such by those close to them. Such people,
Adler said, are in fact enemies of society.