a) Those who experienced intense anxiety during infancy and childhood, which caused the selfsystem to become extremely rigid. (b) I think Sullivan is partly correct. Anxiety is extremely painful, so...

a) Those who experienced intense anxiety during infancy and childhood, which caused the selfsystem to become extremely rigid. (b) I think Sullivan is partly correct. Anxiety is extremely painful, so people who suffer from intense anxiety are likely to be too preoccupied with their own problems to care very much about other people. But I suspect that in our affl uent society, selfi shness is more often due to pampering by the parents or (in such cases as entertainers and professional athletes) by society, as in Adler’s theory.