Chapter Five: Neurotic Needs and Trends Flashcards
How did Karen Horney agree with Freud?
That the early years of childhood are important to shape the adult personality.
How did Karen Horney disagree with Freud?
That social forces not biological forces influence personality development.
What happens if parents do not meet the safety need?
It results in infant helplessness.
How can a parent undermine a child’s security?
Preference for one sibling, unfair punishment, humiliation, they keep children dependent, and do not show warmth or affection.
What is the child’s response to the parents undermining behaviours and why?
The child will feel the need to repress the hostility because of helplessness, fear of the parents, need for genuine love, or guilt.
What is basic anxiety?
Tied to feelings of hostility, helplessness, and fear. It is the foundation to neurosis.
What are the self-protective mechanisms children might use to protect themselves from being hurt?
Securing love and affection, submissiveness, attaining power, or withdrawing.
What are examples of securing affection?
Doing whatever the person wants, bribing others, or threatening others.
What are examples of being submissive?
Complying with the wishes of others. They do not criticize or give offence.
What are examples of attaining power?
The belief that if they have power, no one will harm them. Success and a sense of superiority.
What are examples of withdrawing?
Psychologically moving away from people. Not to rely on anyone else which involves minimizing emotional needs.
What is the goal of these self-protective mechanisms?
To defend against basic anxiety.
What happens when self-protective mechanisms get used too much?
They become neurotic needs.
What are neurotic needs?
They are ten irrational defenses against anxiety.
What are neurotic trends?
They are three distinct categories for the ten defenses against anxiety.
What are the three neurotic trends?
Compliant personality, aggressive personality, and detached personality.
What is a compliant personality?
A display of behaviours and attitudes that reflect the desire to move towards people.
What are the characteristics of people with compliant personality?
They are manipulative, seek affection and approval, fear rejection, seem sensitive, and ignore personal desires.
Why do people develop basic anxiety?
The repressed feelings of hostility.
What neurotic needs are associated with compliant personality?
Affection and approval and dominant partner.
What is an aggressive personality?
A display of behaviours and attitudes that move against people. The mindset is driven by insecurity, anxiety, and hostility.
What are the characteristics of people with an aggressive personality?
They do not have much regard for others, maintain superiority and power, appear confident, and are often highly successful.
What neurotic needs are associated with aggressive personality?
Power, exploitation, prestige, admiration, and achievement.
What is a detached personality?
A display of behaviours and attitudes that move away from people to maintain an emotional distance.
What are the characteristics of people with a detached personality?
They do not like obligations and commitment, have a sense of superiority, avoid intimacy, and think they are logical and intelligent.
Who can express all three trends?
Someone who is not neurotic can express all these trends in different circumstances. They are flexible in behaviours and attitudes.
What is the self image of neurotics like?
It is an idealized image constructed to unify their personality.
What is the tyranny of the shoulds?
When neurotics tell themselves they should behave a certain way.
Why do neurotics use tyranny of the shoulds?
They find their real self image undesirable and that they must live up to their idealized self image.
What is externalization?
Projecting conflicts on the outside world.
