Horney Flashcards
What influence did Horney focus on in comparison to another type of influence?
Cultural influences above biological influences
Valued social, over sexual, experiences in development
What did horney reject in society?
inherent male bias
What is the masculinity complex?
Inherent male bias in society
- phallic stage of development suggests healthy development for someone with a phallus (but not someone without - females)
What is womb envy?
Males envy pregnancy, womanhood and breasts leading to womb envy
Males devalue women and overcompensate with impulses towards creative work
When did horney’s focus move to culture
1935
What did horney say each child is?
special with a unique opportunity to grow into their real self
What is neurosis
basic anxiety resulting from interpersonal relationships
can lead to self-defeating interpersonal style
Under what circumstances does neurosis develop?
ONLY within a cultural context
foods, dress, relationships, social norms
What is individuality?
Culture guides nature of anxiety
How did horney suggest anxiety develops?
Disagreed with freud’s idea of anxiety stemming from inner conflicts
Viewed anxiety as stemming from interpersonal relationships and a child’s perception of their environment
How does a child strive to alleviate anxiety
through their relationship with their parents
How does relationship with parents affect anxiety?
Hostile environment - self-esteem is thwarted
basic hostility occurs but the child remains dependent on the parents
What does healthy personality development depend on?
feeling safe and secure in parent-child relationships
How does the ideal self and real self differ in normal vs neurotic people?
Normal - ideal self and real self overlap (are the same)
Neurotic - ideal self and real self arent close to each other
What are horneys 10 neurotic needs?
- exaggerated need for affection and approval
- exaggerated need for power
- exaggerated need for independence
- exaggerated need for social recognition
- exaggerated need for personal admiration
- exaggerated ambition for personal achievement
- need for dominant partner
- need for perfection and unassailability
- need to exploit others
- need to restrict one’s life within narrow boundaries
What are the neurotic interaction styles (THREE TYPES OF COPING)?
Moving towards - compliant
Moving against - aggressive
Moving away - defensive
How does neurotic personality develop?
Conflict between id desires and socially acceptable behaviour
resultant anxiety is only experienced by a neurotic personality
3 types of neurotic coping to life - PRIMARY MODES OF RELATING TO OTHERS
What is the compliant personality type?
Moving towards
accepting one’s helplessness and becoming compliant
What are the neurotic trends for compliant personality?
Exaggerated need for affection and approval
Need for dominant partner
What is the aggressive personality type?
moving against
resisting others to protect self from a threatening environment
What are the neurotic trends for aggressive personality?
exaggerated need for power
need to exploit others
exaggerated need for social recognition
exaggerated need for personal admiration
exaggerated ambition for personal achievement
What is the defensive personality type?
moving away
isolating one’s self to avoid involvement with others
What are the neurotic trends for defensive personality?
need to restrict one’s life within narrow boundaries
exaggerated need for independence
need for perfection and unassailability
What did horney saw defence mechanisms were for
protect our selfesteem
how many defence mechanisms did horney have
7
what are horneys defence mechanisms
- blind spot
- compartmentalisation
- rationalisation
- excessive self control
- arbitrary rightness
- elusiveness
- cynicism
What is the blind spot defence mechanism
painful experiences are ignored to keep the idealised self
what is the compartmentalisation defence mechanism?
“boxing off” beliefs/actions to keep consistency
what is the rationalisation defence mechanism?
plausible but inaccurate excuses for actions
what is the excessive selfcontrol defence mechanism?
keeping emotions under control at all times
what is the arbitrary rightness defence mechanism?
“im always right”
what is the elusiveness defence mechanism?
never expressing a definite opinion
what is the cynicism defence mechanism?
belief in nothing prevents getting hurt
How does horney differ from freud?
CHildhood social tensions were crucial for personality formation
childhood anxiety caused by a dependent child’s sense of helplessness, triggers our desire for love and security
countered assumption that women have weak superegos and suffer penis envy
How does freud differ from horney?
Child hood secual experiences shaped personality in childhood
More emphasis on unconscious mind and desire’s influence on personality
Biased against females, proposed penis envy due to weaker superegos
How are freud and horneys theories the same
Id, ego, superego
importance of unconscious
shaping personality in childhood
dynamics of anxiety and defence mechanisms
Strengths of horneys theories
clear descriptions of concepts with examples
moved away from androcentric explanations
later theorists adopted her ideas
weaknesses of horneys theories
focuses on abnormal development only
theories not as comprehensive as freuds work
based on case studies with little empirical evidence
