HORNEY: PSYCHOANALYTIC SOCIAL THEORY Flashcards
Karen Horney’s Theoretical Development - Early Influences:
Initially influenced by Freud, like Adler, Jung, and Klein
Later became disenchanted with orthodox psychoanalysis
Developed a revisionist theory based on personal & clinical experiences
horney Work:
Primarily studied neuroses and neurotic personalities
Insights also applicable to normal, healthy development
Role of Culture
Culture, especially childhood experiences, shapes personality
Early traumas matter, but social factors are more influential than biological ones
Horney vs. Freud [Criticisms of Freud’s Psychoanalysis]
Rigid adherence to Freud’s theories leads to stagnation (Horney, 1937)
Disagreed with Freud’s views on feminine psychology
Criticized instinct theory, emphasizing culture over biology
Horney vs. Freud [Horney’s Core Ideas]
Humans are driven by safety and satisfaction, not just the pleasure principle (Horney, 1939)
Neuroses result from social influences rather than instincts
Freud = pessimistic (fixed by instincts), Horney = optimistic (changeable via culture)
Impact of Culture on Personality
Cultural Influences on Neurosis & Normal Development:
- Genetic factors not ignored but secondary to cultural ones
- Modern society promotes competition, leading to basic hostility and isolation
Cycle of Neurosis:
- Competitiveness → Basic hostility → Feelings of isolation
- Isolation → Intense need for affection & love
- Desperate need for love → Neurotic behavior (e.g., low self-esteem, anxiety, hostility)
Western Society’s Contradictions & Their Psychological Effecs [ cycle of neurosis]
- Kinship & humility vs. aggressiveness & superiority drive → Conflict
- Unending demands for success → People never feel satisfied
- Illusion of freedom vs. real restrictions by genetics, social position, competition
The Importance of Childhood Experiences
Childhood as the Root of Neurotic Conflict
1. Neurotic conflict can arise at any stage, but most problems originate in childhood
- Traumatic events (e.g., abuse, neglect, rejection) impact development
- Main cause of neuroses: Lack of genuine warmth and affection (Horney, 1937)
Neurotic Needs & Childhood Experiences
- Difficult childhood → Neurotic needs (Horney, 1939)
- Why? A child develops neurotic needs to feel safe
- No single experience determines personality; rather, the sum total of childhood experiences does
- Personality development = structured in childhood, shaped by later experiences
Basic Hostility & Basic Anxiety
Healthy development requires genuine love & discipline
Parental issues (neglect, domination, rejection) → child develops basic hostility
Basic hostility is repressed, leading to basic anxiety
Basic Anxiety
Feeling of isolation & helplessness in a potentially hostile world
Feeling small, insignificant, helpless, deserted, and betrayed (Horney, 1937)
Basic anxiety Inextricably linked with basic hostility
Hostility causes anxiety
Anxiety intensifies hostility
The Anxiety-Hostility Cycle
- Hostility leads to anxiety
- Anxiety leads to more hostility
- The cycle continues, intensifying neurosis
Basic Anxiety & Neurosis
Basic anxiety itself is NOT neurosis, but it creates the foundation for neurosis
Constant & unrelenting—permeates all relationships
Protective Mechanisms Against Basic Anxiety
Affection
submissiveness
power
withdrawal
affection
Seeking love, but may be inauthentic
People buy love through compliance, gifts, or sexual favors
submissiveness
Submitting to people, organizations, or religions for security
Often done to gain affection
power
Power: Dominating others to counter hostility
Prestige: Avoiding humiliation by humiliating others
Possession: Protecting against poverty by depriving others
withdrawal
Developing independence or emotional detachment
Avoids being hurt by others
Neurotic vs. Normal Use of Protective Mechanisms
Everyone uses these mechanisms to some extent
They become neurotic when they are compulsive and limit interpersonal flexibility
Key Neurotic Trait: Compulsion
Neurotic individuals rely excessively on one or more protective mechanisms
Neurotics vs. Normals:
Similar struggles, but neurotics experience them in extreme, repetitive ways.
Normal people can adapt, while neurotics are stuck in rigid patterns.
The Vicious Cycle:
Efforts to reduce basic anxiety cause behaviors that worsen self-esteem, hostility, power struggles, and more anxiety.
Neurotic Needs (Horney’s 10 Needs)
- Affection & Approval
- A Powerful Partner:
- Restricting Life’s Scope
- Power: Seeking dominance to escape weakness.
- Exploiting Others
- Social Recognition & Prestige
- Personal Admiration
- Ambition & Personal Achievement
- Self-Sufficiency & Independence
- Perfection & Unassailability
Affection & Approval
Indiscriminately seeking validation, fearing rejection.
A Powerful Partner
Lacking self-confidence, needing someone strong for security.
Restricting Life’s Scope
Avoiding attention, staying in the background.
Power
Seeking dominance to escape weakness.
Exploiting Others
Using others while fearing being used.
Social Recognition & Prestige
Craving attention and importance.
Personal Admiration
Needing admiration for who they are, not what they own.
Ambition & Personal Achievement
Competitive, obsessed with being the best.
Self-Sufficiency & Independence
Avoiding reliance on others.
Perfection & Unassailability
Striving for flawlessness, fearing mistakes.
Neurotic Trends (Horney’s 3 Strategies to Cope with Anxiety)
Moving Toward People (Compliant Personality)
Moving Against People (Aggressive Personality)
Moving Away from People (Detached Personality)
Moving Toward People (Compliant Personality)
- Definition: Seeking protection from helplessness by seeking approval, affection, or a powerful partner.
- Neurotic Needs Involved:
- Need for affection & approval.
- Need for a partner to take responsibility. - Term Coined: Morbid dependency (later linked to codependency).
- Characteristics:
- Submissive, unselfish, sensitive to others’ feelings.
- Sees others as more attractive/intelligent.
- Self-worth depends on others’ opinions.
Moving Against People (Aggressive Personality)
- Definition: Believing people are hostile and exploiting them for personal gain.
- Neurotic Needs Involved:
- Need for power.
- Need to exploit others.
- Need for recognition and prestige.
- Need to be admired.
- Need to achieve success. - Characteristics:
- Ruthless, competitive, driven by ambition.
- Appears hardworking but seeks power and status.
- Rarely admits mistakes.
- American society rewards this personality type.
Moving Away from People (Detached Personality)
- Definition: Avoiding relationships to protect oneself from dependence.
- Neurotic Needs Involved:
- Need for self-sufficiency & independence.
- Need for perfection.
- Need to be unapproachable. - Characteristics:
- Emotionally distant, values privacy.
- Avoids social commitments and marriage intimacy.
- Fear of needing others.
- Feels superior but dreads competition.
Intrapsychic Conflicts
- Idealized Self-Image
(a) The Neurotic Search for Glory (Three Elements)
- Need for Perfection
- Neurotic Ambition
- Drive Toward a Vindictive Triumph
(b) Neurotic Claims
(c) Neurotic Pride
- Self hatred
Idealized Self-Image
- Definition: Creating a false, glorified self to deal with insecurity.
- Types Based on Neurotic Trend:
- Compliant: Sees self as good and saintly.
- Aggressive: Sees self as strong and heroic.
- Detached: Sees self as wise and independent. - Problem: Real self is alienated, leading to self-hatred.
Need for Perfection
Unrealistic drive to become flawless.
“Tyranny of the Shoulds”—self-imposed rules of how one must behave
Neurotic Ambition
Compulsive need to be superior.
Drive Toward a Vindictive Triumph
Seeking success to humiliate others.
Root Cause: Childhood humiliation, desire for revenge.
Effects:
- Every success fuels the fear of failure.
- Never-ending cycle of needing more triumphs.
Neurotic Claims
Neurotics build a fantasy world out of sync with reality, believing they are special and entitled to special treatment.
Normal wishes lead to frustration when unmet; neurotic claims lead to indignation and bewilderment.
Neurotic Pride
False pride based on an idealized self, not a realistic self.
When others do not treat neurotics with special consideration, they feel hurt.They avoid people who reject their claims and associate with socially prestigious institutions instead.
Self-Hatred
- Definition: Feeling inferior due to the gap between real and ideal self.
- Results In:
- Harsh self-criticism.
- Never feeling “good enough.” - Horney’s Quote: “The glorified self becomes a measuring rod, making the real self an embarrassing sight.”
Six Expressions of Self-Hatred
1, Relentless demands on the self
2. Merciless self-accusation
3. Self-contempt
4. Self-frustration
5. Self-torment
6. Self-destructive actions and impulses
Relentless demands on the self:
“Tyranny of the should,” pushing toward perfection. A person pushing themselves toward perfection due to the belief that they should be perfect.
Merciless self-accusation:
Feeling like a fraud, blaming oneself for unrelated events
Self-contempt
Through belittling, doubting, and ridiculing oneself, preventing personal growth.
Self-frustration
Self-frustration stems from self-hatred and prevents a person from enjoying life. Rejecting pleasure due to self-hatred (e.g., “I don’t deserve a new car”).
Self-torment:
A form of self-hatred where people intentionally cause themselves suffering, such as exaggerating pain or engaging in self-harm.
Self-destructive actions and impulses
Overeating, substance abuse, reckless driving, quitting fulfilling jobs, and suicide.
Feminine Psychology
Rejects Freud’s View
Oedipus Complex
Penis Envy:
Masculine Protest
Rejects Freud’s View:
Differences between men and women come from culture, not anatomy.
Oedipus Complex:
Not universal, stems from basic anxiety, not biology.
Penis Envy:
No more valid than “womb envy” in men.
Masculine Protest:
Women desire power due to social inequalities, not envy of the male anatomy.
Horney on Gender Roles
Standards of masculinity and femininity are artificial.
Psychological differences between men and women are culturally constructed.
Psychotherapy (Horneyian Therapy)
- Root of Neuroses: Basic conflict in childhood leading to three neurotic trends:
(a) Moving Toward People (seeking love)
(b)Moving Against People (seeking power)
(c) Moving Away from People (seeking independence)
- Goal of Therapy: Help patients give up their idealized self-image and accept their real self.
Challenges in Therapy
patients resist change as they see neurotic behaviors as healthy and desirable (e.g., “love,” “mastery,” “freedom”).
The therapist must convince them that their solutions perpetuate neurosis.
Therapeutic Techniques
Dream Interpretation – Dreams reflect attempts to solve conflicts.
Free Association – Reveals the idealized self-image and neurotic patterns.
Successful Therapy Outcomes
Patients take responsibility for their psychological growth.
They move toward self-realization, genuine relationships, and work interest based on passion, not neurotic motives.
