Karen Horney (Soc PA theories)

Question 1

What brought about the creation of the socially-oriented school of psychoanalysis?

Answer 1

Sociology and anthro become disciplines in their own right towards the end of the 19th century.

Alfred Adler the first psychoanalyst to give adequate attention to the social dimension of human existence

Question 2

In what ways did Soc PAs break from Freud?

Answer 2

• They rejected his biological determinism and his accent on sex, instead emphasizing the role of social and cultural factors
• acknowledge the uncon, but focus instead on the SELF - the unique individuality of each person

Question 3

What made Horney break from her schooling and work in traditional PA?

Answer 3

• moving to the US made her realise that Freudian bio-deter and emphasis on sexuality was not appropriate to the Americans of the depression years

Question 4

Where does Horney see problems arising from?

Answer 4

The conflict between the individual and their environment, not the opposing forces of the personality

Question 5

Horney sees people as….

She thus proceeds from an….

But this can be inhibited by…

Answer 5

inherently constructive, drive towards self-actualization, can consciously change

optimistic view of humanity

unhealthy relationships with self or others, absences of drive can lead to sickness or death

Question 6

What fosters growth and development of a person in Horney’s view?

This is therefore both a …. and a ….

Answer 6

self-knowledge

responsibility and privilege

Question 7

In line with her optimistic view of human nature, what does Horney see as the difference between normal and neurotic people?

Answer 7

• only a difference of degree, neurotic individuals need only be set free of the limitations that block their growth potential

Question 8

Horney did not theorise much as to the ….. and the …… of the personality, but focused instead on the …..

Answer 8

structure and development

dynamics

Question 9

While not giving much information on the structure of the personality, she does mention a few concepts. What are they?

Answer 9

The differentiation between the idealized, the actual and the real self

Idealized self
- an unconsciously created attempt to deal with anxiety and compensate for feelings of inferiority; a self that is omnipotent and has unlimited potential

the actual self
- represents a person as they are consciously are in daily life, often rejected as it doesn’t meet the demands of the ideal self

The real self
- a force that emerges once we have relinquished all techniques for anxiety/conflict avoidance. This force urges us towards growth and fulfillment, it is alive, unique and the personal centre of ourselves

Question 10

What aspect of the personality replaces Freud’s id in Horney’s theory?

And what might block this?

Answer 10

the growth principle - which channels our energy towards fulfillment

some unnatural influence such as culture or parents (environmental things)

Question 11

Horney believes there are 2 crucial needs for a the unfolding of the personality. What are they?

Answer 11

• need for security (free from anxiety or threat
• need for satisfaction (basic needs; food, water, sleep, sex)

Question 12

Outline Horney’s understanding of the basis for neuroses and growth

Answer 12

A child’s early dependence on environment and parent for satisfaction of needs can lead to neuroses/inferior feelings. These must be compensated for later but can lead to growth

In fulfilling the child’s needs, two things can take place:
1. real love, warmth, respect and sincerity from parents create environment for growth for the child
2. Parent irresponsibility and neuroticising (conflicting) cultural influences prevent need fulfillment, leading to basic hostility or basic anxiety in the child

Question 13

Outline the creation of basic hostility and basic anxiety

Answer 13

Unfulfilled basic needs due to parents or environment means children will react with BH or BA

BH:
- results from child’s conflicting experience of environment; they are dependent on it but their needs are not met. Believes the world is out to cheat, attack, betray

BA:
- pervasive feeling of helplessness when one cannot cope with environment; lonely and helpless in hostile world

Question 14

What are some parenting factors that could lead to the rise of BH and BA?

What is an environmental factor that may lead to BH and BA?

Answer 14

• domination, indifference, erratic behaviour, having to side in parental disagreements, unkept promises etc
• conflict with between western societal values (e.g., Christianity and competitive individualism); conflict between SA values (ubuntu and materialistic business society)

Question 15

How does Horney see people dealing with BH and BA?

Answer 15

Initially, believed they manifested in 10 neurotic needs, with the needs being present in all people to greater or lesser extents

Later, saw needs to creating ways of reacting/relating: interpersonal styles.

Three interpersonal styles are used to cope with BH and BA, and can be expressed in normal of neurotic manners
(movement towards, against and away from others)

Question 16

Explain the use of interpersonal styles and list the basic personality types that they underlie

Answer 16

• interpersonal styles are irreconcilable and individual. But, a healthy person has recourse to all three on alternating bases
• neurotic individuals become fixated and stuck on one style regardless of how appropriate it may be

Personality types
- submissive
- hostile
- detached

Question 17

Outline the Movement Towards Others personality style (5 points)

Answer 17

• When healthy, move towards others in a cooperative and affectionate wat
• when unhealthy, done out of feelings of helplessness and desire for permanent support/affection from others
• usually found in those brought up in others’ shadows (e.g parent demanding complete devotion to be fav)
• type: submissive/compliant
• philosophy: if you are submissive you won’t get hurt

Question 18

Outline the Movement Against Others interpersonal style

Answer 18

• when healthy, ability to argue and differ from people
• when unhealthy/fixated, feel separateness from others means hostility is a given. Mistrust others, obsessed with power, achievement, exploitation of others
• philosophy: “I have power, no-one can hurt me
• type: hostile/aggressive - “what can I get out of this?”
• Horney calls this the expansionist IP style (dominate and achieve) or which there are three types:
  1. Narcissistic: self-cof, expect favours
  2. Perfectionist: superior, mistakes are other incompetence
  3. Arrogant/vengeful: v competitive, love to out-manoeuvre

Question 19

Outline the Movement Away from Others IP style

Answer 19

• healthy; avoids dependence but with no hostility
• unhealthy; environment becomes too much and the withdraw entirely
• philosophy: “If I withdraw, no-one can hurt me”
• type: detached/aloof
• tend to be secretive, enjoy alone time, avoid relationships
• v destructive, extreme form is psychotic behaviour

Question 20

In what ways does Horney agree with Freud on the development of the personality?

Answer 20

• the importance of childhood on the structure and function of mature personality
• the existence of conflict between children and their parents

Question 21

In what ways does Horney differ from Freud on developmental theory?

Answer 21

• no emphasis on specific stages
• personality is capable of change, even after childhood
• see parent-child conflict not as sexual in nature but rather basic anxiety caused be dependence vs desire for independence
• womb-envy rather than penis envy (men’s oppression of women is an attempt to subvert their feelings of inferiority due to womb-envy

Question 22

Outline Horney’s view of psychopathology

Answer 22

• enmeshed with her views of optimal development as neurosis vs normal is purely a difference of degree
• neurotic syndrome develops as a result of a vicious circle and the development of the idealised self.
• neurotic personalities suppress unacceptable features and internal conflicts of the actual self and masks them through the development of the IDEAL SELF.
• the ideal self BECOMES their actual self, which creates a vicious circle of neurotic syndrome
• ideal self sets unrealistic goals which the person PRETENDS to achieve for the sake of others, further distancing the actual from the ideal self and resulting in BH and BA => more internal conflict, more investment in ideal self, more distance …etc

Question 23

What governs the neurotic individual?

Answer 23

• A “tyranny of shoulds” - creating an idealised image of themselves
• encouraged by western value of competitiveness

Question 24

What kind of IP style is most commonly found in hypercompetitive people?

Answer 24

Moving against others

Question 25

Basically, what happens to neurotic individuals?

Answer 25

• they become estranged from their actual selves and others because of their identification with the ideal self and their fixation upon one of the IP styles
  *can be brought back in touch through psychotherapy

Question 26

In what ways is the ideal self different for heathy people when compared to neurotic people?

Answer 26

• ideal self is only a goal they would life to attain
• not a vast difference between the ideal and actual self (creates little anxiety or conflict)

Question 27

Healthy people, according to Horney,…

Answer 27

• are not alienated from their actual selves, and do not need to defend themselves during their interactions with others (through 1 IP style)
• in contact with actual self and true potential and can freely move towards, away or against others

Question 28

What are the goals of therapy according to Horney?

Answer 28

• a realistic relationship between the ideal and the actual self
• acceptance of oneself and realistic goals
• remove growth blocking factors
• an opportunity to free oneself from fixation with one IP style

Question 29

How did Horney interpret aggression?

Answer 29

• she rejects Freud’s notion of unconscious death drives
• believes people become aggressive if their physical well-being or values are threatened (be violent to live, not live to be violent)
• can alos be neurotic reactions of people in an “moving against people” IPS
• thinks we ought to try understand our aggression on a concious not UC level

Question 30

Some of Horney’s major contributions?

Answer 30

• stimulated Feminine Psychology through putting forward a positive theory of femininity compared to Freud
• her concept of the self is evident in Carl Roger’s work and Albert Ellis’ RET