ch 6 Horney

Question 1

Introduction

Answer 1

 Socially-oriented psychoanalysis; aka, Neo-Freudians
 Pays attention to the social dimension of human existence: social and cultural factors
 Consciousness is manifested in the concept of a self
 Individuals can strengthen the self – and not be swamped by society’s demands for
conformity

Question 2

Karen Horney

Answer 2

 1885-1852; Born in Hamburg, studied at the Uni of Freiburg, Berlin
 Ran a private practice and taught at Berlin Institute of Psychoanalysis from 1918 to
1932
 Moved to the US in 1932 to be co-director of Chicago Inst of Psychoanalysis
 Broke away from traditional psychoanalysis in 1941, founding the American Inst of
Psychoanalysis
o “… her move to America made her realise that the biological determinism and
emphasis on sexuality of Freudian thinking was not appropriate to American
people of the depression years” (p. 155)
o Human behaviour shaped by culture; the interaction between person and
environment creates the conflicts from which problems arise
o Nuclear family as well as broader culture
 From intrapsychic to an interpersonal, even psychosocial foundation for psychology –
diverges from her earlier Freudian roots
 An optimistic view of humanity: personality tends towards development, growth,
realising of potentials
 Neurotic people need to be liberated from that which block their growth potential

Question 3

The view of the person underlying the theory
Hoernle

Answer 3

 Horney developed her theory mainly to understand neurotic personality.
 She believed that all people have a natural drive and ability to grow and reach their
full potential.
 Like Adler (and unlike Freud), she saw human nature as inherently good and
constructive.
 This natural growth can be blocked by unhealthy relationships with oneself or others,
leading to illness or even death.
 Horney had an optimistic view of human beings, she believed people can grow,
change, and shape their personalities, and are not just victims of the past.
 She emphasized the importance of current experiences just as much as past ones.
 Horney believed in the power of self-analysis, people can understand and solve their
own problems.
 She saw self-knowledge as both a responsibility and a gift that leads to natural
growth.
 She rejected Freud’s idea that behaviour is controlled by instincts and beyond our
control.
 Everyone, she believed, has the potential to reach self-actualisation.
 The difference between healthy and neurotic people is just a matter of degree,
neurotic people just need help to remove the blocks to their natural growth.

Question 4

Structure of personality
Hoernle

Answer 4

 Horney distinguishes among three selves:
1. The Idealised Self: The product of a feeling of inferiority; common in societies
that place high value on prestige and competition.
2. The Actual Self: How we consciously act in daily life; we often reject this self
because it does not meet the demands of the ideal self
3. The Real Self: Emerges when the person has relinquished all the techniques
developed for dealing with anxiety and resolving conflict
 Growth principle: replaces Freud’s id
 All energy is naturally channelled in such a way as to ensure that the individual will
develop her or his unique potential, unless it becomes blocked by some ‘anti-natural’
influence… e.g., family, society
 Two crucial needs:
1. The need for security or safety (that is, the need to be free from anxiety and
threat)
2. The need for satisfaction (that is, basic physiological needs such as the need
for food, water, sex and sleep)
 Factors promoting /inhibiting growth
1. Parents act with real love and warmth
2. Contrast: parental irresponsibility and ‘neuroticising cultural influences’

Question 5

Dynamics of personality
Hoernle

Answer 5

 People are naturally driven to grow and reach their full potential (unlike Freud’s id-
driven model).
 Growth Principle: Energy is used for self-development unless blocked by harmful
influences (e.g. negative culture or parenting).
 Environment, especially culture and parenting, can help or hinder development.

Question 6

Dynamics of personality

Answer 6

Basic Needs
What Promotes Growth?
What Inhibits Growth?
Culture and Anxiety
Coping with Hostility & Anxiety
Interpersonal Styles

Question 7

Dynamics of personality
Basic Needs

Answer 7

1. Need for security – freedom from fear and anxiety.
2. Need for satisfaction – basic physical needs (food, sleep, etc.).
   If not met properly:
    Can lead to neurosis or inferiority.
    But if handled well, can lead to personal growth.

Question 8

Dynamics of personality
What Promotes Growth?

Answer 8

 Loving, warm, and respectful parenting.
 Creates a safe environment for the child to grow.

Question 9

Dynamics of personality
What Inhibits Growth?

Answer 9

 Negative parenting and conflicting cultural values, e.g.:
o Domination, neglect, lack of warmth, unfairness, overprotection, etc.
 Leads to:
o Basic Hostility = anger from unmet needs in a hostile world.
o Basic Anxiety = feeling small, helpless, and insecure.

Question 10

Dynamics of personality
Culture and Anxiety

Answer 10

 Western cultures often create tension due to conflicting values (e.g., success vs
humility).
 In South Africa, values like Ubuntu (community-based) can clash with individualism
and materialism.

Question 11

Dynamics of personality
Coping with Hostility & Anxiety

Answer 11

 Repressed and unconscious.
 Show up as neurotic needs (everyone has them to some degree).
 Eventually form interpersonal styles or coping strategies.

Question 12

Dynamics of personality
Interpersonal Styles

Answer 12

People deal with others in 3 ways:
1. Moving Towards Others (Submissive/Compliant Type)
 Want love and approval.
 Believe: “If I’m nice and needed, I won’t get hurt.”
 Often dependent, afraid of rejection.
2. Moving Against Others (Hostile/Aggressive Type)
 Want power and success.
 Believe: “If I have power, no one can hurt me.”
 Competitive, manipulative, distrustful.
Types of Aggressive Style:
o Narcissistic: Expect admiration and rewards.
o Perfectionist: Think they are always right.
o Arrogant/Vengeful: Outsmart and beat others.
3. Moving Away from Others (Detached/Aloof Type)
 Want independence and distance.
 Believe: “If I withdraw, no one can hurt me.”
 Avoid emotional involvement, prefer solitude.
Note:
 Healthy individuals use all three styles flexibly.
 Neurotic individuals rely on only one style in all situations.

Question 13

The development of the personality

Answer 13

Similarities with Freud
 Agreed that childhood experiences shape adult personality.
Key Differences from Freud

Question 14

Key Differences from Freud

Answer 14

1. Personality Can Change
   o Horney believed people can change throughout life.
   o Not just children, adults too can grow and change in fundamental ways.
2. No Fixed Stages
   o Unlike Freud, she didn’t believe in specific developmental stages (e.g.,
   psychosexual stages).
3. Basic Anxiety vs. Oedipus Complex
   o Horney rejected Freud’s sexual interpretation of the Oedipus complex.
   o She believed childhood conflict is about basic anxiety: the struggle between
   dependence on parents and the desire for independence.
4. Rejection of Penis Envy
   o Horney opposed Freud’s idea that girls feel inferior because they lack a penis.
   o She argued this idea is rooted in cultural bias, not biology.
5. Masochism and Femaleness
   o Freud saw women as naturally masochistic (pleasure-pain in sex/birth).
   o Horney said this is culturally constructed, not biological.
6. Cultural Influence on Gender Roles
   o Freud’s theories reflected a male-dominated culture.
   o Horney believed that society shapes female roles, making them seem inferior.
7. Womb Envy (Horney’s Counter to Penis Envy)
   o Men envy women’s ability to give birth and nurture.
   o This leads men to:
    Focus intensely on careers.
    Try to limit women’s rights and opportunities.
   o These actions come from men’s unconscious sense of inferiority.

Question 15

Womb envy

Answer 15

Men’s envy of women’s reproductive capabilities (pregnancy, childbirth,
breastfeeding).

Question 16

Optimal development and views on psychopathology

Answer 16

Linked Concepts
 Horney believed optimal development and psychopathology are connected.
 Difference between a healthy person and a neurotic person is a matter of degree.

Question 17

Optimal development and views on psychopathology
Neurotic Personality Development

Answer 17

 Neurotics develop a false ‘ideal self’ to cover up real inner conflicts.
 They hide their actual self and try to become their ideal self, which is unrealistic.

Examples:
Type Ideal Self What They’re Hiding
Submissive (dependent) Self-sacrificing, unselfish Deep need for love & dependency

Hostile (aggressive) Strong leader, respected Feelings of dependence

Withdrawn (detached) Independent, self-sufficient Need for connection

Question 18

Optimal development and views on psychopathology
The Vicious Circle

Answer 18

 The ideal self sets unreachable goals.
 When people fail, they feel anxiety and shame.
 To cope, they cling even more to the ideal self.
 This increases the gap between actual & ideal self, creating a vicious cycle.

Question 19

Optimal development and views on psychopathology
Tyranny of Shoulds

Answer 19

 Neurotics feel they “should” be perfect (honest, kind, strong, etc.).
 These “shoulds” control their life and cause inner conflict.
 They try to be saints, geniuses, heroes, etc., to feel worthy.
Key Term: Tyranny of Shoulds – A compulsive drive to live up to an unrealistic ideal.

Question 20

Optimal development and views on psychopathology
Hyper competitiveness

Answer 20

 Western culture promotes excessive competition.
 Horney calls this neurotic competitiveness.
 It’s a way to boost low self-esteem and seek external validation.

Characteristics of Hypercompetitive People:
 Narcissistic, sensation-seeking
 Inflated but fragile self-worth
 Constantly need admiration
 May do anything (even unethical) to feel successful
 Often “move against others” as their interpersonal style

Question 21

Optimal development and views on psychopathology
Isolation & Psychosis

Answer 21

 Neurotics become estranged from their real selves and others.
 If stuck in one interpersonal style (especially moving away from others), they risk
becoming psychotic.

Question 22

Optimal development and views on psychopathology
Normal vs. Neurotic Development

Answer 22

Trait

Ideal Self
Actual vs Ideal Self
Conflict
Control
Relationships

Normal Person

A goal to strive for
Small difference
Minimal
Inner self guides life
Flexible & healthy

Neurotic Person

An identity to live up to
Large gap
Intense & ongoing
Tyranny of shoulds takes over
Fixed style, emotionally defensive

Question 23

Optimal development and views on psychopathology
Psychotherapy’s Role

Answer 23

 Can help neurotic individuals reconnect with their actual selves and others.
 Encourages growth, flexibility, and emotional freedom.

Question 24

Implications and applications

Answer 24

Psychotherapy
Contribution to Female Psychology\
Measurement and Research
Interpretation and Handling of Aggression

Question 25

Implications and applications Psychotherapy

Answer 25

 Horney’s psychotherapy aims to create a balanced relationship between the ideal self and actual self, allowing individuals to accept themselves and set realistic goals.  The therapeutic process is challenging because neurotic people resist letting go of their idealized self.  The therapist should play an active and directive role, guiding the person to move away from fixations on interpersonal styles and reconnect with their actual self.  Horney was against the long duration of traditional psychotherapy and advocated for self-analysis.

Question 26

Implications and applications Contribution to Female Psychology

Answer 26

 Horney criticized Freud’s views on penis envy and castration anxiety, believing they reflected male bias.  She argued that women’s identity is more than just reflecting male ideals and that their roles should not be limited to reproduction or dependence on men.  Her views contributed to feminist movements and the development of female psychology.

Question 27

Implications and applications Measurement and Research

Answer 27

 Horney’s theory is based on case studies, but her work lacks objective verification.  Despite initial limited research, there is renewed interest in Horney’s ideas, especially her three neurotic types: compliant, aggressive, and detached.  Tools like the Horney-Coolidge Type Inventory (HCTI) are used to assess these neurotic personality types, with studies supporting their validity

Question 28

Implications and applications Interpretation and Handling of Aggression

Answer 28

 Horney disagreed with Freud’s concept of the death drive and its link to aggression, seeing it as speculative.  She believed aggression arises when survival is threatened or when someone is frustrated or insulted.  Aggression is not an inherent part of human nature but a response to external threats.  Horney’s approach to aggression involves identifying its immediate causes and addressing them consciously in therapy, especially for people who use aggression as part of their interpersonal style.  A recent study supported Horney’s views, finding that individuals with higher authenticity responded less aggressively in unfair situations.

Question 29

Evaluation of the theory

Answer 29

 Horney’s Key Contribution: She provided valuable insights into the neurotic personality, drawing on her experience as a psychotherapist in the psychoanalytical tradition.  Influence on Other Theories: Her work influenced Carl Rogers' concept of the self and Albert Ellis' rational-emotional therapy.  Feminine Psychology: Horney rejected Freud’s negative views of women, replacing them with a more positive theory of femininity, which sparked interest in Feminine Psychology.  Criticism: Horney has been criticized for oversimplifying complex issues and for making psychoanalysis too accessible to the general public through self-analysis, which some argue led to it becoming a fad.