How Did Karen Horney Come Up With Her Theory Of Personality?

Karen Horney, a neo-Freudian psychologist, was born in Germany in 1885 and gained a medical degree from the University of Berlin in 1911. Her views challenged prevailing notions of the time, paving the way for a more holistic understanding of neurosis and personality development. Horney introduced the concept of “basic anxiety” linked to personality development and proposed three coping strategies: moving towards, against, or away from others.

In her personality theory, Horney reformulated Freudian thought and presented a holistic, humanistic perspective that emphasized cultural and social influences, human growth, and the achievement of self-actualization. She believed that people need warm, supportive environments and strong interpersonal relationships to realize their “real self”. Horney’s early experiences, such as struggling with depression as a teenager, played a part in the later development of her theories.

Horney believed that personality was developed in response more to environmental factors than anything else. She proposed that neurotic behavior comes from trying to cope with anxiety and that idealized self-image results in neurotics’ attempts to build a god-like picture of themselves. Her focus on cultural and social factors significantly expanded the scope of psychoanalytic theory, by integrating these influences into her analysis of the causes and dynamics of neurosis and her revision of Freud’s theory of personality.

Horney did not establish a specific theory of personality but rather proceeded through a series of stages in which she addressed the source of neurotic behavior. Her work has been influential in the field of psychology and continues to influence the understanding of neurosis and personality development.

What did the psychoanalytic social theory of Karen Horney believe in?

Karen Horney, a psychoanalytic social theory, posits that social and cultural conditions, particularly during childhood, significantly influence later personality. Born in Germany in 1885, Horney was one of the first women admitted to medical school and became acquainted with Freudian theory. She later became a psychoanalyst and psychiatrist, eventually abandoning orthodox psychoanalysis in favor of a more socially oriented theory. Horney’s theories, primarily focusing on neuroses and neurotic personalities, also suggest much that is appropriate for normal development.

Horney criticized Freud’s theory for its rigidity towards new ideas, skewed view of feminine psychology, and overemphasis on biology and the pleasure principle. She argued that modern culture is too competitive, leading to hostility and feelings of isolation, leading to exaggerated needs for affection and overvaluing love.

Horney also highlighted the importance of childhood experiences in neurotic conflict, which stems from a lack of genuine love. Children who do not receive genuine affection feel threatened and adopt rigid behavioral patterns in an attempt to gain love.

Basic hostility and basic anxiety are common in children, but they can be repressed by parents who neglect, dominate, reject, or overindulge them. To protect themselves from basic anxiety, people can use protective devices such as affection, submissiveness, power, prestige, or possession, or withdrawal. Neurotics are compelled to rely rigidly on one of these approaches, highlighting the importance of understanding and addressing these factors in a healthy and balanced way.

Who developed the first comprehensive theory of personality?

Sigmund Freud, a pioneer in personality theory, introduced the concept of personality as a complex system consisting of three components: the id, ego, and superego. The ego balances the sexual and aggressive drives of the id with the moral ideal of the superego. Freud also proposed that personality develops through psychosexual stages, with each stage focusing on a specific erogenous zone. Failure to resolve a stage can lead to unhealthy personality traits, while successful resolution results in a healthy adult.

Neo-Freudians, who followed Freud’s work, emphasized the importance of childhood experiences but decreased the focus on sex and the social environment and cultural effects on personality. Notable neo-Freudians include Alfred Adler, Carl Jung, Erik Erikson, and Karen Horney. However, their approaches have been criticized for being philosophical rather than based on scientific research.

What is one of Karen Horney’s key contributions to the study of personality?

Karen Horney was a neo-Freudian psychologist known for her theory of neurotic needs, research on feminine psychology, and critiques of Freud’s emphasis on penis envy. She made significant contributions to self-psychology and the role of self-analysis and self-help in mental health. Born in 1885 in Germany, Horney was raised by a strict disciplinarian father and a domineering and irritable mother. Her work has significantly influenced the field of feminine psychology.

How is Horney’s theory similar to Adler’s?

Horney and Adler, along with others, disagreed with Freud’s view that sex and aggression are the primary factors shaping personality. They believed that social relationship factors during childhood had greater influences on personality than just repressed sexual passions. They emphasized the conscious mind’s role in human personality, not just subconscious repression. Horney also criticized Freud’s notion of “penis envy”, believing it was merely a jealousy of men’s generic power.

She believed that men were envious of a woman’s ability to bear children, and that men’s success may be a substitute for their inability to carry, bear, and nurture children. Horney was also surprised by psychiatrists’ emphasis on the male sexual organ and reworked the Freudian Oedipal complex, claiming that anxiety caused by disturbances in parent-child relationships caused clinging to one parent and jealousy of the other. Despite these differences, Horney aimed to reformulate Freudian thought, presenting a holistic, humanistic view of the individual psyche that emphasized cultural and social differences worldwide.

Which personality theory focuses on childhood experiences?

Psychodynamic theory, also known as psychoanalytic theory, explains personality in terms of unconscious psychological processes, such as wishes and fears, and emphasizes the importance of childhood experiences in shaping adult personality. Freud’s work, particularly psychoanalysis, has been influential and controversial, with his ideas causing outrage and outrage among professionals and the public.

Despite these controversial views, psychodynamic theory remains an essential aspect of psychological science and practice, playing a significant role in various disciplines such as developmental psychology, social psychology, sociology, and neuroscience. This module reviews the psychodynamic perspective on personality, discussing its core assumptions, evolution, and place within contemporary psychology.

Freud’s work has been controversial, with some people being outraged when he suggested that much of our behavior is determined by psychological forces we are largely unaware of. However, no competent psychologist or student of psychology can ignore psychodynamic theory, as it is too important for psychological science and practice and continues to play a significant role in various disciplines.

How is Horney’s theory different from that of Freud’s?

Freud’s perspective on mental difficulties analysis was that it required a trained analyst. In contrast, Horney was more optimistic about personality change and the affordability of psychoanalysis for the poor. This was in contrast to Freud’s disapproval of this concept.

What is the theory of personality development in Karen Horney?

The speaker put forth the proposition that anxieties have their genesis in childhood emotional neglect. It was emphasized that every individual has fundamental needs, such as love and reassurance, that are not fulfilled, which gives rise to neurotic behavior in adulthood as a consequence of unmet needs.

What is social foundation of personality by Karen Horney?

Horney posited that social and cultural influences are more significant than biological ones, as they can precipitate feelings of isolation and helplessness, thereby engendering basic anxiety in a potentially hostile world.

Was Karen Horney a psychodynamic?

Horney played a significant role in the development of psychodynamic theory and psychoanalysis in America, establishing psychoanalytic societies and training institutes in Chicago and New York. She was a friend and colleague of influential psychoanalysts like Harry Stack Sullivan and Erich Fromm. Horney encouraged cross-cultural research and practice, citing anthropologists, sociologists, and Zen Buddhism.

Although she abandoned the study of feminine psychology, her emphasis on relationships and interpersonal psychodynamic processes laid the foundation for later theories on women’s psychology, such as the relational-cultural model. Her influence is still felt today.

What is Horney’s attachment theory?

Horney’s theory examines the deviant behaviors exhibited by three distinct adult neurotic personality types and posits that early parent-child relationships may exert a significant influence on subsequent functioning.

When did Karen Horney develop her theory?

Karen Horney, a prominent psychoanalytic thinker, was appointed to the teaching staff of the Berlin Psychoanalytic Institute in 1920 and became the director of training. She later moved to the United States in 1932 and became the first associate director at the Institute for Psychoanalysis in Chicago. Horney’s major theoretical works, The Neurotic Personality of Our Time and New Ways in Psychoanalysis, were produced in New York City.

She emphasized the importance of patients identifying the cause of their anxieties rather than focusing solely on childhood memories or fantasies. Her psychoanalytic approach was rooted in her belief that there is no good reason why we should not develop and change until the last day we live. Horney’s radical views led to her expulsion from the New York Psychoanalytic Institute in 1941 and her organization of the Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis and its teaching center, the American Institute for Psychoanalysis. Horney died in 1952 in New York.