Chapter 6 Horney: Psychoanalytic Social Theory
Chapter 6
Horney: Psychoanalytic Social Theory
Learning Objectives
After reading Chapter 6, you should be able to:
1.
Compare and contrast the theories of Horney and Freud.
2.
Discuss Horney's concepts of basic hostility and basic anxiety.
3.
Identify and discuss Horney's three categories of neurotic needs.
4.
Describe Horney's three neurotic trends.
5.
Explain Horney's concept of intrapsychic conflicts.
6.
List the modes of expression for self-hatred.
7.
Discuss Horney's approach to feminine psychology.
8.
Describe recent research on psychoanalytic social theory.
9.
Evaluate psychoanalytic social theory against the criteria of a
useful theory.
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Chapter 6 Horney: Psychoanalytic Social Theory
Summary Outline
I.
Overview of Horney's Psychoanalytic Social Theory
Karen Horney's psychoanalytic social theory, assumes that social
and cultural conditions, especially during childhood, have a
powerful effect on later personality. Like Melanie Klein, Horney
accepted many of Freud's observations, but she objected to most
of his interpretations, including his notions on feminine
psychology.
II.
Biography of Karen Horney
Karen Horney, who was born in Germany in 1885, was one of
the first women in that country admitted to medical school.
There, she became acquainted with Freudian theory and
eventually became a psychoanalyst and a psychiatrist. In her
mid-40s, Horney left Germany to settle in the United States, first
in Chicago and then in New York. She soon abandoned
orthodox psychoanalysis in favor of a more socially oriented
theory—one that had a more positive view of feminine
development. She died in 1952 at age 67.
III.
Introduction to Horney's Psychoanalytic Social Theory
Although Horney's writings deal mostly with what she called
neuroses and neurotic personalities, her theories are also
appropriate to normal development. She agreed with Freud that
early childhood traumas are important, but she placed far more
emphasis on social factors.
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Chapter 6 Horney: Psychoanalytic Social Theory
A. Horney and Freud Compared
Horney criticized Freudian theory on at least three accounts: (1)
its rigidity toward new ideas, (2) its skewed view of feminine
psychology, and (3) its overemphasis on biology and the
pleasure principle.
B. The Impact of Culture
Horney insisted that modern culture is too competitive and that
competition leads to hostility and feelings of isolation. These
conditions lead to exaggerated needs for affection and cause
people to overvalue love.
C. The Importance of Childhood Experiences
Neurotic conflict stems largely from childhood traumas, most of
which are traced to 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.
IV.
Basic Hostility and Basic Anxiety
All children need feelings of safety and security, but these can be
gained only by love from parents. Unfortunately, parents often
neglect, dominate, reject, or overindulge their children,
conditions that lead to the child's feelings of basic hostility
toward parents. If children repress basic hostility, they will
develop feelings of insecurity and a pervasive sense of
apprehension called basic anxiety. People can protect
themselves from basic anxiety by (1) affection, (2)
submissiveness, (3) power or prestige, and (4) withdrawal.
Normal people have the flexibility to use any or all of these
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Chapter 6 Horney: Psychoanalytic Social Theory
approaches, but neurotics are compelled to rely rigidly on only
one.
V.
Compulsive Drives
Neurotic individuals are frequently trapped in a vicious circle in
which their compulsive need to reduce basic anxiety leads to a
variety of self-defeating behaviors; these behaviors then produce
more basic anxiety, and the circle continues.
A. Neurotic Needs
Horney identified 10 neurotic needs that mark neurotic people
in their attempt to reduce basic anxiety. These include (1) needs
for affection and approval, (2) needs for a partner (3) needs to
restrict one's life within narrow borders, (4) needs for power, (5)
needs to exploit others, (6) needs for social recognition or
prestige, (7) needs for personal admiration, (8) needs for
ambition and personal achievement, (9) needs for selfsufficiency and independence, and (10) needs for perfection and
unassailability.
B. Neurotic Trends
Later, Horney grouped these 10 neurotic needs into three basic
neurotic trends; (1) moving toward people, (2) moving against
people, and (3) moving away from people. Each of these trends
can apply to both normal and neurotic individuals in their
attempt to solve basic conflict. However, whereas neurotic
people are compelled to follow only one neurotic trend, normal
individuals are sufficiently flexible to adopt all three. People
who move neurotically toward others adopt a compliant attitude
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Chapter 6 Horney: Psychoanalytic Social Theory
in order to protect themselves against feelings of helplessness;
people who move against others do so through aggressive
behaviors that protect them against perceived hostility from
others; and people who move away from others do so in a
detached manner that protects them against feelings of isolation
by appearing arrogant and aloof.
VI.
Intrapsychic Conflicts
People also experience inner tensions or intrapsychic conflicts
that become part of their belief systems and take on lives of their
own, separate from the interpersonal conflicts that created them.
A. The Idealized Self-Image
People who do not receive love and affection during childhood
are blocked in heir attempt to acquire a stable sense of identity.
Feeling alienated from self, they create an idealized self-image,
or an extravagantly positive picture of themselves. Horney
recognized three aspects of the idealized self-image:(1) the
neurotic search for glory, or a comprehensive drive toward
actualizing the ideal self; (2) neurotic claims, or a belief that
they are entitled to special privileges; and (3) neurotic pride, or
a false pride based not on reality but on a distorted and idealized
view of self.
B. Self-Hatred
Neurotic individuals dislike themselves because reality always
falls short of their idealized view of self. Therefore, they learn
self-hatred, which can be expressed as: (1) relentless demands on
self, (2) merciless self-accusation, (3) self-contempt, (4) self-
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Chapter 6 Horney: Psychoanalytic Social Theory
frustration, (5) self-torment or self-torture, and (6) selfdestructive actions and impulses.
VII. Feminine Psychology
Horney believed that psychological differences between men and
women are not due to anatomy but to culture and social
expectations. Her view of the Oedipus complex differed
markedly from Freud's in that she insisted that any sexual
attraction or hostility the child feels for the parent would be the
result of learning and not biology.
VIII. Psychotherapy
The goal of Horney's psychotherapy was to help patients grow
toward self-realization, give up their idealized self-image,
relinquish their neurotic search for glory, and change self-hatred
to self-acceptance. Horney believed that successful therapy is
built on self-analysis and self-understanding.
IX.
Related Research
Most research on neuroticism highlights its negative side.
Neuroticism is associated with setting avoidance goals rather
than approach goals (Elliot & Thrash, 2002). Horney’s view
(1942) was that neurotics compulsively protect themselves
against anxiety, and this defensive strategy traps them in a
negative cycle. While the negative view of neuroticism is
understandable, recent researchers have begun looking at some
benefits of neuroticism. A study by Michael Robinson and
colleagues asked how one could be a “successful neurotic”
(Robinson, Ode, Wilkowski, & Amodio, 2007). They found that
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Chapter 6 Horney: Psychoanalytic Social Theory
for those predisposed toward neuroticism, the ability to react
adaptively to errors while assessing threat was related to less
negative mood in daily life. The conclusion was that many
neurotic people, while they cannot change their personalities and
stop being neurotic, often develop great skill at avoiding
negative outcomes, and that their successful avoidance of these
outcomes improves their mood, making them feel better on a
daily basis.
X. Critique of Horney
Although Horney painted a vivid portrait of the neurotic
personality, her theory rates very low in generating research, low
on its ability to be falsified, to organize data, and to serve as a
useful guide to action. Her theory is rated about average on
internal consistency and parsimony.
XI.
Concept of Humanity
Horney's concept of humanity is rated very high on social
factors, high on free choice, optimism, and unconscious
influences, and about average on causality versus teleology and
on the uniqueness of the individual.
Test Items
Fill-in-the-Blanks
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Chapter 6 Horney: Psychoanalytic Social Theory
1.
Horney believed that _______________________ factors, not
anatomy, were responsible for psychic differences between men
and women.
2.
Horney's writings are concerned mostly with _________________
individuals.
3.
By training, Horney was a __________________ at a time when
few women in Germany were trained in this profession.
4.
Horney believed that modern culture overvalues
___________________ and undervalues cooperation.
5.
Horney questioned Freud's ____________________ of his
observations rather than the observations themselves.
6
Horney believed that basic hostility and basic
__________________ underlie all neurotic drives.
7.
People protect themselves against _______________________
through affection, submission, power, or withdrawal.
8.
Horney's three neurotic ________________ include moving
toward, against, and away from people.
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Chapter 6 Horney: Psychoanalytic Social Theory
9.
Neurotic behavior is more _____________________ than normal
behavior, and this is a primary distinction between normals and
neurotics.
10. Neurotic trends are used to solve basic ___________________,
which originates in childhood when children are driven toward,
against, and away from people.
11. The outstanding characteristic of people who adopt the strategy of
moving toward other people is ______________________ .
12. _____________________ people protect themselves against the
hostility of others by moving against people.
13. Neurotics try to solve the basic conflict of __________________
by moving away from people in a detached manner.
14. The idealized _____________________ is an attempt to solve
conflicts by portraying a godlike picture of oneself.
15. According to Horney, the drive to make the whole personality into
the idealized self is called the need for
_________________________ .
16. Self-contempt and self-torment are two modes of
___________________.
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Chapter 6 Horney: Psychoanalytic Social Theory
True-False
_____
1. According to Horney, psychologically healthy people
have a strong drive to please other people.
_____2. When depressed, psychologically healthy people seek an
emotionally strong person to tell their troubles.
_____3. Because Horney wrote mainly about neurotic personalities,
her theory is not relevant to healthy personality development.
_____4. Horney's theory is basically pessimistic in its outlook.
_____5. Horney believed that people are governed by two great drives:
sex and aggression.
_____6. Psychologically mature individuals enjoy seeing the
achievements of their friends.
_____7. Horney said that people with a strong need for affection have
overvalued love.
_____8. Modern society, Horney said, is based on competition among
people.
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Chapter 6 Horney: Psychoanalytic Social Theory
____9. Horney believed that neurotic people enjoy their misery and
suffering.
____10. Neither the compliant person nor the aggressive person needs
other people.
____11. Horney believed in the concept of a universal Oedipus
complex.
____12. The need for affection and approval are two of Horney's 10
neurotic needs.
____13. Because they have deep feelings of inferiority, many neurotic
individuals move toward other people.
____14. The normal analog to the neurotic trend of moving toward
people is survival in a competitive society.
____15. Both Freudian and Horneyian therapists use the techniques of
dream interpretation and free association.
____16. Horney's theory has generated a great amount of research.
____17. Horney's theory avoids the problem of falsifiability that
plagues the theories of Freud and Jung.
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Chapter 6 Horney: Psychoanalytic Social Theory
Multiple Choice
______1. Which of these statements most accurately reflects one of
Horney's neurotic needs?
a. "I need an emotionally strong person to tell my troubles."
b. "it's okay with me if someone else is the life of the party."
c. "I feel comfortable whenever I'm in an emotionally close
relationship."
d. "It's easy for me to accept my own mistakes and personal
flaws."
_____ 2. Horney believed that most neuroses are the result of
a. unhealthy interpersonal relations.
b. an unresolved Oedipus complex.
c. unwise parenting.
d. underdeveloped ego strength.
_____3. The life of Horney has several parallels to that of _____; for
example, both were the youngest children of older fathers,
and both had older siblings who were favored by the parents.
a. Carl Jung
b. Alfred Adler
c. Margaret Mahler
d. Melanie Klein
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Chapter 6 Horney: Psychoanalytic Social Theory
______4. Horney's early professional writings were strongly influenced
by
a. Freud.
b. Adler.
c. Jung.
d. Sullivan.
_____ 5. Horney criticized psychoanalysis for its
a. concept of feminine psychology.
b. overemphasis on clinical research.
c. underemphasis on clinical research.
d. concept of the three levels of mental life.
_____6. Horney believed that cultural conditions are largely
responsible for the development of
a. basic trust.
b. basic mistrust.
c. basic anxiety.
d. basic psychoses.
______7. According to Horney, people are ruled by safety and
a. sex.
b. fear.
c. satisfaction.
d. anxiety.
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Chapter 6 Horney: Psychoanalytic Social Theory
______8. Horney believed that a competitive and hostile society
encourages
a. hatred.
b. love.
c. isolation.
d. superiority and success.
_____9. Horney believed that people overvalue love as a means of
satisfying the need for _____.
a. self-esteem
b. competence
c. superiority
d. affection
______10. According to Horney, most neurotic individuals
a. are no longer motivated to find love.
b. seek love in a self-defeating fashion.
c. experience decreases in hostility.
d. develop enhanced self-esteem through their search for love.
____11. Horney defined basic anxiety as a feeling of being
a. separated from the mothering one.
b. isolated and helpless in a potentially hostile world.
c. threatened by one's enemies.
d. incompetent in a world where others appear to be competent.
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Chapter 6 Horney: Psychoanalytic Social Theory
____12. Horney believed that modern society is too
a. liberal.
b. conservative.
c. dangerous.
d. competitive.
____13. According to Horney, neurotic behavior is a protection
against
a. feelings of inferiority.
b. basic anxiety.
c. public disgrace.
d. exaggerated guilt.
____14 Which of these is NOT one of Horney's three neurotic
trends?
a. moving against people
b. moving away from people
c. moving with people
d. moving toward people
____15. Children who feel isolated from others are likely to develop
the neurotic trend of moving
a. away from others.
b. with others.
c. against others.
d. toward others.
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Chapter 6 Horney: Psychoanalytic Social Theory
____16. The compliant person is most likely to adopt the neurotic
trend of
a. moving toward people.
b. moving with people.
c. moving against people.
d. moving away from people.
____17. Each neurotic trend has a normal, healthy analog. A friendly,
loving person has successfully solved the trend of moving
a. against others.
b. toward others.
c. with others.
d. away from others.
____18. Horney regarded the idealized self-image and self-hatred as
a. interpersonal conflicts.
b. psychosexual conflicts.
c. psychosocial conflicts.
d. intrapsychic conflicts.
e. principal ingredients in the syndrome of decay.
____19. Contrary to Freud, Horney held that the Oedipus complex is
a. universal.
b. found only in males.
c. found only in females.
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Chapter 6 Horney: Psychoanalytic Social Theory
d. the result of anatomy.
e. the result of cultural factors.
____20. The ultimate goal of Horneyian therapy is
a. the elimination of basic anxiety.
b. the solution of basic conflicts.
c. the recovery of unconscious instincts.
d. growth toward self-realization.
e. the solution of day-to-day problems.
____21. Ashley feels alienated from her femininity and wishes that
she were a man. Horney would say that Ashley's desires
originate from
a. her experiences with cultural privileges for men.
b. penis envy.
c. oedipal strivings.
d. lack of a close relationship with her mother.
Short Answer
1. List three of Horney's criticisms of Freudian theory.
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Chapter 6 Horney: Psychoanalytic Social Theory
2. Name four protective mechanisms that people use to defend
themselves against basic hostility and basic anxiety.
3. List Horney's 10 neurotic needs.
4. List and discuss Horney's three neurotic trends.
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Chapter 6 Horney: Psychoanalytic Social Theory
5. List six major ways in which self-hatred is expressed.
6. Discuss Horney's concept of feminine psychology, including her
view of the Oedipus complex.
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Chapter 6 Horney: Psychoanalytic Social Theory
Answers
Fill-in-the-Blanks
True-False
Multiple Choice
1.
cultural (social) factors
1.
F
1.
a
2.
neurotic
2.
F
2.
a
3.
physician
3.
F
3.
d
4.
competition
4.
F
4.
a
5.
interpretations
5.
F
5.
a
6.
basic anxiety
6.
F
6.
c
7.
basic anxiety
7.
T
7.
c
8.
trends
8.
T
8.
c
9.
compulsive
9.
F
9.
d
10. conflict
10. F
10.
b
11. compliance
11. F
11.
b
12. Aggressive
12. T
12.
d
13. isolation
13. T
13.
b
14. self-image
14. F
14.
c
15. perfection
15. T
15.
a
16. self-hatred
16. F
16.
a
17. F
17.
b
18
d
19.
e
20.
d
21.
a
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