14.horney - Psychoanalytic Social Theory

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.
Feist, Theories of Personality, 8e Student Study
Guide-6 | 1
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.
Guide-6 | 2
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
Guide-6 | 3
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 self-sufficiency 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 in order to
protect themselves against feelings of helplessness; people who
Guide-6 | 4
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-

Guide-6 | 5
frustration, (5) self-torment or self-torture, and (6) self-

destructive 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
Guide-6 | 6
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
1. Horney believed that _______________________ factors, not

anatomy, were responsible for psychic differences between men
and women.
Guide-6 | 7
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.
9. Neurotic behavior is more _____________________ than normal

behavior, and this is a primary distinction between normals and
neurotics.

Guide-6 | 8
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

___________________.
True-False

Guide-6 | 9
_____ 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.
____9. Horney believed that neurotic people enjoy their misery and
suffering.

Guide-6 | 10
____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.
Multiple Choice

Guide-6 | 11
______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
______4. Horney's early professional writings were strongly influenced

by
a. Freud.
Guide-6 | 12
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.
______8. Horney believed that a competitive and hostile society

encourages
a. hatred.
Guide-6 | 13
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.
____12. Horney believed that modern society is too

a. liberal.
b. conservative.
Guide-6 | 14
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.
____16. The compliant person is most likely to adopt the neurotic

trend of
a. moving toward people.
Guide-6 | 15
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.
d. the result of anatomy.
e. the result of cultural factors.
____20. The ultimate goal of Horneyian therapy is

Guide-6 | 16
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.

Guide-6 | 17
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.

Guide-6 | 18
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.
Answers
Fill-in-the-Blanks True-False Multiple Choice

Guide-6 | 19
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

Guide-6 | 20

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Chapter 6 Horney: Psychoanalytic Social Theory

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

I. Overview of Horney's Psychoanalytic Social Theory

A. Horney and Freud Compared

approaches, but neurotics are compelled to rely rigidly on only

move against others do so through aggressive behaviors that

Feist, Theories of Personality, 8e Student Study

frustration, (5) self-torment or self-torture, and (6) self-

for those predisposed toward neuroticism, the ability to react

1. Horney believed that _______________________ factors, not

2. Horney's writings are concerned mostly with _________________

3. By training, Horney was a __________________ at a time when

4. Horney believed that modern culture overvalues

5. Horney questioned Freud's ____________________ of his

6 Horney believed that basic hostility and basic

7. People protect themselves against _______________________

8. Horney's three neurotic ________________ include moving

9. Neurotic behavior is more _____________________ than normal

Feist, Theories of Personality, 8e Student Study

10. Neurotic trends are used to solve basic ___________________,

11. The outstanding characteristic of people who adopt the strategy of

12. _____________________ people protect themselves against the

13. Neurotics try to solve the basic conflict of __________________

14. The idealized _____________________ is an attempt to solve

16. Self-contempt and self-torment are two modes of

Feist, Theories of Personality, 8e Student Study

_____ 1. According to Horney, psychologically healthy people have

_____2. When depressed, psychologically healthy people seek an

_____3. Because Horney wrote mainly about neurotic personalities, her

_____4. Horney's theory is basically pessimistic in its outlook.

_____6. Psychologically mature individuals enjoy seeing the

_____8. Modern society, Horney said, is based on competition among

Feist, Theories of Personality, 8e Student Study

____11. Horney believed in the concept of a universal Oedipus

____13. Because they have deep feelings of inferiority, many neurotic

____14. The normal analog to the neurotic trend of moving toward

____15. Both Freudian and Horneyian therapists use the techniques of

____16. Horney's theory has generated a great amount of research.

____17. Horney's theory avoids the problem of falsifiability that

Feist, Theories of Personality, 8e Student Study

______1. Which of these statements most accurately reflects one of

_____ 2. Horney believed that most neuroses are the result of

______4. Horney's early professional writings were strongly influenced

_____ 5. Horney criticized psychoanalysis for its

_____6. Horney believed that cultural conditions are largely

______7. According to Horney, people are ruled by safety and

______8. Horney believed that a competitive and hostile society

_____9. Horney believed that people overvalue love as a means of

______10. According to Horney, most neurotic individuals