The document summarizes Horney's Neo-Freudian approach, which criticized Freud's theory for being too rigid and biology-focused. Horney believed humans are motivated by needs for security and love rather than sex and aggression. She emphasized social factors like gender experience and childhood feelings of helplessness, hostility, and isolation in influencing personality development and neurosis. Horney identified different neurotic trends in relating to others and defense mechanisms used by neurotic individuals to rationalize behavior.

1. The Neo-Freudian
approach

2.  Horney criticized Freudian theory on at
least three accounts: 1. its rigidity toward new
ideas, 2. objected to Freud’s idea of penis
envy3.its overemphasis on biology and the
pleasure principle.
 Humans aremotivated by need for security and
love, not by sex and aggression.
 Influence of gender experience.
 More emphasis on social factors in influencing
personality.

3.  It occurs in childhood.
 Pervasive feeling of loneliness and
helplessness.
 Foundation of neurosis.
 3 Components :
1.Helplessness
2.Hostility,
3.Isolation.

4. THE VICIOUS
CYCLE

5.  Irrational defenses against anxiety that become a
permanent part of personality and that affect
behavior.
 Neurosis occurs because of conflict between man
and environment.
 Neurotic trends- movement of neurotic person
in one of the three directions
1.Moving towards people
2.Moving against people
3.Moving away from people
 Basic denominator to three is social
maladjustment.

6.  1 usually dominates, other 2 present to lesser
degree
1. The compliant type-related to moving towards
people. Too dependent and overvalue affection from
others.
2. The hostile type-related to moving against
people. Aggressive,suspicious,antisocial.
3. The detached type-related to moving away
from people. Persons are egocentric, aloof and
withdrawn

7. 1. Affection and approval (gaining affection)
2. A dominant partner (submissive)
3. Power (attaining power)
4. Exploitation (attaining power)
5. Prestige (attaining power)
6. Admiration (attaining power)
7. Achievement or ambition (attaining power)
8. Self-sufficiency (withdrawing)
9. Perfection (withdrawing)
10. Narrow limits to life (withdrawing)

8. 1. Idealized Self-Image:
 Neurotic people: exaggerated, unrealistic self-appraisal.
Strivings are compulsive,indiscriminated and
insatiable
1. Defense mechanisms
Rationalization: Justifying one’s behavior or failures by
plausible or socially acceptable reasons in place of the
real reason.
Externalization: the person attributes every motive or
action to some external agents, not only to the
undesirable ones.

9.  Horney’s approach was considered partial and
incomplete.
 Ignores roles of sociology and anthropology in
influencing personality

10.  Contribution to feminist psychology
 Influence on Erikson and Maslow
 More optimistic view of personality than Freud.
 Cleared that child is a product of both heredity and
environment.
 Accounts for social factors in shaping personality.