Karen Horney was a German psychoanalyst who developed theories about how social and cultural conditions, especially childhood experiences, shape personality. She believed that people whose needs for love and affection are not satisfied in childhood develop basic anxiety and hostility towards their parents. Horney identified three neurotic strategies people use to cope: moving towards people, moving against people, and moving away from people. She argued that normal individuals flexibly use all three strategies, while neurotics rigidly adhere to just one.

1. PSY103 – Theories of Personality

2.  Born on September 16, 1885, Germany
 Youngest, only daughter, of a Ship Captain
and his second wife.
 Victorian upbringing - religion
 Romantic tendencies towards an older
brother.
 Became a teacher for 3 years to save for
medical school.
 Triggered by misogynist articles

3.  Married a successful lawyer, Oskar Horney.
 Produced 3 daughters.
 Death of family members
 1913 – Interest in Psychoanalysis
 Visits to Karl Abraham, disciple of Freud
 1926 – divorce from Husband, transfer to the
US.
 1952 – Died in her sleep

4.  Social and cultural
conditions, especially
childhood experiences,
are largely responsible
for shaping personality.

5.  People whose need
for love and affection
satisfied develop basic
hostility towards their
parents and
eventually, basic
anxiety.

6.  Moving Toward People
 Moving Against People
 Moving Away from People
 Normal individuals do this
but neurotics tend to rigidly
on one.

7. 1. Emphasis on culture in shaping personality.
2. Importance of Childhood experiences.
3. Neuroses is a result of man’s attempts to
find the paths through a wilderness of
unknown dangers.

8.  When safety and satisfaction is not felt by
the child.
 Refusal of parents to love their children.
 Interwoven with Basic Hostility

9.  Affection
 Purchasing love
 Submissiveness
 compliance
 Power
 Prestige, possession
 Withdrawal
 Emotional detachment

10. 1. Need for affection and approval

11. 2. Need for a powerful partner

12. 3. Need to restrict one’s life within narrow borders.

13. 5. NEED TO EXPLOIT
4. NEED FOR POWER OTHERS

14. 6. NEED FOR PRESTIGE 7. NEED FOR ADMIRATION

15. 8. NEED FOR AMBITION 9. NEED FOR INDEPENDENCE
9. NEED FOR PERFECTION

16. NORMAL DEFENSES NEUROTIC DEFENSES
 Spontaneous Movement  Compulsive Movement
 Toward People  Toward People
▪ Friendly & loving ▪ compliant
 Against People  Against People
▪ Survivor in a ▪ aggressive
competitive society  Away from People
 Away from People
▪ detached
▪ Autonomous, serene

17.  Idealized Self- Image  Self- Hatred

18.  Search for Glory
 Neurotic Claims
 Neurotic Pride

19.  Relentless demands on one self
 Merciless self- accusation
 Self- contempt
 Self- frustration
 Self- torment
 Self- destruction

20.  Cultural and social expectations
 Women envy
 Masculine Protest (Adler)

21. Free Association
Dream Analysis
Goal: facilitate
behavior towards
self- realization.