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Karen Horney (1885-1952)

Karen Horney was a neo-Freudian psychologist known for her theories of neurotic needs and critiques of Freud. She developed a theory that neuroses are normal coping mechanisms influenced by culture. While following much of Freud, she rejected the concept of penis envy, instead proposing womb envy. She believed people could self-analyze and emphasized personal responsibility for mental health. Her work generated more interest in women's psychology and she made significant contributions despite facing obstacles as a female psychologist.

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Ladydianne Eval
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150 views

Karen Horney (1885-1952)

Karen Horney was a neo-Freudian psychologist known for her theories of neurotic needs and critiques of Freud. She developed a theory that neuroses are normal coping mechanisms influenced by culture. While following much of Freud, she rejected the concept of penis envy, instead proposing womb envy. She believed people could self-analyze and emphasized personal responsibility for mental health. Her work generated more interest in women's psychology and she made significant contributions despite facing obstacles as a female psychologist.

Uploaded by

Ladydianne Eval
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Karen Horney (1885-1952)

Karen Horney’s Significant Life Experiences

Karen Horney was a neo-


Freudian psychologist known
for her theory of neurotic
needs, her research on
feminine psychology, and
her critiques of Freud's
emphasis on the concept
of penis envy. In addition to
this, she made important
contributions to the areas of
self-psychology and the role
that self-analysis and self-
help play in mental health.

Horney’s Early Life


Karen Horney dealt with depression
early in life. She described her father
as a strict disciplinarian and she was
very close to her older brother,
Berndt. When he distanced himself
from her, Horney became
depressed, a problem she would
deal with throughout her life.

Horney devoted herself to school,


believing that, "If I couldn't be
beautiful, I decided I would be
smart."
She began medical school in 1906 and married a law student
named Oskar Horney in 1909. The death of her mother and then
brother in 1911 and 1923 were extremely difficult for Horney. In 1926,
Horney left her husband and in 1932 moved to the United States with
her three daughters, Brigitte, Marianne, and Renate. It was here that
she became friends with other prominent intellectuals and
developed her theories on psychology.

Horney’s Career, Theories, and Critique of Freud

Karen Horney developed a theory of neurosis that is still prominent


today. Unlike previous theorists, Horney viewed these neuroses as a
sort of coping mechanism that is a large part of normal life. She
identified ten neuroses, including the need for power, the need for
affection, the need for social prestige, and the need for
independence.
She defined neurosis as the
"psychic disturbance brought
by fears and defenses against
these fears, and by attempts to
find compromise solutions for
conflicting tendencies." She
also believed that in order to
understand these neuroses, it
was essential to look at the
culture in which a person lived.
Where Freud had suggested
that many neuroses had a
biological base, Horney
believed that cultural attitudes
played a role in determining
these neurotic feelings.

While Horney followed much of Sigmund Freud's theory, she disagreed with
his views on female psychology. She rejected his concept of penis envy,
declaring it to be both inaccurate and demeaning to women. Horney
instead proposed the concept of womb envy in which men experience
feelings of inferiority because they cannot give birth to children.
"Is not the tremendous strength in men of the impulse to creative
work in every field precisely due to their feeling of playing a
relatively small part in the creation of living beings, which constantly
impels them to an overcompensation in achievement?" Horney
suggested.

Horney’s Major Contributions to Psychology

❖ Karen Horney made significant contributions to humanism,


self-psychology, psychoanalysis, and feminine psychology.
Her refutation of Freud's theories about women generated
more interest in the psychology of women.

❖ Horney also believed that people were able to act as their


own therapists, emphasizing the personal role each person
has in their own mental health and encouraging self-analysis
and self-help.

❖ Horney was a psychologist during a time when women's


contributions were often overlooked and ignored. Despite
the many obstacles that she faced as a woman in a field
dominated by men, she became a prominent thinker who
made important contributions to our understanding of human
psychology.

Prepared by: Lady Dianne Eval

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