HORNEY - PSYCHOANALYTIC SOCIAL THEORY

#fyp

safety and satisfaction

Man is ruled not by the pleasure principle alone but by two guiding principles:

basic hostility

If parents do not satisfy the child’s needs for safety and satisfaction, the child develops feelings of _____ toward the parents

However, children seldom overtly express this hostility as rage; instead, they repress their hostility toward their parents and have no awareness of it.

Repressed hostility then leads to profound feelings of insecurity and a vague sense of apprehension

basic hostility

results from childhood feelings of rejection or neglect by parents or from a defense against basic anxiety

Basic anxiety

Repressed hostility then leads to profound feelings of insecurity and a vague sense of apprehension. This condition is called _______, which Horney (1950) defined as “a feeling of being isolated and helpless in a world conceived as potentially hostile”

Basic anxiety

“a feeling of being small, insignificant, helpless, deserted, endangered, in a world that is out to abuse, cheat, attack, humiliate, betray, envy”

Affection

a strategy that does not always lead to authentic love

• In their search for ______, some people may try to purchase love with self effacing compliance, material goods, or sexual favors

Submissiveness

submit themselves either to people or to institutions such as an organization or a religion.

• Neurotics who submit to another person often do so in order to gain affection.

Power

a defense against the real or imagined hostility of others and takes the form of a tendency to dominate others

prestige

a protection against humiliation and is expressed as a tendency to humiliate others

possession

acts as a buffer against destitution and poverty and manifests itself as a tendency to deprive others

Withdrawal

protect against basic anxiety either by developing an independence from others or by becoming emotionally detached from them

Basic conflict

refers to the inherent tension between three fundamental strategies humans use to navigate relationships: moving toward, against, or away from others

Moving towards people

behaving in a compliant manner as a protection against feelings of helplessness

Moving against people

acts of aggression in order to circumvent the hostility of others

Moving away from people

adopting a detached manner, thus alleviating feelings of isolation

Intrapsychic Conflicts

originate from interpersonal experiences; but as they become part of a person’s belief system, they develop a life of their own—an existence separate from the interpersonal conflicts that gave them life.

Idealized self-image

an attempt to solve conflicts by painting a godlike picture of oneself

Neurotic search for glory

comprehensive drive toward actualizing the ideal self

Need for perfection

refers to the drive to mold the whole personality into the idealized self

Tyranny of the should

complex set of “should” and “should nots” that are used to achieve perfection

Neurotic ambition

is the compulsive drive toward superiority

• they ordinarily channel their energies into those activities that are most likely to bring success

Drive toward a vindictive triumph

the most destructive element of all; may be disguised as a drive for achievement or success, but “its chief aim is to put others to shame or defeat them through one’s very success; or to attain the power … to inflict suffering on them – mostly of a humiliating kind

Neurotic Claims

Delulu Entitlement

Neurotic pride

Delulu pride

Self-Hatred

an interrelated yet equally irrational and powerful tendency to despise one’s real self

when they realized they are not shit, they hate themselves

relentless demands on the self

exemplified by the tyranny of the should. For example, some people make demands on themselves that don’t stop even when they achieve a measure of success

merciless self-accusation

Neurotics constantly berate themselves

If people only knew me, they would realize that I’m pretending to be knowledgeable, competent, and sincere. I’m really a fraud, but no one knows it but me

self-contempt

might be expressed as belittling, disparaging, doubting, discrediting, and ridiculing oneself.

You conceited idiot! What makes you think you can get a date with the best-looking woman in town?

self-frustration

fucked up version of delayed gratification

stems from self-hatred and is designed to actualize an inflated self-image. Neurotics are frequently shackled by taboos against enjoyment. “I don’t deserve a new car.” “I must not wear nice clothes because many people around the world are in rags.” “I must not strive for a better job because I’m not good enough for it.”

self-torment/torture

people’s main intention is to inflict harm or suffering on themselves

self-destructive actions

Overeating, abusing alcohol and other drugs, working too hard, driving recklessly, and suicide are common expressions of physical self-destruction

blind spots

denying or ignoring aspects of an experience because they are not in accordance with one’s idealized self-image

compartmentalization

dividing one’s life into various compartments with different rules applying to them

Rationalization

Justifying or making excuses for your behavior, even when it's irrational or harmful

excessive self-control

guarding against anxiety by controlling an expression

externalization

feeling that all of the major influences in life are external to one’s self

arbitrary rightness

when an issue arises that have no clear solution, the person arbitrarily chooses one solution, thereby ending in debate

elusiveness

never making a decision about anything so that he or she can never be proven wrong and criticized or ridiculed by others

cynicism

does not believe in anything so that he or she cannot be hurt or disappointed by others

Hyper competitiveness

a major form of neurotic competitiveness

• indiscriminate need to win at all costs in order to feel superior

• parents tend to treat their child poorly, giving rise to neurosis

Competition avoidance

minimize their chance for success by belittling themselves

• feel embarrassed or humiliated by competitive defeat

• engage in self-handicapping – giving plausible excuses for poor performance in order to protect one’s self-esteem

Feminine Psychology

psychological differences between men and women are due to culture and social expectations rather than to anatomy

free association

patients are asked to say every thing that comes to mind regardless of how trivial or embarrassing it may seem

eventually reveals patients’ idealized self image and persistent but unsuccessful attempts at accomplishing it