Essay Example on Karen Horney's Neurosis Theory: A Review and Opinion

Karen Horney was a psychoanalytic theorist who lived between 1885 to 1952. She is believed to have developed one of the best theories, neurosis theory. Karen tied neurosis to interpersonal relationships since she believed they caused basic anxiety. This paper provides an overview of Karen Horney's personality theories with a primary focus on neurosis theory and to offer my opinion on whether I like it or not.

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Personality theories provide different perspectives suggested by authors to understand the psychological structure and traits of people. Horney's theory suggests that the strategies and interventions used for copying with the basic anxiety can be overused, thereby making them taken on the needs of appearance. She offered a new way of viewing neurosis in an attempt to make life bearable by establishing control in interpersonal relationships and copying. The theory aligns with the concept that people strive to appear to do the right thing while the neurotic have challenges to cope with the common strategies to do it. All people cannot be self-sufficient and need affection and approval from persons they are close to, such as friends and parents.

Horney's theory explores the concept of intensity to meet the desired needs. People have individual goals and objects that they need to meet at various intervals, such as at the end of the day, weeks, months, and years. The failure to meet these needs within the projected time results in anxiety. Consequently, people develop unrealistic nature of a need. As such, people need affection all through in all the circumstances to help the individuals; cope with life and see it bearable.

Overall, Horney developed a set of neurotic needs that each person needed to possess to be sufficient. First, the neurotic need for affection and approval gives an individual the indiscriminate need to please other people and being liked by them. Second, people need partners who would take over their lives, particularly helping to solve all their problems. Third, the need to restrict an individual's life to narrow borders where one becomes satisfied with the little, undemanding, and inconspicuous. Fourth, people need the power to control over the rest, which is a facade of omnipotence where everyone strives for strength. Fifth, one needs to have the advantage of easily exploiting others and getting the better out of them to drive away from the fear of being used and stupid. Sixth, humans need prestige and social recognition through appreciation since they have sexual and social nature. Seventh, every person needs personal admiration for both the inner and outer qualities as people need to feel important and valued. Eighth, each person needs personal achievement that provides an intrinsic motivation while pursuing personal goals. All people need independence and self-sufficient since, at a point, humans feel the need not rely on anyone. Finally, individuals need perfection and unassailability that make them better people and sacred for being flawed.

Horney's theory provides a unique perspective on the causes of neurosis with a disregard that childhood neglect of abuse automatically translates into one becoming neurotic. The author accommodates the viewpoint that people may meet other family members who offer love, affection, and protection from the neglect of abuse. Horney believes neurosis is caused by the basic evil, which is personal indifferences such as lack of affection and warm at childhood. She regards that childhood abuses such as early sexual exposure and beatings can easily be overcome whenever a person feels loved and wanted. Therefore, perceptions of children play a significant role than the intentions of parents in the upbringing of their children.

Horney explicitly explains that personal indifferences mostly result in basic hostility characterized by frustrations and anger that push victims in fighting the injustices. The children feel abandoned and helpless and, therefore, become overcome with basic anxiety. They react by suppressing the basic hostilities from their parents, and whenever the strategies used are effective, they become preferred coping strategy. The theory explains that people react differently in such situations and will find the possible means of making their life bearable. Some of them withdraw from family involvement to attain self-sufficiency and live in their world where no one is hurting them.

It is worth noting that Horney's theory of neurosis is primarily attached by the attainment of self-sufficiency, where a failure to meet the needs results in the condition. For instance, when someone is healthy, he or she has a true conception of their self and vice versa. Horney viewed the neurotics as individuals with a split of self between the ideal self and despised self. As such, whenever surrounding people are not despising a person, then the individual becomes the real self. On the other hand, in case someone lacks something in some way compared to others, it implies he or she is not living up to the self-desires. The author believes that the ideal self is ultimately impossible and unrealistic; hence, neurotics swing between pretending to be perfect and hating themselves.

I believe that Horney's theory of neurosis explains the basic concepts of neuroticism, especially on the causes of the condition. The level of neuroticism in an individual is evaluated based on the person's reactivity to the sympathetic nervous system. People with stable minds have low levels of reactions to stressful situations and remain calm as they look for strategies to cope with stress. On the other hand, individuals high in neuroticism are likely to overreact to stimuli and become more stable when in stressful situations. They are quick to fear, worry, and frustration. Neurotics are difficult to calm down whenever they are upset since they are overly emotional. Their response to stress is high.

I agree with Horney's theory that basic anxiety is a significant contributor to neurosis. The condition can occur from a wide array of sources, including indifferences, direct and indirect domination, lack of real guidance, especially at childhood, parents' lack of respect for the needs of children, insufficient warmth, excessive and inadequate admiration, and disparaging attitudes. Other causes include hostile atmosphere, discrimination, overwhelming responsibilities, and overprotection, among others. The surrounding environment is indeed the primary source of neurosis since humans have to interact with the environment to achieve their individual goals and objectives. As a result, they commit themselves through social interactions where they seek to achieve the set of goals established by Horney's model. I like the theory because its proposal is true, especially on the causes of stressing situations and how people react differently to determine neurotics and those without the condition.

Conclusion

Horney's theory of neurosis seeks to explain the causes of neurosis with the suggestion the condition occurs as a result of basic anxiety that primarily originates from interpersonal relationships. The need to be self-sufficient and the failure to achieve the feat creates stressing situations. Humans have a set of needs such as affection, prestige, and power, among others, which make them peaceful. The theory is based on a set of needs that all humans need, and the inadequacy of one creates issues with the self. I strongly agree with the model in the explanation of the causes of neurosis.

References

Boeree, G. (2006). Personality theories: Karen Horney. Retrieved from https://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/horney.html