Karen Horney's Neurotic Personality Theory: A Neo-Freudian & Feminist Perspective - Essay Sample

Introduction

The theory of neurotic personality, developed by Karen Horney, is a psychoanalytic model that purports; neurotic development is caused by cultural and troubled social relationships rather than biological factors (Boeree, 1997). This Neo-Freudian and Feminist Psychology are subjective to Horney's standpoints that contradict those of the other psychologists such as Sigmund Freud. According to Kelland (2015), Horney substitutes Freud's primarily biological positioning of personality with a progressive sociological perspective. In developing her theory, Horney focuses on the impact of society on people's behavior (Paris, 1998). She portrays society as the factor behind various health issues, such as neurosis and solutions to such issues. This paper compares Horney's theory of neurotic personality and evaluates its validity, application, and contemporary relevance.

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Alternative Theoretical Position

Sigmund Freud's psychological theory of human Id, ego, and superego influence neuroses through various biological factors. According to Schultz et al. (2016), Freud's Id is made up of unconscious psychosomatic energy that attempts to fulfill the rudimentary sexual and violent drives. Freud describes the Id as operating on the principle of desire, which demands instant fulfillment. The ego is essentially the sentient component of personality, which, according to Freud, arbitrates between the anxieties arising from the Id, superego, and reality (Schultz et al., 2016). The ego functions based on the principle of reality to satisfy the Id's desires. It does so in ways that realistically convey pleasure instead of pain. Superego, on the other hand, is the component of personality that denotes the suppressed ideals and offers values for the conscience and future aspirations (Schultz et al., 2016).

Freudian theories propose that individuals reduce or convey their anxiety by altering reality. According to Schultz et al. (2016), Freud presents several personality defense mechanisms. These include repression, regression, reaction formation, projection, and rationalization. According to Freud, regression moderates anxiety by expelling the disturbing contemplations and reminiscences from consciousness. It is, therefore, empirical to argue that individuals repress their first sexual desires towards their parents. However, Freud was not satisfied that repression was thorough. Instead, he claimed that those repressed feelings leaked symbolically into thoughts and slithered off the tongue (Schultz et al., 2016). Regression involves anxiety withdrawals, and reaction formation alters the impulses of the unconscious ego to their opposites. Projection involves disguising and attributing aggressive impulses to other people, and rationalization provides self-justifying accounts of an individual's actions.

Another alternative theoretical position is Alfred Adler's prominent theories of inferiority complex and his concept of striving for superiority. Adler's theory situations that individuals are born into the world with an imprint of inferiority (Schultz et al., 2016). Consequently, individuals tend to reimburse these feelings of dependency by behaving in a manner that brands them as superior, a concept that Adler refers to as Inferiority Complex. Empirically, people progress from their fragile and helpless nature from childhood to more superior adults by constantly overcoming their deficiencies, a process termed as striving for superiority (Schultz et al., 2016). According to Adler, childhood experiences play a vital role in the personality development of any individual. He argues that when children are discouraged, they are more likely to misbehave (Paris, 1998). It is, therefore, practical to conclude that children are more likely to cooperate if they feel appreciated, valuable, and proficient.

According to Schultz et al. (2016), Adler's theory was in line with Freudian perspectives regarding the influence of parenting style on an individual's personality. Adler presented two important parenting influences that he portrayed as causing specific health problems in adulthood. First is the overprotective parenting style that produces unprepared individuals towards hostile realities of life. This unpreparedness can lead to low self-esteem, and individuals may pursue other people to fulfill their desire for safety. Second is neglect. When individuals are neglected by their guardians from a young age may induce fear of the world as the individual grows older (Schultz et al., 2016). That may develop enrooted mistrust in other people, affecting their ability to form intimate relationships, among other predispositions that influence an individual's personality.

Defense against the Alternative Theoretical Perspectives

Horney profoundly objects the nature of Freudian personality theories. In contrast to Freud and other theorists, she claims that neuroses play a vital role in the growth and development of human beings and are not of a crucial part of human growth and development that are not exclusively subjective to biological factors (Boeree, 1997). She goes ahead and presents contradicting viewpoints regarding Freud's perspective about female psychology. Though Horney protests the nature of Freudian theory, her theory tends to have a biological foundation. Based on the fact that the engagements against, moving from, or toward other people are rational explanations of personality defenses, these mechanisms are encoded in nearly all cultures (Coolidge et al., 2001). Horney argues that every culture influences differently the various defense mechanisms, based on its structure and inner stresses. According to Boeree (1997), Horney describes the neurotic personality based on experiences of her time, providing the theory with broad interdisciplinary applicability.

Adler's theoretical perspectives greatly influence Horney's views regarding feminine psychology, especially women's inferiority to men (Paris, 1998). Horney criticizes Adler as superficial in his inferiority complex perspectives. However, she recognizes his significant intellectual contributions towards neurosis. Horney, unlike Adler, views childhood experiences of rudimentary anxiety as implications of an individual's personality development. These rudimentary anxieties produce emotional feelings of weakness, isolation, self-confidence, as well as desires for attention and protection (Feiring, 1983). According to Horney, individuals are more likely to experience rudimentary anxiety depending on their childhood experiences concerning their parenting style. In conceptualizing her theory, Horney designates three mature, neurotic styles (Feiring, 1983). These include moving toward, against, and away from other people. Her theory also provides insights into what kind of parenting styles result in the three neurotic functioning.

The validity of Horney's Theory of Neurotic Personality

Horney's theory focuses on the structure of neurosis. She portrays it as an essential source of disturbance in the development of human relationships. According to Paris (1998), Horney claims that neurosis produces rudimentary anxieties that result in the development of defensive mechanisms that are self-defeating and can produce conflicts with other individuals. The theory argues that early childhood experiences and culture, rather than biological factors influence the development of neurotic needs for love, supremacy, prestige, and possession (Paris, 1998). That needs to rise as a result of constant feelings of hopelessness and emotional isolation. The theory also discourses unbiasedness, as well as several intra-psychic mechanisms of defense, such as remorse, and neurotic distress.

Coolidge et al. (2004), describes Horney's theory of neurotic personality as a significant psychoanalytical perspective that should be resuscitated and incorporated in research. The theory is tightfisted and is made up of only three principal dimensions. However, it is systemic in the manner it connects the social and intrapsychic, as well as the typical and strange (Coolidge et al., 2004). According to Coolidge et al. (2004), Horney's theory also suggests a holistic context for appreciating the various personality disorders and provides guidelines for the classification of such personality problems.

Application and Contemporary Relevance

Horney's theory has been much applied in the study of female masochism (Boeree, 1997). Horney applied the theory herself in studying the cultural factors about personality and feminine psychology. According to Kelland (2015), she found out that women find it difficult to express their feelings and sexuality openly. Horney also established that the masculinity view that women are ordinary beings diminishes their self-confidence and subjects them to emotional dependence on men. Horney's theory has also been operationalized in understanding personality disorders from a systematic perspective (Coolidge et al., 2004). According to Coolidge et al. (2004), the use of several regressions and the recognized analyses of Horney's three major dimensions verify the ability to understand the nature of the various personality disorders.

Horney's theories are among the most critical advances in the field of psychology. The development of her feminist and neurotic psychoanalytic theories has presented contemporary psychologists with a revolutionary milestone (Boeree, 1997). Horney's ideas are have been relevant to modern problems in several ways. Indisputably, she influenced the field of psychology and neurosis with groundbreaking theories of culture and human behavior. According to Kelland (2015), Horney proposes that problems of human behavior are not only influenced by biology but also by society.

Conclusion

Horney's ideas on feminism and neurotic personality have increasingly gained relevance in recent years. Horney generally contested Freudian theoretical views regarding feminism and neurosis. She claimed that neurotic needs developed from cultural and unfavorable dispositional influences on individual emotional needs, causing fear and hostility. Horney focuses on cultural factors as the primary source of neurosis and personality identity problems among women.

References

Boeree, C. G. (1997). Karen Horney. https://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/horney.html

Coolidge, F. L., Moor, C. J., Yamazaki, T. G., Stewart, S. E., & Segal, D. L. (2001). On the relationship between Karen Horney's tripartite neurotic type theory and personality disorder features. Personality and Individual Differences, 30(8), 1387-1400. https://www.uccs.edu/Documents/dsegal/Relationship-btw-Karen-Horneys-type-and-PD-features-PAID-200.pdf

Coolidge, F. L., Segal, D. L., Benight, C. C., & Danielian, J. (2004). The predictive power of Horney's psychoanalytic approach: An empirical study. The American journal of psychoanalysis, 64(4), 363-374. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/8150958_The_Predictive_Power_of_Horney's_Psychoanalytic_Approach_An_Empirical_Study

Feiring, C. (1983). Behavioral styles in infancy and adulthood: The work of Karen Horney and attachment theorists collaterally considered. Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 22(1), 1-7. https://www.jaacap.org/article/S0002-7138(09)60849-9/pdf

Kelland, M. D. (2015). Personality Theory: A Multicultural Perspective. https://www.oercommons.org/authoring/22859-personality-theory/8/view

Paris, B. J. (1998). Horney & humanistic, psychoanalysis. International Karen Horney Society. Disponívelem: http://plaza.ufl.edu/bjparis/ikhs/horney/fadiman/fadiman.pdf

Schultz, D. P., & Schultz, S. E. (2016). Theories of personality. Cengage Learning. http://gavsappsychpersonalitylandpatel.weebly.com/sigmund-freud.html