Karen Horney

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Karen Horney (1938)

Karen Clementine Theodore Horney b. Danielsen (born September 16, 1885 in Blankenese , † December 4, 1952 in New York ) was a German-American psychoanalyst and a representative of neo - psychoanalysis .

Life

Against the wishes of her father, a Norwegian captain, but with the support of her Dutch mother Clothilde Marie van Ronzelen and her older brother, Karen Horney began to study medicine in 1906 as one of the first women in Germany (in Freiburg ). Through her fellow student Carl Müller-Braunschweig - who later became a psychoanalyst - she met the business student Oskar Horney there. Both married in 1909 and moved to Berlin with their mother, where her husband worked in industry and she continued her studies at the Charité .

Memorial plaque for Karen Horney in Sophie-Charlotte-Straße 15 in Berlin-Zehlendorf, from the series Mit Freud in Berlin

While still a student, Karen Horney gave birth to her first daughter, Sonni Brigitte (later actress Brigitte Horney ) in 1911 . In the same year, like Müller-Braunschweig, who had also moved to Berlin, she began a psychoanalysis with Karl Abraham . After her state examination at the end of the year and her practical year at the Urbank Hospital and in the psychiatric department of the Berolinum sanatorium and nursing home from James Fraenkel in Lankwitz , she received her license to practice medicine in 1913. In 1915 she did her doctorate under Karl Bonhoeffer on psychoses after head injuries. In 1913 she had her second daughter Marianne ; In 1916 the third daughter Renate came .

In 1915 she worked briefly as an assistant in the polyclinic of Hermann Oppenheim and then until 1918 at a Berlin psychiatric hospital. In 1919 she opened her own practice as a psychoanalyst and worked as a training analyst at the Berlin Psychoanalytical Institute , but was also open to suggestions from other sources, so that in 1928, for example, she became a member of the board of the Berlin branch of the general medical society for psychotherapy across all schools .

Karen Horney left Germany in 1932 to initially work in the USA as assistant director under Franz Alexander at the Psychoanalytic Institute in Chicago .

After various disputes in the American psychoanalytic society, Karen Horney and a number of other analysts (including Erich Fromm ) founded a new society in 1942 , the Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis, and founded her own psychoanalytic institute, which is still called today "Karen Horney Institute" exists. Horney died on December 4, 1952 in New York at the age of 67 of complications from cancer.

Depth psychological work

The following presentation of Karen Horney's work, with which she has enriched the depth psychological landscape like few, is based exclusively on her books, not on her contributions in professional journals or on lectures (which could therefore be supplemented). The presentation is limited to the main ideas and basic ideas.

In her first book The Neurotic Personality of Our Time , New York 1937, Horney describes for the first time in depth psychology the development of neuroses as a result of sociological factors. With the help of this approach, she makes the social and cultural effects of the general spread of neuroses clear.

In her second book, New Ways in Psychoanalysis , New York, 1938, she takes the theory of her father, Sigmund Freud, with scientific thoroughness and reveals many errors. At the same time, she can use his theory to demonstrate her much simpler and more plausible approach to understanding neuroses.

After that, the way is clear for the development of an even better understanding of neuroses. She develops this step by step in her last three volumes, as she herself summarizes. Self-Analysis , New York 1942, Our Inner Conflicts , New York 1945, Neurosis and Human Growth , New York 1950. They are therefore referred to below as her late work. On this long journey, many a term from the early works is redrafted or newly established in their later works (cf. the role of fear / hostility in compared to that of self-hatred in).

First steps

Horney took his first steps with The Neurotic Man of Our Time (New York, 1937) and thus dared for the first time to take a stand on Freud . With this book, she enables the reader to understand neuroses and gives him an idea of ​​the effects this almost invisible undesirable development has on the individual, but also on the whole culture. The book begins with a sociologically inspired definition of neurosis, traces neurosis back to fear and hostility, describes the culturally widespread methods of calming neurotic fears and illuminates the problem of universal competition in our society.

The concept of neurosis

For Horney, the hallmarks of a neurosis are:

  1. behavior deviating from the average in society,
  2. a rigid, monotonous reaction,
  3. a strong discrepancy between the ability to perform and the service actually provided,
  4. extreme levels of fear
  5. the pursuit of conflicting intentions.

(To 1: Within a population / social class certain behaviors are perceived as normal, others as deviating. To 2: Instead of being friendly or suspicious depending on the situation, the neurotic is either always friendly or always suspicious. To 3: For example, takes in one In fact, a neurotic does not occupy a position corresponding to his education, but is content with a very below-average work. To 4: Every person's life is connected with fears, but those of the neurotic are considerably higher than normal little strength remains for other things. To 5: The neurotic tries to achieve goals that are actually mutually exclusive. For example, he would like to be competitive and considerate at the same time and search endlessly for a balanced compromise between these extremes.)

Fear and hostility

In Horney's view, fear is the central problem in neurosis. It describes countless ways in which the (excessive = neurotic) fear arises in people and changes more and more areas of their life: their character, their relationships, their health and their fate. She writes: “The neurotic process is a special form of human development. It means a waste of human strength ”. For Horney, the development of so-called basic anxiety plays a central role on the path to neurosis. The child will react lightly to the fears and hostilities of the caregivers with (rejection and) hostility. However, this (justified) counter-reaction of the child is fought and suppressed by the caregivers, taking advantage of the child's great dependency, largely in complete ignorance of having triggered the hostility themselves. In order to survive, the child has to suppress its hostile impulses from now on. If this condition is not overcome by favorable circumstances and is therefore maintained for a long period of time, the child develops what is known as the basic fear.

The suppressed hostility leads to the fact that hostility is no longer available as a reaction to a concrete problem solving (e.g. hostility to provocation) and also that the suppressed affect circles like an explosive charge in the mind and seeks a possibility for discharge. Ultimately, however, the discharge of affect through discharge is poor, so that the hostility in the neurotic increases more and more. In addition, there is the positive feedback from fear and hostility: hostility increases fear because hostility cannot be easily presented and must be hidden, and fear increases hostility because other people are so unpredictable and dangerous.

Reduction of basic anxiety

The basic fear not only plagues the mentally ill, but is more or less to be found in everyone to a moderate extent. To appease them, people in Western culture commonly tread four paths, which Horney briefly describes as love, dependence, power and distancing. That means, everyone and every woman, but also N., dampens his fear by

  1. trying to get love;
  2. a) submits to institutions (acceptance of traditional views, acceptance of a rule (monasticism, guru)) and / or b) is indulgent towards people (trying to please everyone);
  3. strives for power;
  4. distanced himself from everything. To do this, he renounces possession, reduces his needs or pretends to be invulnerable. His goal is to be independent of his fellow human beings.

These appeasement measures are indispensable and compelling for the person like a biological instinct. These paths cannot all be combined, some are mutually exclusive.

Neurotics (but also less severely disturbed people) develop the following behaviors by combining some of these four pathways:

  • A neurotic need for love. The neurotic tries to overcome fear through a love relationship. If he succeeds, he gains security, some satisfaction, and an opportunity to vent his hostility a little. The characteristics of the neurotic need for love are helplessness, loss of spontaneity and adaptability, overestimation of being loved, the desire to be loved by all, inability to be lonely, the willingness to pay any price for affection, insatiability, jealousy, desire for unconditional love and Sensitivity to rejection. In order to receive love despite his own hostility, he even tries to bribe with love, to appeal for pity or consideration, but also dares to threaten the life and limb of others. The fact that sexuality is very often chosen as a means of reducing anxiety (other means are sleep, eating and drinking), according to Horney, has its origin not in the sex drive, but in the continued clinging to a parent during childhood.
  • Striving for power, recognition and possession. While love calms through intense contact, power / prestige / possession calm through distance. In the culture of the Pueblo Indians, they do not (!) Have this calming effect. In our culture, power / prestige / possession increases the feeling of security. However, they are only chosen when love is not possible as a sedative. Horney therefore describes power / prestige / possession as derived (artificial) human aspirations. Power protects against the feeling of helplessness, insignificance and weakness. The neurotic, however, easily abuses them through domination, righteousness, total self-control, stubbornness, ignorance or intransigence. Reputation helps against the same feelings. The neurotic tries to achieve prestige by impressing, arousing admiration or admiration. Possession , on the other hand, protects against impoverishment, deprivation and dependence on others, but is also a way to gain power and prestige.

All three means also allow hostility to be vented: in the form of dominance over others, through the humiliation or disadvantage of others.

The competition and its consequences

In Western culture, power / prestige / possession are predominantly achieved through competition with others. Features of competition can be found in all life contexts: in love relationships, in harmless games and other relationships of all kinds. The neurotic (but also the less severely disturbed person) reacts to competition with a neurotic need for competition: he

  • also compares with others when it is nonsensical,
  • demands of itself to be unique and unusual,
  • develops an ambition accompanied by hostility.

In a love relationship, the neurotic need for competition leads e.g. B. to the fact that the neurotic tries to subjugate and suppress the partner. The desire to humiliate the partner with it can be deliberate, but also completely unconscious.

To camouflage his neurotic need for competition, the neurotic falls either into admiration or skepticism. However, neurotic skepticism collapses the moment it is questioned. Neurotic admiration tries to distract from the fact that one does not allow the admirer to succeed. Only the neurotic himself deserves it, he says. Women drive z. B. likes to look at men with their admiration in order to realize their own desire for success.

Surprisingly, Horney also finds an influence of competition on the choice of partner: In her opinion, the choice of partner of healthy people is predominantly shaped by the respective reputation and property and only little by inclination, that of the neurotic exclusively by power / reputation / possession. In addition, the competition surprisingly increases the tendency to choose homosexual partners. Because it causes the opposite sex to be perceived as more dangerous and an alliance with one's own sex as harmless and beneficial.

The competition creates strong fears in the neurotic and can lead to it. U. to withdraw from the competition. The fears arise because the neurotic fears retribution, humiliation, targeted resistance and even destruction, but much more because in competition, besides power, he also strives for love, a combination that cannot be realized. There are two ways out of this tight spot:

  • He disguises his lust for power as a selfless commitment to a just cause (which, however, leads to permanent compulsion to justify).
  • He tames his ambition.

Typical forms of fear in a competitive situation are:

  • Fear of failure. The neurotic completely overestimates the importance of failure. As a result, he suffers from inability to concentrate, hypochondriac fears, and becomes excessively exhausted from work. To recuperate from the exertions he avoids any kind of competition, which makes real recovery impossible for him.
  • Fear of success. The neurotic fears the deprivation of love and the envy of others as a result of success. This fear manifests itself in unconscious failures (e.g. forgetfulness) that reduce success.

Turning away from Freud

Horney never really turned away from Sigmund Freud , but she completely revised his terminology and his ideas of the human soul in many places and came to a seriously different view of human problems. Her approach to explaining the symptoms in the neurotic disorder can impressively unfold against the background of Freud's theory and make it plausible. For them, however, Freud remains an excellent observer of psychological peculiarities in human beings and the unique author of many fundamental findings in depth psychology.

By rejecting the Oedipus complex , however, she has crossed the “Rubicon”, the dividing line drawn by Freud himself between psychoanalysis and other therapeutic approaches. That is why Horney is one of the neo-psychoanalysts . With the book on which this is based, Horney became world famous.

Penis envy

Horney's very first and most personal criticism of Freud's teaching was sparked by penis envy , which Freud wanted to have observed in girls and which he used to explain all typical female disorders (irritability during menstruation, difficulties with men, envy, feelings of inferiority and much more). She objects that many of these traits can also be found in men and that these problems manifest themselves not only in men but also in children and women. Penis envy cannot be found empirically as a motive in women, but z. B. excessive demands on yourself or the environment and ambition. Therefore, she finds the idea of ​​penis envy unfounded and a hindrance.

Libido theory

The libido theory (existence of an undirected sexual energy) criticized Horney and others, because without distinction all pleasures would and assigned -wünsche the human sex drive without this assumption could be sufficiently proved. She recognizes z. For example, suggest the expression of pleasure in the infant after breastfeeding, but not the expression of sexuality. That is why the libido theory is unproven for them.

Oedipus complex

With the Oedipus complex , Freud explained the disadvantageously close bond between a neurotic and a parent. The complex urges the child into a sexually colored bond with a parent and culminates in sexual desire. Horney objects that a sexual motive of the child can never be proven in such a bond, but the parent involved can. Much more often, however, the child's fear of one parent leads to submission and close attachment to him and is then by no means sexually motivated. Thus the Oedipus complex is definitely not present in humans and the ideas about it are refuted.

narcissism

Narcissism is a collective term in depth psychology for, among other things, vanity, arrogance, excessive need for prestige and admiration, need for love without the ability to love, detachment, concern about health, beauty or mental abilities. Narcissism was conceived by Freud as a libido diverted into self-love, which is associated with the loss of the ability to love others. Here, too, Horney cannot reveal any sexual motivation, but recognizes the expression of deep-seated fear in the many forms of expression of narcissism without distinction. In her opinion, unfavorable conditions in growing up have resulted in such people giving up their true nature.

Death instinct

Freud was not only familiar with the sexual instinct , but first adopted an instinct for self-preservation, later instead an instinct for self-destruction (the “ death instinct”) as an independent instinct in humans. With him he explained the cruelty of man towards himself and others (suicide, wars, religious persecution as an outlet for the death instinct in man). He even speculated that the goal of life could be death. He also explained with him the aggressiveness of N., his masochism, his distrust, his fear of the hostility of others and much more.

Horney objects to the assumption of a death instinct in humans, that the cruelty in humans does not show itself constantly, but only under certain circumstances. However, instincts showed themselves at every opportunity for no reason. She prefers to explain the hostility and aggressiveness observed in a neurotic with his uncertainty, which he can feel, also due to a misjudgment of his situation. The explanation of the hostility with the help of the death instinct is in any case a comparatively daring approach and implausible.

An instinct defines a main goal of human life. In the death instinct, this must consist of cruelty or destruction. That raises the question of what the meaning of life is: to live or to destroy? The point could only be to live. So there could be no death instinct. Another weakness in the death drive theory , Horney finds, is that it does not distinguish between assertion and destruction. This means that constructive aggression cannot be distinguished from more destructive, which prevents it from being understood.

Childhood experiences

Freud assumed that childhood experiences are of great importance for adults and that they are repeated almost mechanically by them (unconscious repetition compulsion ; e.g. a woman marries an impotent man three times). Here Horney does not deny that there is a connection, but sees the repetition as a consequence of the character traits that were developed as a result of the processing of the early experiences.

Super-me, me and it

The super-ego is alien ego for Freud the place very strict criteria, compulsive perfection ideas indiscriminate maximum demands and claims. With it Freud mainly explains the origin of the perfectionist disorder. The strict standards are remnants of the Oedipus complex and a mixture of narcissistic, masochistic and destructive drives.

Horney explains the perfectionist disorder as the result of a neurotic development process, as a result of which the person tries to achieve recognition through perfection. Perfection is therefore neither a process controlled by the sexual instinct, nor by an entity in the human being that is arranged above the ego. Since Horney sees the place of moral demands and conscience in the ego and not in the super-ego, the super-ego is superfluous and meaningless to her. The I , on the other hand, also plays a central role with Horney.

For Freud, the ego is the central instance between the claims of the super-ego, the id and the environment, between which it mediates, but by which it is also dominated. It draws its energy from the id, from which it can only borrow strength.

Horney criticizes this representation that it is the ego of a self-alienated, sick person. It is the plaything of the forces in its environment and unsettled in its judgment. Horney contrasts this with the image of a spontaneous, strong judgmental self, a place of real feelings and deep convictions.

About the time there is no disagreement. It is the place of unvarnished desire, lust and unbridled urges.

masochism

In masochism , sexual satisfaction is found through subjugation, humiliation, or physical abuse. Freud understood it as a development of the libido. Even in moral masochism, he clung to this idea. He explained this as the attempt of the ego to reconcile itself with the superego. The masochist willingly accepts failures or he magically attracts accidents or he scourges himself with self-reproach.

The masochist solves his security problem by surrendering himself to someone else's grace. The own personality is switched off. In the masochistic love relationship, the masochist is completely absorbed in the partner - not out of love, trust, trust, loyalty or deference, but out of fear. The security found in this way is threatened, however, as the partner could notice that he is not loved, adored or respected at all.

The typical feeling of the masochist is that he despises himself because of his weakness. He knows that it stands in the way of his happiness. Even after minor incidents, he often accuses himself of having reacted incorrectly. He literally worships strength in others. However, he can hardly distinguish between the pretense of and real courage. In contrast, in his imagination he is witty, superior and irresistible - what a contrast. To dampen his fear, he lets himself be overwhelmed by helplessness and misery, whereupon his fear subsides and he feels satisfaction and well-being.

Since Horney recognizes neither the superego nor the Oedipus complex nor the sexual origin of many masochistic phenomena, she also rejects Freud's ideas here. For them, a sick person cannot desire to remain sick. He can, however, try to keep complications at bay by remaining sick (" gain from illness ") and thus alleviate his fear. That is why she understands masochism as a special form of striving for security.

Horney's late work

The three other books by Horney are mentioned by herself as the result of her attempt to (even) better understand the dynamics in neuroses (chapter Theoretical Considerations). From book to book she develops ever more precise ideas about the conflicts in the neurosis and their effects and comes to the conclusion in her last volume that the neurosis is a conflict between the "true self" and the destructive forces of the "system of pride" ( Horney's own term) is.

In their opinion, the neurotic development of a person takes place step by step (as in the illustration below). Roughly summarized, it consists first in the search for fame and honor, then in making neurotic claims, following neurotic commandments, and in expressing neurotic pride. The development is accompanied by increasingly violent self-hatred, increasing self-contempt and deepening self-alienation. All of these variables form the “central internal conflict” (Horney's own term).

To defuse the conflict, the neurotic resort to psychological fragmentation and an automatic (unconscious) (emotional) control develops. Plagued in this way, one typically tries to master the blockages and limits with the help of an expansive attitude, while the other indulges in inferiority and a third withdraws resignedly from his inner conflicts.

Entanglement in the neurosis

Search for fame and honor

The utterances of an N., which are summarized as the search for fame and honor, were first described by Alfred Adler . They occur as part of a worsening neurosis that has an extensive history.

In this prehistory the stages of development of the basic fear, development of a unifying basic attitude, development of strategic methods in dealing with other people, self-idealization and identification with the self-ideal occur.

After the neurotic has decided to realize his idealized self (and no longer his true self), he makes this known in his human environment, which manifests itself as a search for fame and honor. This reveals the need for perfection, for transformation into a completely different person, as well as an exaggerated role of the imagination, which has lost the sense of proportion for the concrete and the delimited.

Neurotic claims

Neurotic claims are the result of a neurotic personality development and the experience that the idealized self cannot be brought into harmony with reality. Unable to understand reality more precisely, the neurotic demands from reality an image of himself that corresponds to his idealized self. So he demands for himself z. B. special consideration, attention and reverence, up to the exclusive abolition of physical laws.

Neurotic demands are characterized by excessiveness, a sense of entitlement, almost arbitrary demands and egocentrism. The neurotic lacks the associated problem awareness. The feasibility and appropriateness of the requirements are not reflected. The neurotic claims relate to anything, but the real cause of the claims is always unknown to him. The n. Claim comes z. B. in the disguise of an attempt to impress, in an aroused expectation, in the emphasis on one's own suffering, in sullen or irritable behavior, in violent accusations and provocations.

Neurotic commandments (shoulds, taboos)

With the neurotic commandments, Horney differentiates between the positive commandments, the shoulds, which should be achieved under all circumstances (be an example, always honest, generous, just, courageous) and the negative commandments, the taboos, which should be avoided under all circumstances (never be tired, never let anything touch you, never be hurt). As exemplary as these ideas may be, they are just as ruthless towards the neurotic and so much does he defy his own limits with them.

The shoulds and taboos are the continuation of the striving for fame and honor inwards, in the form of a permanent gauntlet with the goal of transformation into the self-ideal. A typical idea is that nothing should be impossible ... and is. Neither the shoulds nor the taboos can, however, be implemented in their pure form and so the neurotic constantly experiences the unattainability of the ideal. The disappointment and disillusionment about it is always disproportionate. It triggers such a strong sense of insecurity that it is pushed out of consciousness with even greater effort. It should remain unconscious.

Although the Solls are highly sought after and are even anticipated, the emotional quality of these behaviors / characteristics (e.g. kindness, honesty) is pale, fleeting and unconvincing. On the other hand, a life without the taboo characteristics (e.g. tenderness, trust) is also unimaginable and all in all implausible.

Neurotic pride

Neurotic pride develops as a substitute for healthy self-confidence. What the neurotic is proud of is almost arbitrary. In the end, everything is used that seems appropriate: pride in invulnerability, in the ability of other people to manipulate, in honesty, in selflessness, in complete independence, in morality, in a prestige value (e.g. a car). Behind all kinds of nth pride there is the compulsion to be proud of oneself, the sleight of hand with which the feeling of weakness and inferiority is transformed into supposed strength. Typical rotations of this type are e.g. B .:

  • Blind rebellion against moral laws → pride in unlimited freedom,
  • Taboo to be allowed to do something for yourself → pride in selflessness,
  • Feeling of dependence → pride in the ability to love,
  • Feeling of vindictiveness → pride in justice.

If neurotic pride is violated, the neurotic shows shame or feels humiliated. If there are strong taboos to show shame, the neurotic may show U. alternatively mourning. The possibility of transformation into other feelings is great (e.g. into irrational hostility, unexpected vengefulness, inexplicable disinterest or humor).

Self-hatred and self-contempt

Self-hatred and self-contempt are the result of the futile attempts to transform the actual nature of the neurotic into the self-ideal. Horney lists 6 forms of self-hatred without claiming to be systematic:

  • Unyielding demands on the self: These are the shoulds and taboos already mentioned. The neurotic reacts with pride to its fulfillment and self-hatred to the offense.
  • Damaging self-accusations: They are raised solely to express self-hatred and are otherwise unfounded. They reflect a should that is only raised to protect against feelings of inferiority, but which is not justified in the matter. The self-accusations are directed against existing difficulties (e.g. lack of standing up for yourself towards others), against the motivation for a certain action (self-interest in connection with helpfulness), against mishaps outside of one's own influence (self-reproach of inattentiveness despite complete indifference) , against the incomprehensible (inexplicable feelings of guilt are taken for guilt from a previous life), against positive actions (pleasure leads to accusation of feasting, diligence leads to accusation of petting).
  • Self-contempt: With self-contempt, Horney sums up all allegations that undermine self-confidence: self-humiliation, self-degradation, self-doubt, self-accusation, abuse and ridicule. Self-contempt causes the neurotic to compare himself to everyone to his own disadvantage, is very vulnerable in interpersonal relationships, accepts the attacks of others and longs for the affection and love of others.
  • Self-frustration: This is where self-hatred attacks facts and circumstances in life and makes them a source of permanent frustration. So z. For example, from the need for affection and recognition a neurotic need for love, from the freedom of choice the tyranny of the shoulds, from self-respect self-accusations and self-contempt, from the interest in life taboos against pleasure, from an expectant attitude the smashing of hope from the Desire to improve living conditions a taboo against any pursuit.
  • Self-torture: Here, self-frustration is associated with satisfaction, namely with the fulfillment of a neurotic commandment (e.g. petty saving → fulfillment of the commandment to be absolutely thrifty). Other examples of self-torture are sadism, masochism, and masturbation fantasies.
  • Self-destruction: Impulses for self-destruction can be subtle to violent, conscious to subconscious, fantasized to real. Their goal is mental, psychological or even physical self-destruction (suicide). They occur so briefly that they can hardly be put into practice. Extreme carelessness, drug use and work addiction are also the result of unconscious self-destructive impulses. Destructive acts include undermining success, self-neglect, sexual indiscretion, lying and stealing.
The central inner conflict

The neurotic development not only leads to neurotic pride, neurotic claims, shoulds and taboos (collectively referred to as neurotic pride) through self-idealization, but, as already mentioned, on the other hand also to self-hatred and self-contempt, the second side of the coin. Self-idealization forces the N. to chase after the phantom of the self-ideal, while its inaccessibility arouses self-hatred. In order to achieve the self-ideal, the neurotic additionally anticipates the standards of the ideal and with their help evaluates his true self, which also leads to self-hatred and self-contempt.

The feeling of being at war with himself results from self-hatred and self-contempt. Since the conflict cannot be resolved, the neurotic is deeply insecure. He is also tormented by the association of being a fraud or even a fraud. In fact, two conflicts exist side by side:

  1. Between neurotic pride, self-hatred and self-contempt = system of pride (Horney),
  2. Between the system of pride and the true self.

The 2nd conflict is the harder one. Horney called it the central internal conflict. In the first the destructive, in the second the destructive and constructive forces are at war.

Self-alienation

The concept of self-alienation comes from psychiatry and is used there for conditions in which a person seems to have lost his identity or no longer knows where he is or what he has done. In less severe cases, the ability to consciously experience is reduced. Horney describes with him the consequences of neurotic development. The neurotic is separated from his true self as if by a blockage. She compares self-alienation with Sören Kirkegaard's "Illness to Death". The most noticeable symptom is the impersonal approach to oneself.

In emotional life, self-alienation is reflected either in exaggerated or in dull, shallow feelings. The strength, type and awareness of the emotional expression are determined by the system of pride. In addition, there is the suffering from the fact that the neurotic has not yet been able to achieve any unique successes. The neurotic is not aware of the dampening effect of the neurosis. His insensitivity in friendships, his insensitivity to beauty, but the absence of any emotion. The emotional deficiency is e.g. B. hidden behind superficial vivacity, false spontaneity or greed for sensation. Outside expectations, on the other hand, are felt to be surprisingly secure.

The neurotic has the energy of a normal person, but the energy to cope with normal existence is diminished. His search for fame and honor costs him a lot of strength. Self-alienation robs the neurotic of the sense of direction. Alternatively, he drifts. Sometimes the disorientation only becomes visible when traditional railways can no longer be used. Compliant behavior has similar reasons. The ability to take on responsibility is low and the ability to integrate is reduced.

Measures to reduce internal tension

Psychological fragmentation

In order to reduce the intrapersonal tension, the interest in a part of life can be given up. Your own difficulties seem so disjointed and unconnected. The explanation of the connections meets with persistent disinterest. A distinction can be made between two methods: ignorance of causal relationships and contradicting value standards.

Automatic control

In the neurotic there is an unconscious, completely invisible control system that dampens feelings. Because the feelings are a serious source of danger for the peace of mind. As a result, emotional expression and impulsive actions are constantly under control. Reluctant feelings are so pleasantly defused. Although the neurotic does not know anything about this control system, he fears that the control system will weaken, therefore cannot fall asleep, is afraid of anesthesia, of the effects of alcohol and much more. If there is an outbreak of emotion by the control system, the neurotic panics.

The basic neurotic types

Horney summarizes character development in neurotics in three disorder types. The expansive type, the self-denying and the resigned type. However, these types never occur in their pure form. The purpose of typing is to systematize the variety of disorder types.

Expansion as a solution

The expansive type identifies with his ideal self (elevation to the self-ideal). That creates the grandiose impression one has of this person. The expansive type includes the narcissistic, the perfectionist and the arrogant-vengeful type, which are often described in the literature.

Self-denial as a solution

The self-denying guy glorifies his inferiority. In doing so, he cultivates and exaggerates his helplessness and suffering. He is a stowaway without rights, is afraid of winning games, cannot defend himself against exploitation, supports the perpetrator as a victim, is afraid of success and the limelight. In his imagination he is a hero, fearless, assertive and strong in retaliation. His spurious modesty leads to a shrinkage that weakens the person. The neurotic is helpless in the face of his self-hatred. The self-denying type is a promising candidate for a relationship with morbid or pathological dependence on the partner.

Resignation as a solution

The resigned type withdraws from the inner battlefield and thus achieves that his conflicts are less affected. The strategy of renunciation can also be found as a recommendation in many religions to enable spiritual and spiritual development. However, behavior is not a solution to the conflict. The resigned person is characterized by the fact that he is the observer of his life and himself, that he has an aversion to all exertion, limits his desires, isolates himself, is sensitive to influence, pressure, coercion and restraints, and has a great aversion to all change.

In the imagination, however, he intends to accomplish great deeds, feels superior, stands above the competition for .... The resigned has shut down his expansive and his self-denying side. He emphasizes being and sees no value in growth and change. Interference from outside is rejected. He is self-sufficient, independent, stoic, desireless and fair.

The importance of love and sexuality for the neurotic

Horney denies that a love affair can cure a neurotic. The neurotic is deeply convinced that he is not lovable. The experience of love that confirms that he is lovable cannot work with this. The cause is fragmented thinking: the connection between certain characteristics of a person and the feeling of kindness cannot be felt. For the neurotic, sexuality creates intimate human contact, but it must also replace human closeness. To make matters worse, the neurotic is under the rule of neurotic pride, which allows sexual functionality, attractiveness, free choice of partner, variety of experiences, etc. to come to the fore.

Criticism of Horney

Criticism of Horney's theory can be found primarily in Theodor W. Adorno and Herbert Marcuse. In the neo-Freudian approach of what he calls the revisionist school (Erich Fromm, Karen Horney, Franz Alexander), Adorno criticizes Freud's drive theory towards a character-oriented ego psychology. The “sociologization” of psychoanalysis pursued by Fromm and Horney falls behind the social criticism inherent in Freud's writings, especially in its sociological terms.

Herbert Marcuse also adopted the approach of criticism of Horney, Fromm and the neo-Freudian school, albeit in a slightly different diction, in his volume Eros and Civilization and other writings.

Horney moved to Chicago in 1932 for personal and professional reasons. Previously in Berlin she was close to both the few German and left-wing analysts such as Wilhelm Reich and Erich Fromm. She lived with Fromm in a close love affair in New York from 1933 to 1943. That did not stop in 1936 in the already Aryanised and now by Matthias Goering named former psychoanalytic institute on December 23, 1936 in Berlin to give the lecture "The neurotic need for love". This was applauded by Matthias Göring himself, especially because of his criticism of Freud. Horney apparently gladly complied with his request to send the text of the lecture. After the Jewish members were ousted from the institute, only Horney's training analysts such as Felix Boehm, Carl Müller-Braunschweig and internationally insignificant psychologists such as Fritz Riemann remained from the time before 1933, who wanted to turn Freud's theory into a “German depth psychology” under Göring's direction. This wanted to turn from the "old Jewish unconscious as the garbage can of civilization" (CG Jung) to the young and wild German unconscious. And they did it practically with the "healing" of homosexuals, the selection of soldiers and other things. Horney's lecture met this tendency. The text was then published in the Zentralblatt für Psychotherapie (year 1937/38, pp. 69-82). For their part, Adorno and Marcuse took on criticism from Horney's training analyst Karl Abraham.

Fonts

  • The struggle in culture in: Joachim Wach et al .: The problem of culture and medical psychotherapy. Six lectures on Freud's “Uneasiness in Culture”, held in the winter semester 1930/31. Thieme, Leipzig 1931, pp. 105–118 (Lectures by the Institute for the History of Medicine at the University of Leipzig, Volume 4, edited by Henry E. Sigerist )
  • The Neurotic Personality of Our Time , New York 1937 / The neurotic person of our time , Stuttgart 1951
  • New Ways in Psychoanalysis , New York 1938 / New Ways in Psychoanalysis , Munich 1977
  • Self-Analysis , New York 1942 / self-analysis , Munich 1974
  • Our Inner Conflicts , New York 1945 / Our Inner Conflicts , Munich 1973
  • Neurosis and Human Growth , New York 1950 / Neurosis and Human Growth , Munich 1975
  • Feminine Psychology , posthumously New York 1967 / Psychology of Women , Munich 1977
  • Final Lectures , posthumously New York 1987 / Analytical Technology , Frankfurt am Main 1990

literature

  • Horney, Karen . In: Franklin Kopitzsch, Dirk Brietzke (Hrsg.): Hamburgische Biographie . tape 3 . Wallstein, Göttingen 2006, ISBN 3-8353-0081-4 , p. 173-174 .
  • Babette Kozlik-Voigt: Karen Horney - In Search of the Lost Self , 294 pages, VTA-Verlag, Bad Rappenau 2015, ISBN 978-3-9816670-5-9
  • Bernard J. Paris: Karen Horney: A Psychoanalyst's Search for Self-Understanding , USA, New Haven 1994
  • Susan Quinn: A Mind of Her Own - The Life of Karen Horney , USA, New York 1987
  • Jack L. Rubins: Gentle Rebel of Psychoanalysis , USA, New York 1978
  • Jack L. Rubins: Karen Horney - gentle rebel of psychoanalysis , Kindler Verlag, Munich 1980, ISBN 3-463-00776-2
  • Gerhard Danzer : Karen Horney. In: Who are we? - In Search of the Human Formula - Anthropology for the 21st Century. Springer-Verlag Heidelberg / Berlin / New York 2011, pp. 229–241, ISBN 978-3-642-16992-2 .
  • Josef Rattner : Karen Horney , in: J. Rattner: Klassiker der Tiefenpsychologie , Psychologie Verlags Union, Munich 1990, pp. 376-415, ISBN 3-621-27102-3
  • Elisabeth Roudinesco , Michel Plon: Karen Horney, b. Danielsen (1885-1952) , in: E. Roudinesco, M. Plon, Dictionary of Psychoanalysis. Names, countries, works, terms. Vienna, New York: Springer 2004, pp. 421–424.

Web links

Commons : Karen Horney  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c K. Horney: The Neurotic Personality of Our Time, New York 1937
  2. ↑ a b K. Horney: New Ways in Psychoanalysis, New York 1938
  3. ↑ a b c d e K. Horney, Neurosis and Human Growth, New York 1950
  4. ↑ K. Horney: Self Analysis, New York 1942
  5. ^ K. Horney: Our Inner Conflicts, New York 1945
  6. ↑ Th. W. Adorno: The revised psychoanalysis . In: ders .: Collected writings in 20 volumes , edited by Rolf Tiedemann with the participation of Gretel Adorno, Susan Buck-Morss and Klaus Schultz, Frankfurt am Main 1986, Volume 8, pp. 20–40.
  7. ^ Herbert Marcuse: Eros and Civilization: Philosophical Inquiry Into Freud . Beacon Press, Boston (MA), 1955, pp. 249, 267, 272.
  8. ^ Elisabeth Roudinesco, Michael Plon, Article Karen Horney . In: dies .: Dictionary of Psychoanalysis. Names, countries, works, terms . Springer, Vienna / New York, 2004, pp. 421–424, here p. 423.
  9. ^ Elisabeth Roudinesco, Michael Plon, Article Karen Horney . In: dies .: Dictionary of Psychoanalysis. Names, countries, works, terms . Springer, Vienna / New York, 2004, pp. 421–424, here p. 421.
  10. ^ On the current situation in psychotherapy (1934). In: CG Jung: Gesammelte Werke , vol. 10. Walter Verlag, Olten 1960–1978, pp. 190f.
  11. ↑ Andreas Peglau: Apolitical Science? Wilhelm Reich and Psychoanalysis in National Socialism . Psychosozial Verlag, Gießen, 2013, p. 326: "The Third Reich and the current political situation were not mentioned by Horney."
  12. ^ Elisabeth Roudinesco, Michael Plon, Article Karen Horney . In: dies .: Dictionary of Psychoanalysis. Names, countries, works, terms . Springer, Vienna / New York, 2004, pp. 421–424, here p. 422.
personal data
SURNAME Horney, Karen
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Horney, Karen Clementine Theodore (full name); Danielsen, Karen Clementine Theodore (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German-American psychoanalyst and author
DATE OF BIRTH September 16, 1885
PLACE OF BIRTH Blankenese
DATE OF DEATH 4th December 1952
Place of death new York