Karen Horney was a German psychoanalyst whose theories questioned some traditional Freudian views, particularly his theory of sexuality, as well as the instinct orientation of psychoanalysis and its genetic psychology. As such, she is often classified as a Neo-Freudian thinker. Her work offers an alternative perspective on the psyche, emphasizing sociocultural influences.
The book focuses on the revival of classic literature from the early 1900s and earlier, emphasizing the scarcity and rising costs of these original works. It aims to make these timeless texts accessible by republishing them in high-quality, modern editions that preserve the original text and artwork, catering to readers who appreciate historical literature.
Neuroses are portrayed as a unique struggle for survival in challenging circumstances, as explored by Karen Horney. She emphasizes the transformative potential of psychotherapy in helping individuals overcome maladaptive thoughts and behaviors. Drawing on her clinical experiences, Horney presents psychological concepts with clarity and compassion, making complex ideas accessible to readers.
Topics range from the neurotic need for affection, to guilt feelings and the quest for power, prestige and possession. First Published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
Here Karen Horney develops a dynamic theory of neurosis centered on the basic conflict among attitudes of moving forward moving against, and moving away from people.
The struggle toward self-realization
One of the most original psychoanalysts after Freud, Karen Horney introduced concepts such as alienation, self-realization, and the idealized image, emphasizing the role of culture and environment in psychoanalysis. Born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1885, she earned her medical degree from the University of Berlin in 1913. Horney studied psychiatry at Berlin-Lankwitz from 1914 to 1918 and taught at the Berlin Psychoanalytic Institute until 1932. She participated in significant international congresses, including a discussion on lay analysis chaired by Freud. In 1932, she moved to the United States and served as Associate Director of the Psychoanalytic Institute in Chicago for two years. In 1934, she joined the teaching staff of the New York Psychoanalytic Institute and later co-founded the Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis and the American Institute for Psychoanalysis in 1941. In her work, Horney examines the neurotic process as a deviation from healthy growth, detailing stages of neurotic claims, inner dictates, and the solutions individuals adopt to manage conflict through emotional attitudes like domination or dependency. Her insights reveal the forces that influence personal potential. This 40th Anniversary Edition features a new preface by Stephanie Steinfeld, Ph.D., and Jeffrey Rubin, M.D.
In this collection of papers, many previously unavailable in English, she brings to the subject of femininity her acute clinical observations and a rigorous testing of both her own hypotheses and those formulated by Freud. The topics she discusses include frigidity, the problem of the monogamous ideal, maternal conflicts, the distrust between the sexes, feminine masochism, and the neurotic need for love. Throughout the book, Dr. Horney draws on her experience as a therapist and at the same time consistently evaluates psychological factors within the context of cultural forces.
She discusses the driving forces in the neuroses, the different stages of psychoanalytic understanding, the patient's and the analyst's share in the psychoanalytic process, occasional and systematic self-analysis, and the realistic expectations of undertaking self-analysis.