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PSY 560 Final Project

Student’s Name

Institution Affiliation

Date

PSY 560 Final Project

Historical Overview

I. For the final project, I have chosen the Neo-Freudian and Feminist Psychology theory by Karen Horney. This theory provides a deep basis for psychology and serves to be quite important for understanding individuals in terms of their different personalities and behaviours.

II. This theoretical approach is likened to Freud Sigmund's psychoanalytic theory of the unconscious mind vs. childhood experiences: and how the superego as well as the ego arrive at their final form to become the personality of an individual.

III. The important life event of Karen Horney is that she was born on September 14, 1885, in Hamburg, Germany When choosing her future profession, the education for a teacher was given to women for it was considered to be an appropriate job for a female in the society while in the same society, they were restricted in many ways.

Then Horney’s positions became aligned with Freud ones but moved due to personal life circumstances and rationality. This is probably because of the possibility of depression and the fact that she was a woman in a man-dominated profession, though the agency of resistance to Freudian theories can indeed have a different perspective from a woman(Quinn, 2011).

Historical Development

a. Historical Development Of The Theory

I. The views and approaches conceived by Horney can be said to have emerged in the early half of the twentieth century when Freudian psychoanalysis dominated the world of psychology. Freud started understanding referring to the biological drives among which key interest was paid to sexuality forming the basis of psychoanalysis(Fenichel,1995).

II. In 1913, Horney began her psychoanalytic training under Karl Abraham, a close associate of Sigmund Freud. During this period, she was deeply influenced by Freudian theories, especially the concepts of the unconscious, repression, and the importance of early childhood experiences.

· The prevailing theories of the time were

· Psychosexual Stages of Development: Freud proposed that personality develops through a series of childhood stages in which the pleasure-seeking energies of the id focus on distinct erogenous zones.

· Oedipus Complex: This theory suggests that children experience unconscious sexual desires for their opposite-sex parent and hostility toward their same-sex parent.

· Defence Mechanisms: Freud introduced the concept of defence mechanisms, unconscious strategies the ego uses to manage anxiety from conflicts between the id, ego, and superego.

· How this theory relates to other theories

· Her ideas of neurotic needs and basic anxiety remain revolutionary even to this day. While Freud suggested that childhood sexual fixes are the primary reasons behind the conflict that has made a move to the unconscious, Horney deplored that insecurity and anxiety are due to interpersonal interactions and cultural environment. It was a paradigm shift from the deterministic form of biological reasoning to the sociocultural form, the latter being new to Her theory.

Key Theorist

Key Theorists (Theorists) Associated With This Theory

I. Karen Horney

Main Contributions:

Neo-Freudian Theory: Horney introduced concepts such as basic anxiety, neurotic needs, and the real self vs. the ideal self. She believed in the major importance of social and cultural influences rather than biological determinism.

Feminist Psychology: She critiqued Freud's theories on women and explained the concept of womb envy. She believed that women's psychological development was directly caused by societal and cultural factors.

Other Key Neo-Freudian Theorists

II. Alfred Adler:

Contributions: He was the founder of Individual Psychology and presumed that the source of impetus was the inherent feelings of inferiority and the need to strive for superiority. He believed that people are socially oriented and introduced the concept of an inferiority complex and lifestyle.

Relation to Horney: Like Horney, Adler also thought that social factors could contribute to shaping personality rather than just being based on Freud's sexual drives.

III. Carl Jung:

Contributions: Jung founded Analytical Psychology and gave several famous concepts like the collective unconscious, archetypes, and individuation. He worked with deeper levels of the personal unconscious.

Relation to Horney: Jung's mysticism and symbolicism in his theory are very different, but both tried to expand the theoretical borders of the unconscious that Freud had originally proposed.

IV. Erich Fromm

Contributions: Fromm combined psychoanalysis with his social theory. He tried to narrow the gap between psychology and society with concepts like freedom, love, and alienation. He is best known for his books \"Escape from Freedom\" and \"The Art of Loving.\"

Relation to Horney: Fromm's stressing of the critical importance of society and the human tendency toward social interaction aligns with Horney's arguments against Freud and her theories on interpersonal relationships.

V. Harry Stack Sullivan:

Contributions: He worked on the Interpersonal Theory of Psychiatry, stating that personality is developed through interpersonal relationships. He specifically studied the dynamics of interpersonal interactions and their influence on systems of psychological development.

Relation to Horney: Sullivan's concept fits with Horney's ideas on basic anxiety and the importance of social and cultural factors.

· Biographical Information

· Karen Horney

Birth and Early Life:

I. Born on September 16, 1885, in Hamburg, Germany.

II. Karen Horney (née Danielsen) was the daughter of Berndt Wackels Danielsen, a sea captain and a strict disciplinarian, and Clotilde van Ronzelen, who was more liberal and supportive(Ingram, 2012).

Education and Early Career:

III. Horney pursued higher education at a time when it was uncommon for women to do so. She studied medicine at the University of Freiburg, the University of Göttingen, and finally the University of Berlin, where she earned her medical degree in 1913.

IV. Influenced by the burgeoning field of psychoanalysis, she trained at the Berlin Psychoanalytic Institute and became a practising psychoanalyst in the 1910s and 1920s.

Key Concepts

Horney's theory is based on some important concepts as follows:

I.Neurotic Needs:

Horney named ten neurotic needs falling under three main trends: concerning the social interactional dynamics these could be moving toward people, moving against people and moving away from people(Pietikainen, 2007). These needs are caused by the two sources that, she felt, are inherently involved in the human condition: Factors that shape marriage, little security and fear(Finn, Mitte, & Neyer, 2014). These are; the neurotic/moral need for love and admiration, the neurotic/moral need for coincidence –a partner who habitually takes all one’s time, the neurotic/moral need for small life space and so forth.

III.Self-Realization: Low self-ideal standards and neurotic patterns that torture a person should be abandoned to reach the aim of self-actualization and personal development in the framework of the theories that Horney provided. She thought that people indeed can reach the state of self-actualization or the ability to attain maximum personal development, but not without experiencing some obstructions. It is the neurotic needs that arise and the basic anxiety that tends to accompany the everyday existence of the human being. Healthy self-actualization thus implies that the person must be aware of this perverse trend towards a healthier and more authentic mode of existence.

II. How the Theory Is Used Today

At present, there are several trends in Horney’s works which include social and psychological practices and using cultural and social factors for further personality conceptions. They have changed her notes regarding theories of treatment with fragments of the modern approaches to treatment implemented in practice currently like cognitive-behavioural therapy and humanistic psychology. Both Karen Horney’s neo-Freudian theory and Feminist psychology theory still play influential roles in modern-day psychology and have several applications within clinical psychology and psychotherapy.

Understanding and Treatment of Neurosis:

Basic Anxiety: Horney's theory of the development of basic anxiety due to disturbed interpersonal relationships is heavily utilized to understand the aetiology of anxiety disorders. Therefore, the therapist explores the early relationships of his or her clients and the current dynamics that attempt to address anxiety and neurosis.

Neurotic Needs: Her delineation of ten neurotic needs facilitates clinicians to pinpoint maladaptive coping strategies clients develop. Therapy often includes the understanding of such needs and helps to work out a more healthy way of getting them met.

I. Self-Realization and Growth:

Horney's emphasis on the real self vs. the ideal self is utilized in therapy to help clients carve a more authentic sense of self and attain growth. Therefore, therapists help individuals reconcile their real selves to the idealized self-images, bringing self-acceptance and self-enhancement.

Feminist Psychology and Gender Studies

II. Critique of Traditional Gender Roles:

Horney's feminist critique of Freud's theorizing is fundamental to feminist psychology. Her stance on the sociocultural formation of the gender role is used to criticize and disintegrate traditional views on gender and sexuality.

Womb Envy and Gender Envy: In this regard, her concepts are used to examine how social expectations and power play, influencing both men and women, give a more sophisticated position on gender-related issues.

III. Empowerment and Advocacy:

Horney's theories bolster feminist therapy, which ultimately intends to empower women from each nook and corner of the world and recognize the psychological impacts of patriarchy and gender discrimination. The theorization helps feminist therapists validate women's experiences and voices in a manner that ultimately leads to gender equality in relevant mental health practices (Jaffe, 2012).

Educational Psychology and Child Development

IV. Impact of Early Relationships

Her focus on early relationships and their influence on personality development can be used in the educational domain to create rich environmental contexts for children. The concept enables educators to understand the role and impact of basic anxiety and carry out social and emotional learning more effectively across schools.

Promotion of Healthy Development:

Horney's concepts are used to create parenting programs and child development theories that encourage healthy psychological growth in children. Parents and teachers are advised to create living spaces that lower the basic anxiety level of children and help their real selves flourish.

Social and Cultural Psychology

V. Socio-Cultural Influences on Behavior:

Horney's theories indicate that socio-cultural factors play a massive role in determining individual behaviour. This theoretical approach is used in social psychology to learn the influence of cultural norms, societal pressures, and interpersonal relationships on personality and mental health.

VI. Cultural Competency in Therapy:

Knowers uses her theories to implement culturally competent therapeutic practice. Being aware that factors of cultural and social context shape psychological processes allows therapists to have effective work with clients from various backgrounds.

Modern Psychological Research

VII. Research on Anxiety and Personality Disorders:

Researchers have continued to extend and develop Horney's theories while researching anxiety, personality disorders, and self-concept. Her works provide a model to explore the relationships between private experiences and broader societal influences(Miletic, 2002).

VIII. Integration with Contemporary Theories:

Horney's concepts are integrated into other contemporary theories related to psychological science. These are attachment theory, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and humanistic psychology. This allows for revealing different psychological phenomena in a much better light and creates implications for comprehensive treatment.

Organizational Psychology

IX. Interpersonal Relationships at Work:

Organizational psychological application pays a lot of attention to Horney's belief in the significance of interpersonal relationships. Basics of anxiety and neurotic needs are highlighted in organizational psychology to enhance workplace dynamics for better teamwork, leadership, and conflict resolution.

X. Employee's Well-being:

Her theories are used to implement programs that improve employee well-being and mental health. Organizations use such findings to create supportive workspaces that suggest the supportive psychological needs of employees and help them grow personally.

XI. Overall Summary

Karen Horney's neo-Freudian and Feminist Psychology theories have been very influential in diverse fields of psychology to date. Her concern for such factors as social and cultural importance, early relationships, and the development of the real self continues to inform practices in a diversity of clinical, feminist therapy, educational organizational strategies, and strategies(American Psychiatric Association. 2018). By challenging traditional psychoanalytic views and bringing human behaviour back to a more inclusive and holistic understanding, her work shapes contemporary psychological theory and its praxis.

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