Psychoanalytic Social Theory of Karen Horney
Karen Horney made innovative contributions to the domain of Psychology. Karen is best known of her theory describing effects on the individual’s personality from his or her culture in a society particularly the childhood experience. Although people can become neurotic at any stage in life, most neurosis begins in childhood experiences. Genuine love and healthy discipline is essential to build feelings of Safety and Satisfaction also the Love and Belonging that must be provided by the parents.
If these needs were not given, the child develops basic hostility towards the parents and when repressed it will lead to basic anxiety wherein a child feels helplessness and isolation in a cruel world. According to Karen Basic Anxiety and Basic Hostility are combined in an endless circle, because it may start any of those two. Through that it will direct to Neurosis. Yes basic anxiety can lead to neurosis, but not necessarily. According to Karen Horney, there are normal defenses against anxiety; these are the Spontaneous Movement toward people, against people and away from people.
In here, I think even how awful a child experience is they still engage to some activities that in a way they can express themselves and draw out their painful backgrounds to a delightful way. Besides we can view legendary people who brought success not just in a certain country but in the world despite from the traumatic experiences of his or her childhood. Aside from that there are also Neurotic defenses against anxiety, the Compulsive Movement toward people, against people, and away from people.
For me, we can not really blame those people who had terrible experiences. It is on their way on how they are going to deal with it. Yes, encountering such is really hard to forget especially if it deals among parents. It is like, how are they going to trust other people well in fact from the very beginning their own parents neglect them. I agree to Karen Horney’s theory even though it has no enough written documents but as we can see it is happening in the society.
