Karen Horney: Neo-Freudianism

While Horney acknowledged and agreed with on many issues, she was also critical of him on several key beliefs. ’s notion of “penis envy” in particular was subject to criticism by Horney.[6] She thought had merely stumbled upon women’s of men’s generic power in the world. Horney accepted that penis envy might occur occasionally in neurotic women, but stated that “” occurs just as much in men: Horney felt that men were envious of a woman’s ability to bear children. The degree to which men are driven to success may be merely a substitute for the fact that they cannot carry, nurture and bear children.

Horney was bewildered by ’ tendency to place so much emphasis on the male sexual organ. Horney also reworked the Freudian of the , claiming that the clinging to one parent and of the other was simply the result of , caused by a disturbance in the parent-child relationship.

Despite these variances with the prevalent Freudian view, Horney strove to reformulate Freudian thought, presenting a holistic, humanistic view on individual which placed much emphasis on cultural and worldwide. She shared ’s view that self-actualization is the ultimate pinnacle of human achievement.

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May 29, 2008 | Filed Under Psychotherapists 

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