In her book Neurosis And Human Growth Karen Horney attempts to bring to light the cause for Neurosis through Practical observations, in conjunction with theoretical suppositions. What we will attempt to focus on for purposes for this essay is what constitutes the true self. What informes this true self, and where does it reside in regards to the human psyche? It is through this endeavour, that a deeper understanding of the self is hoped to be reached. Just as many have done before Horney chooses to discount those that have come before her; we will attempt to explore both truths and possible falsehoods that are part of her theories.
As her book starts Horney states:
Whatever the conditions under which a child grows up, he will, if
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Are we living in a time that prohibits us from understanding this concept? We are constantly inundated with ideas and ideals of what the individual should be. It would seem that we live in a society that urges radical individualism, but only as it fits into the norms and values of the society which we live in. If this is taken into consideration, we find that is is much easier for the individual living in contemporary Western Culture to fall into the grips of Neurosis. I am aware that this statement seems a bit bold, so I will attempt to qualify it a bit. The culture i which we now live is based on competition, this means often that we are forced into this competitive structure in order to operate within our society. By becoming willing, or even reluctant participants, we begin the process of abandonment of the real self. Often we find ourselves making strives to fit into, or operate within the ideals of our culture. As this takes place, we begin to be less of our “original” self; In fact, if we utilize Horney’s reasoning this would mean that we start to develope an idealized self. As our true desires become thwarted by the world around us, we learn to adapt by molding ourselves to fit the world around us. This begins from an early age; we are constantly in competition with our peers, always seeking the approval of others, operating in a manner …show more content…
But it is a despair(still following Kierkegaard) which does not clamor or scream People go on living as if they were still in immediate contact with this alive center. any other loss--that of a job say, or a leg--arouses far more concern. This statement of Kierkegaard’s coincides with clinical observation. Apart from the pronounced pathologic conditions mentioned before, its loss does not strike the eye directly and forcefully...And in his imagination he is different--so different, indeed, that his real self fades and pales still more...instead of making his own efforts, for instance, with regard to human relations, the neurotic insists that others should adjust to him...Instead of making his own decisions, he insists that others should be responsible for him. Therefore his constructive energies lie fallow, and he actually is less and less a determining factor in his own
In the article Daydreams of What You’d Rather Be by Lance Morrow; a Harvard graduate who is a contributor to Time, proposes the idea that there is a distinct relationship in-between the self and the “anti-self”. He exposes this idea throughout by using different examples that involve numerous people, and also by using different comparisons to make his writing more relatable and more easily understood. The methods that Morrow uses to support the claims that he is making and to help uncover that message that is being emphasized in the article are essential to the meaning and the understanding. In Daydreams of What You’d Rather Be, Lance Morrow validates his main idea that underneath every person there is an “anti-self” that is just begging to be let out; by using examples of different people and situations, but also by using different comparisons and going as far as to explaining his true thoughts on this person that everyone has inside of them.
Feeling good about oneself is an inherently good thing; however when this is intensified so severely that it becomes the focus of everyday life, complications and consequences may occur. Jean Twenge tries to warn today’s “Generation Me” about the dangers of their obsession with the self in her piece, “An Army of One: Me.” This desire to look out for only the individual has dramatic effects on the direction of today’s society. What has also evolved out of this self adoring society is a seemingly endless need for argument, especially in the educational field, an issue addressed by Debora Tannen in her essay, “The Roots of Debate in Education and the Hope of Dialogue.” Of course, no researchers or educational experts expected the negative results such as narcissism and argumentative culture that followed from these teaching methods. These are unintended consequences and displaced risks, just as the types addressed in Edward Tenner’s, “Another Look Back, and A Look Ahead” but applied to a different subject. In effect, one problem causes another as an excess of self-esteem more often than not leads to narcissism. That development of narcissism promotes an argumentative culture in which everyone thinks they are right because confidence in oneself is far too high. Revenge effects may include constant irritability and excessive sensitivity, a lack of obtaining a good education, or in some cases pure laziness. Through a flawed system of education and the development of Generation Me, the attitude of the United States has unintentionally drifted towards narcissism and discontent.
Sigmund Freud provides a concept of how a person’s personality is structured and to have a healthy personality requires a balance in the interaction between the id, ego, and superego. Bandura’s theory of observational learning plays a vital role in the persons conditioning process. By understanding the basis of observational learning that includes modeling, disinhibition, and trolling, one can recognize the different types of reinforcements that contribute to how one learns and then behaves in situations throughout their life. The experience and knowledge of self-discovery comes gradually without an instantaneous impact. Although, moments of true realization can give one a release from past insecurities, doubt, and shame just to name a few. Such realizations can change how one views or feels about their past, which includes their choices, successes, failures, and the different relationships they have had from birth to the present. In conclusion, one should invest in getting to know their own personality to educate themselves and receive the benefits of a healthy state of mental
Theories abound around how people develop emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. This essay will examine the theories of five leaders on the subject of development.
Sollod, R. N., Wilson, J. P., & Monte, C. F. (2009). Defending Against Envy: The Most Deadly of Sins. Beneath the Mask; an introduction to theories of personality (p. 233). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. (Original work published 2003).
Erik Erikson was a German Psychoanalyst that developed a psychosocial theory composing of eight stages of development. These eight stages span from birth to death and attempt to describe how external factors influence personality development. I seek to learn more about Erikson’s psychosocial theory by reflecting on an individual person’s account of their memories from childhood into their present life stage and out to their goals and vision for their future self.
defends the argument that humans are not solely defined by their nature or nurture, but by both. The
Erik Erikson, a German-born American who is a well known developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst, established the grand theory of psychosocial development. Throughout his theory, persistently stresses that one’s personality advances non-stop throughout the duration of several differential stages. Erikson’s theory also goes in depth to explain the immense impact of social experiences in one’s lifespan. The main element that is produced from his theory of psychosocial development is essentially ego identity. Ego identity can be defined as a sense of self, or better, the knowledge of one’s self that forms through a process within all social interaction. Contemporary
The thought of Freud has a total focus on an individual’s mind and how this internal struggle effects how humans interact within society. Freud argues that every human has three functional parts of their personality that exist within the mind itself: the id, super-ego and the ego. Thurschwell describes these three layers as how they relate to each other. The id is the deepest level of the unconscious, which is dominated by the pleasure principle and has no concept of time except for the present, demanding instant gratification of sexual and aggressive (Eros and Thanatos) urges. The superego originates through identification with the individuals parents, functioning as an internal censor witch represses the dangerous urges of the id. The ego starts as part of the id but is more sensible as it has knowledge of the outside world. Unlike the id, the ego is dominated by the instinct to protect oneself. Although these three layers cannot be physically mapped out in the mind they do show how Freud constantly focused on the internal mind...
If you don’t have self-love, it’s hard to find what you aren’t familiar with. “Over and over again, Celie accepts abuse and victimization”(Henderson 67). Through victimization, self-blame starts to form over time. Celie wanted a clear statement of what was actually happening to her and why. She redirected her thoughts to the higher power, God.”Dear God, I am fourteen years old. I have always been a good girl. Maybe you can give me a sign letting me know what is happening to me.”(Proudfit 53) Blaming themselves, woman often search for the missing piece in their
A person's ability to develop is due to two factors, maturation and learning. Although maturation, or the biological development of genes, is important, it is the learning - the process through which we develop through our experiences, which make us who we are (Shaffer, 8). In pre-modern times, a child was not treated like they are today. The child was dressed like and worked along side adults, in hope that they would become them, yet more modern times the child's need to play and be treated differently than adults has become recognized. Along with these notions of pre-modern children and their developmental skills came the ideas of original sin and innate purity. These philosophical ideas about children were the views that children were either born "good" or "bad" and that these were the basis for what would come of their life.
Self-improvement initiates both happiness and an increased ability to succeed in things over which we have some but not complete control. Because we cannot control them, the greatest thing we can do is to internalize the goals we form about the things over which we lack complete control. Irvine’s example depicts a person who wants to win a tennis match. This person does not have control over their opponent or how they play, but they do have control over how much they prepare for the match and how they perform during it. If they set goals to train and play to their best ability, then they increase their chances of winning compared to if they did not play as well as they
In the study of child development, nature and nurture are two essential concepts that immensely influence future abilities and characteristics of developing children. Nature refers to the genetically obtained characteristics and abilities that influence development while nurture refers to the surrounding environmental conditions that influence development. Without one or the other, a child may not develop some important skills, such as communication and walking. The roles of physiological and psychological needs in a person’s life are also crucial for developing children. Humanistic psychologist, Abraham Maslow, suggested that humans don’t only aim towards survival, but also aim towards self-actualization (Rathus, P. 94).
The humanistic psychology tends to aim at the latent possibility of individuals while emphasizing on the growing process and perceived personality. The underlying principle of humanistic psychology is that humans are naturally decent and mind and societal issues arise from unacceptable behavior that is sharply different from customary, traditional, or accepted standard. Also, it insinuates that people are inspired to employ this free will to engage in whatever that will make it easier for them to succeed in doing or gaining something with effort. Nevertheless, a person continues to explore strategies to develop, progress, acquire information or skills, and to encounter psychological growth and self-actualization. In this paper, it will discuss
A self is some sort of inner being or principle, essential to, but not identical with, the person as whole. It is that in a person that thinks and feels. The self is usually conceived in philosophy as that which one refer to with the word “I”. It is that part or aspects of a person that accounts for personal identity through time. In spite of all the ways one can change with time, the self is invariably same through time. A self is what is supposed to account for the fact that an individual is same person today as he/she was at the age of five, given that all his characteristics have changed over time. For instance, compared to his childhood, this individual is stronger, taller, and smarter; he has different aspirations and dreams, different thoughts and fears, his interests and activities are remarkably different. Yet, he is still the same ...