Compare And Contrast Freud And Karen Horney

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There have been many theorist in psychology such as Erik Erickson, Gordon Allport, and Raymond Cattell, among others. They have all made significant contributions to psychology and understanding human behavior. However, two theorist have distinguished themselves over the rest of them. Sigmund Freud is known as the father of psychoanalysis. He developed numerous theories to facilitate the understanding of the different stages humans go through. As well as Freud, Karen Horney also created her own theories. Her theories were relatively similar to Freud’s, however, they also have their differences. It is essential to have general knowledge of their background and to understand both of their theories before we begin contrasting them.
It is known …show more content…

Horney was born in Germany in 1885. Her family was unsettling due to her father being absent most of the time because of work related circumstances. Horney was strongly independent and believed individuals were hypocritical of their religious beliefs. Similar to Freud, Horney studied medicine at the University of Freiburg. At the time, many opportunities were beginning to open for women in society. Horney initiated her theories with the explanation of basic anxiety. Unlike Freud, Horney came from a family who was less united. Her theory is relevant to her personal experiences and how she was able to cope with her issues. According to Langenderfer (1999), Horney’s thoughts on neurosis and psychoanalysis involve people coping with having complete control over the interpersonal problems. Horney describes neurosis as the feelings derived by culture. Freud, however, explains that neurosis is determined …show more content…

I can agree with most of what Horney said about neurosis being based of cultural circumstances. Her upbringings were the main focus on her theories. She developed them based on personal experiences and not on what her patients felt. I do realize that some people cope to certain situations such as anxiety based on habits, as she describes the defense mechanisms. I’m certain that people with the similar childhood as her, with a distant family, is more likely to relate to her theories. Based on my personal experiences, I was able to relate with most of Freud’s theories. To be more specific, I agree with the theory of the defense mechanisms and the conscious and unconscious. I have detected these mechanisms used by a numerous amount of people. Individual suffer from anxiety and releases their stress on other as Freud descried in the method of displacement. I have personally used sublimation and release my anger in healthier activities such as sports. Sigmund Freud applied the physical science and created a theory to help us understand the reactions by individuals to certain

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