The Neurotic Personality of Our Time

by Karen Horney

Topics range from the neurotic need for affection, to guilt feelings and the quest for power, prestige and possession. First Published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Psychoanalysis, Self Help, Philosophy, Mental Health, Science

300 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1937

About the author

Karen Horney was a German psychoanalyst. Her theories questioned some traditional Freudian views, particularly his theory of sexuality, as well as the instinct orientation of psychoanalysis and its genetic psychology. As such, she is often classified as Neo-Freudian.

Reviews

[Valeriu Gherghel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firește că normalitatea psihică e o convenție istorică și socială. Omul normal dincoace de Pirinei e anormal dincolo, ca să-l parafrazez pe Montaigne. Omul normal pe malul drept al Bahluiului e nevrotic pe malul stîng. În definitiv, nimeni nu e sănătos la cap decît dacă privim capul de la mare distanță și nu-l cercetăm în amănunt. Omul a fost dintotdeauna o ființă bizară, sărită de pe fix. În alte cuvinte, trăim cu toții într-un mare balamuc.

Prin ce se caracterizează un nevrotic? De ce trebuie să ne îngrijorăm? Iată cîteva dintre observațiile lui Karen Horney:

1. Nevroticul are o imagine de sine și de ceilalți eronată sau, altfel spus, iluzorie. Privește strîmb.

2. Este rigid, inflexibil, greoi, supus rutinelor și ideilor fixe: „Rigiditatea e un indiciu al nevrozei”. Nevroza conduce la un comportament repetitiv.

3. Nevroticul e neproductiv sau, mai corect, nu este suficient de productiv, nu dă niciodată tot ce ar fi putut da. „Discrepanța dintre potențialitate și înfăptuirile reale este un alt semn de nevroză”.

În treacăt fie spus: indivizii nu sînt creatori din pricina vreunei nevroze (a nebuniei geniale de care vorbeau romanticii), ci în pofida ei. Nebunia nu e creatoare. Nu a fost nicicînd și nici nu va fi.

3. Nevroticul trăiește îndeosebi în trecut, deși nu se poate împăca niciodată cu el.

4. El suferă de anxietate difuză, acută (crize de panică). Nevroticul resimte anxietatea ca „neputință și înfrîngere”. E inhibat. Crede că e vulnerabil și că se află în preajma unei catastrofe. E apocaliptic.

5. Este nesigur și dependent de aprobarea și afecțiunea celorlalți. Pretinde că nu a fost iubit suficient. Ar dori nespus să fie adorat de întreaga omenire (din prezent, trecut și viitor). Mizează pe o răzbunare postumă. Viitorul îi va da dreptate.

6. Nu este în stare să facă și să urmeze un plan. De obicei, viața lui e haotică, dezordonată: „se lasă mereu la voia întîmplării”.

7. Deși are simțămîntul unei vinovății acute, dă mereu vina pe ceilalți. Ceilalți sînt infernul. Poate fi și este adesea impulsiv și sfidător - ca Marmeladov, personajul lui Dostoievski din „Crimă și pedeapsă”.

8. Nevroticul gîndește binar. Ceva e sau alb, sau negru. Sau bun sau rău. Are sau prieteni sau dușmani. „Tertium non datur...”

9. În definitiv, nevroticul este marele erou ignorat al timpului nostru. Dincolo de portretul propus de Karen Horney în această lucrare clasică, nu mai este aproape nimic de adăugat...

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty much everyone you know, including yourself, is described in detail here, sadly. Should be taught in grade schools.

[Hannibal · Rating 5 out of 5]

کارن هورنای یکی از برجسته ترین شاگردان فروید است که پس از او به راهی دیگر رفته و مکتب خود را دنبال نموده است. او برخلاف فروید به جریان لیبیدو معتقد نبوده و علت اساسی مشکلات نوروتیک را در «اضطراب اساسی» می داند.
مساله اضطراب، منشاء ها، تظاهرات و علایم رفتاری، موضوع این کتاب است که با مهارت و تسلط بی مانند نویسنده، روان انسانی را کالبدشکافی می کند.
از مشکلات یا محسنات کتاب این است که خواننده را قادر می کند تا نیات در پس پرده رفتارهای روزمره اطرافیان را بداند و از آنجا که این نیات الزاماً نیکو نیستند، سبب تعارض و اصطکاک می شود.
لذا خواننده باید از شرح صدر کافی جهت هضم و پذیرش چرایی رفتارهای خود یا دیگران باشد.
ترجمه کتاب بسیار عالی است و محمد جعفر مصفا به درستی بیش از انکه به دنبال تطابق کلمه ای و ... باشد، روح و عمق مطلب را به درستی درک کرده و به خواننده ایرانی منتقل می کند.

[بَرسا · Rating 5 out of 5]

کارن هورنای، علت اصلی و وجه مشترک بین تمام افراد عصبی را «اضطراب اساسی» می‌داند و آن را این گونه تعریف می‌کند:
«ترس و اضطراب دو واکنش روحی متناسب با خطرند؛ منتهی در مورد ترس، عامل خطر در خارج است ولی در مورد اضطراب،عامل خطر شرایط درونی خود فرد است. اولی منشا خارجی دارد، دومی منشا درونی و شخصی.»
او در ۱۵ فصل تلاش کرده از ساختمان عصبیت پرده بردارد و برای درک هر چه بهتر افراد عصبی، تمایلات و رفتارهای آن ها را ریشه یابی کند. او به خصوص روی تمایلات پنهانی شخصیت عصبی مهرطلب و شخصیت عصبی برتری طلب، مانور زیادی داده استو عصبیت را لزوما حاصل و سرچشمه گرفته از دوران کودکی نمی‌داند بلکه معتقد است که شرایط فرهنگی زمانه و تضادها و تناقض های فرهنگی و جامعه نیز در شکل گیری این ساختار نقش دارند و در این رابطه می‌گوید:
«جامعه از یک سو افراد را به سوی برتری و تفوق بیشتر بر دیگران می‌راند – که نتیجه اجتناب ناپذیر آن خودخواهی، خشونت، پرخاشگری، عقب زدن دیگران و منافع آن ها را نادیده گرفتن است—از سوی دیگر افراد را به مواجهه با ایده آل های اخلاقی از قبیل رافت مسیح‌گونه می‌نماید؛ به افراد توصیه می‌کند که هیچ چیز را برای خود نخواهند، فروتن باشند، ملایم باشند و آن‌ سوی چهره خود را برای دریافت سیلی دیگری پیش آورند. خوب، فرد با چنین تضاد واضحی چه کند؟ چگونه می‌تواند بین این دو اصل سازش ایجاد کند؟ دو راه حل برای این تضاد قابل تصور است: یک راه این است که شخص یکی از از آن دو شق متضاد را جدی تلقی نماید؛ آن را به صورت یک اصل بپذیرد و در جهت تحقق آن حرکت کند و از شق دیگربا بی‌اعتنایی عبور کند. راه دیگر آن است که هر دو را جدی تلقی کند—که در این‌صورت وجودش یک وجود پر تضاد و مانع خواهد شد—ونتیجتا قادر نخواهد بود در هیچ جهتی یک دل و یک پارچه حرکت کند.»
از آنجا که اشخاص عصبی خود از ترمزها و موانع و تضادهای درونی وجود خود آگاهی ندارند، خوانش این کتاب برای درک بهتر خود و اطرافیان به تمامی افراد توصیه می‌شود.

[Michelle Fields · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this woman is the biggest genius in psychology

[Sharareh · Rating 4 out of 5]

به نظر می‌رسد کسانی که مستعد ابتلا به حالت های عصبی می‌گردند اشخاصی هستند که مخصوصا هنگام کودکی به شدت مواجه با این مشکلات فرهنگی و‌تضادهای اجتماعی بوده اند و خودشان نتوانسته اند آن مشکلات را حل کنند.یا اگر به حل آن ها مبادرت کرده اند به طریق سالم نبوده بلکه به بهای صدمه زدن زیاد به سلامت شخصیت و روحشان بوده است.عینا مثل کسانی که برای تسکین آلام روحی خود به مواد مخدره پناه میبرند.بنابراین جا دارد این نوع عصبیت ها را زاده ی فرهنگ و تمدنمان بخوانیم - از متن کتاب

رو تک تک جملات کتاب باید فکر کرد،خیلی از نشونه ها و رفتارها و ناهنجاری هایی که تو کتاب گفته شده تقریبا تو همه آدمای اطرافمون دیده شده،ولی دیگه عادی به نظر میاد.

[Barbara R. Saunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this book, I have a deeper understanding of why I was so miserable in my early 20s!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

as I read, I would say "that's me" a lot...

[Night0vvl · Rating 5 out of 5]

این کتاب حول محور "اضطراب اساسی" و مسائل مربوط به آن قرار دارد و نویسنده چنان هنرمندانه به بررسی و تجزیه و تحلیل مسائل میپردازد که در عین ایجاز کلام، مطالب بسیاری به خواننده خواهد آموخت.
اگر بر طبق معیارهای مطرح شده در کتاب شما شخصیتی عصبی باشید، به درک و چشم اندازی از شرایطی که شاید اصلا متوجه حضورش نباشید دست خواهید یافت و اگر هم بر طبق معیارها فردی غیرعصبی باشید باز به درکی مناسب از علل رفتارهای ناموزون و بعضا آزاردهنده ی دیگران خواهید رسید؛ و در هر دو فرض این کتاب به رشد شخصیت فردی کمک خواهد نمود.
ترجمه ی کتاب ترجمه ای دلنشین است و بر سادگی زبان و قابل فهم تر بودن برای هر قشری افزوده است، علاوه بر آن همانگونه که در ابتدای کتاب عنوان میشود ترجمه ای آزاد است و شاید یکی از بهترین نمونه های این نوع ترجمه باشد.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've ever read

This books was recommended to me by a good friend of mine. Really easy to read, incredible complex and deep concepts explained easily and in a simple way. Will definitely review my highlights and reread some chapters in the future.

Recomended to everyone: we'll all find lots of knowledge in it and resemblance to our personal lives and of those people that surround us.

[emre · Rating 4 out of 5]

zamanının çok ötesinde, fevkalade gözlemlerle dolu bir kitap. tek kusuru, bir yerden sonra sık sık tekrara düşmesi bence.

[Arash Mehrkesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتاب مهمی از کارن هورنای . قبل از خوندن این کتاب به نظرم بهتره کتاب تضادهای درون هورنای خونده بشه

[Ebrbnbrl]

"The feeling of power, for example, may in a normal person be born of the realization of his own superior strength, whether it be physical strength or ability, mental capacities, maturity or wisdom. Or his striving for power may be connected with some particular cause: family, political or professional group, native land, a religious or scientific idea. The neurotic striving for power, however, is born out of anxiety, hatred and feelings of inferiority. To put it categorically, the normal striving for power is born of strength, the neurotic of weakness".
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"In searching for the conditions which produce a striving for these ends it becomes apparent that such a striving for these ends it becomes apparent that such a striving usually develops only when it has proved impossible to find reassurance for the underlying anxiety through affection".
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".. This example illustrated the typical factors that combine to generate a neurotic ambition: from the beginning she felt insecure because she felt unwanted; considerable antagonism was created, which could not be expressed because the mother, the dominate figure in the family, demanded blind admiration; the repressed hatred generated a great deal of anxiety; her self-esteem had never had a chance to grow, she had been humiliated on several occasions, and she felt definitely stigmatized by the experience with her brother; attempts to reach out for affection as a means of reassurance has failed."
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"The more the neurotic feels factually handicapped by his inhibitions, the less he is factually able to assert himself".
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"The weaker he factually becomes the more anxiously he has to avoid anything that has a faint resemblance to weakness."
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"He has more or less contempt for all persons who agree with him or give in to emotions so closely that they always show an impassive face."
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The particular forms that such a striving for power will take depend upon what lack of power is most feared or despised."
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"Tendencies to control may be repressed to such a degree that not only the person himself, but even those about him, may be convinced of his great generosity in allowing freedom to the other."
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"Much of what appears as curiosity is determined by a secret wish to control the situation. "
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"It is a fact definitely to his interest not to recognize it and not to change it, because it has important protective functions. Nor should others recognize it, because if they do there is a danger of losing their affection. "
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"This lack of awareness has important implications for love relationships. If a lover or husband does not exactly live up to expectations, if he is late, does not telephone, goes out of town, a neurotic woman feels that he does not love her. Instead of recognizing that what she feels is plain anger reaction to a lack of compliance with wishes of her own, which as often as not are inarticulate, she interprets the situation as evidence that she is unwanted".
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"Neurotic girls cannot love a "weak" man because of their contempt for any weakness; but neither can they cope with a "strong" man because they expect their partner always to give in".

"Hence what they secretly look for is the hero, the super strong man, who at the same time is so weak that he will bend to all their wishes without hesitance."
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"Love, whatever else it may mean, always implied surrender, giving in to the lover as well as to one's feelings. The more a person, whether a man or woman, is incapable of such giving in, the more unsatisfactory will be his love relationships.
This sane factor may have a bearing also on frigidity, inasmuch as having an orgasm presupposes just this capacity of complete letting go."
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"The quest for power is a protection against helplessness and against insignificance'"
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"Though he is constantly preoccupied with inflating his ego, he does it not primarily for the sake of self-love, but for the sake of protecting himself against a feeling of insignificance and humiliation, or, in positive terms, for the same of repairing a crushed self-esteem."
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"The more distant his relations with others, the more his quest for prestige can be internalized; it appears then as a need to be infallible and wonderful in his own eyes." •
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"As the phenomenon of possessiveness is well known, particularly from its appearance in marriages, where law supplies a legal basis for such claims".
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"The three strivings I have described (power, prestige and possession) serve, as I have said, not only as a reassurance against anxiety but also, as a means of releasing hostility. Depending on which striving is dominant, this hostility takes the form of a tendency to domineer, a tendency to humiliatey or a tendency to deprive others."
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".. What actually takes place, however, is that the neurotic's hostility is pressed into civilized forms and breaks out when he does not succeed in having his own way."
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"The repressed hostility may then result in new anxiety. This may manifest itself in depression or fatigue."
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"Since the occasions which arouse these reactions are so insignificant that they escape attention, and since the neurotic is not aware of his own reactions, such depressions or anxiety states may seem to have no external stimulation."
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"The neurotic person acts like a slave driver, using his helplessness as a whip in order to compel the other to serve his will
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"There may be so much hostility involved in the domineering attitude thar it creates a new anxiety. This may then result in such inhibitions as an inability to give orders, to be decisive, to express a precise opinion, with the result that the neurotic often appears unduly compliant. This in turn leads him to mistake his inhibitions for an innate softness."
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"In persons in whom the craving for prestige is uppermost, hostility usually takes the form of a desire ti humiliate others. This desire is paramount in those persons whose own self-esteem has been wounded by humiliation and who have thus become vindictive. Usually they have gone through a series of humiliating experiences in childhood, experienced that may have had to do either with the social situation in which they grew up such as belonging to minority group, or being themselves poor but having wealthy relatives or with their own individual situation, such as being discriminated against for the sake of other children, being spurned, being treated as a plaything by the parents, being sometimes spoiled and other times shamed and snubbed. Often experiences of this kind are forgotten because of their painful character, but they reappear in awareness if the problems concerning humiliation are clarified. In adult neurotics, however, never the direct but only the indirect results of these childhood situations can be observed, results which have been reinforced by passing through a "vicious circle": a feeling if humiliation; a desire to humiliate others; enhanced sensitivity to humiliation because pf a fear of retaliation; enhanced wish to humiliate others."
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"Any mother who acts according to the belief that the child exists to give her satisfaction is bound to exploit the child emotionally."
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"A neurotic of this kind may also tend to withhold things from others, withhold money which he ought to pay, information which he could give, sexual satisfaction which he had led another to expect."
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"He mat behave and feel free and natural toward persons from whom he does not expect anything, but he will become self-conscious as soon as there is any possibility of future favors. This is true in erotic as in all other relationships. A neurotic of this type may be frank and natural with men for whom she does not care, but feel embarrassed and constrained toward a man whom she wants to like her, because, for her, obtaining his affection is identified with getting something out of him." •
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"It is an achievement of Alfred Adler to have seen and emphasized the importance of these strivings, the role they play in neurotic manifestations and the disguises in which they appear. Adler, however, assumed these strivings to be the foremost trend in human nature, not in themselves requiring any explanation; their intensification in neurotics he traces back to feelings of inferiority and to physic inadequacies."
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"Neither Adler or Freud has recognized the role that anxiety plays in bringing about such drives, not has either of them seen the cultural implications in the forms in which they are expressed."
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"The neurotic-ambitious person acts as if it were more important for him to defeat others than to succeed. In reality his own success is of the utmost importance to him; but since he has strong inhibitions toward success -as we shall see later- the only way that remains open to him is to be, or at least to feel, superior: to tear down the others, to bring them down to his own level, or rather beneath it."
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"He will, for instance, dislike or refuse a movie or a book if it is recommended by a person with whom he is competing at the time."
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"If he has done something successfully he is bound to do it poorly the next time."
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"The neurotic, in contrast to the psychotic, cannot help registering with painful accuracy all the thousand little incidents of real life which do not fit in with his conscious illusion. Consequently he wavers in his self-valuation between feeling great and feeling worthless. At any minute he may shift from one extreme to the other. At the same time that he feels most convinced of his exceptional value he may be astonished that anyone take him seriously. Or at the same time that he feels miserable and down-trodden he may feel furious that anyone should think him in need of help. Hid sensitivity can be compared with that of a person who is sore all over his body and flinches at the slightest touch. He easily feels hurt, despised, neglected, slighted, and reacts with proportionate vindictive resentment."•
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"It may be difficult then to see that behind all the odd vanities, demands, hostilities, there is a human being who suffers, who feels forever excluded from all that makes life desirable, who knows that even if he gets what he wants he cannot enjoy it."
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"The compulsive striving for perfection develops to a large extent out of this need to avoid any disapproval."
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"Observation of this reaction, and also the fact that sometimes he seems to arrange or provoke adverse happenings, if only inadvertently, may lead to an assumption that the neurotic person has guilt feelings so strong that he develops a need for punishment in order to get rid of them."
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"Unlike the normal person he not only fears those consequences which are likely to happen, but anticipates consequences utterly disproportionate to reality."
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"The fear of disapproval may appear in various forms. Sometimes it shows in a constant fear of annoying people; the neurotic may be afraid, for example, to refuse an invitation, disagree with an opinion, express any wishes, fail to conform to the given standards, be in any way conspicuous. It may appear in a constant fear of people finding out about him; even when he feels he is liked his inclination is to withdraw in order to forestall being found out and dropped. It also may come out in an inordinate reluctance to let others know anything about his own private affairs, or in a disproportionate anger at any harmless questions concerning himself, because he feels that such questions are attempts to pry into his affairs."
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"To put it very bluntly, it is the whole insincerity in his personality or rather, in the neurotic part of his of his personality, that is responsible for his fear of disapproval, and it is in this insincerity that he fears detection."










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[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreads tells me that I added this book in October 2015, but I'm fairly certain that I've been reading it since 2013, slowly.

The original version of this book was published in 1937 and this reissue is from 1964, though it seems to have been printed recently. I have to say that I was surprised to find how relevant this book seems to be to the psychological challenges of modern life. I would have thought that many of the issues that we have today have developed relatively recently, such as for example the challenges of living in an individualistic society, and one with conspicuous consumption. But lo and behold, the term conspicuous consumption was coined in 1899.

Horney summarises that she believes that there are contradictions in modern culture that underlie typical neurotic conflicts. While everyone has to live with these contradictions, some do not manage them as well as others. The first contradiction is between competition and success, and brotherly love and humility. The second is between the stimulation of our needs and factual frustrations in satisfying them. The third is between the alleged freedom of the individual and factual limitations. I found it surprising how relevant her insights from the 1930s are to life today, and I was therefore surprised how old our modern social culture seems to be!

As others have said, as you read through this book you can spot your own neurotic behaviours and those of people around you. I believe that this kind of spotting might seem distasteful to some people, but to me the reality of life is that we all do strange things some of the time, and it's good to have some insight into possible underlying causes of behaviours. I think having such an awareness is valuable so that we can all give one another a little grace when necessary!

I would definitely recommend it to others, even if it can be a little slow going at times.

[Maide Karzaoğlu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Döne döne, tekrar tekrar okuduğum ve okuyacağım bir kitap. Psikoloji alanına uzak olanların biraz ağır bulabileceği ama içine girince ufuk açan, okumak için bu kadar geç kalmış olmama ah’lar ettiren, üzerine düşündüren, insanları düşündüren, bu alanı neden bu kadar sevdiğimi uzun zaman sonra tekrar hatırlatan bir kitap oldu. Diğer insanların temel kaygıları, nevrotik aşağılanma kompleksleri ve sevgi eksikliklerinin hayatımda ne gibi etkilere sebep olduğunu şöyle yüzüme yüzüme çarptı diyebilirim. Başyapıt...

[Mariia Mostova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Цікаво читнути за умови перебування в процесі психотерапії чи маючи певний бекґраунд в розумінні неврозів чи невротиків. Для самодіагностування далася ва��ко, але отримала кілька цінних інсайтів, якими ділитимусь в приватних бесідах.

[Uğur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skeptical, giving orders, lazy, insensitive...

The fact that you have all or some of these concepts does not make you neurotic, let me first state this. Because when I look at the characteristics of a neurotic personality, I wonder, "am I a neurotic person too?" a person asks his question to himself. This is just like not going to the doctor and not showing signs of illness. According to the results obtained by typing into Google, it's like putting a name to your illness. :) There are certain criteria for determining the neurotic personality. Since criteria are applied on many issues, if you have doubts and concerns about such issues, it will be very useful to go to a psychologist on your behalf. You can't get to know yourself by reading books like this. First of all, I wanted to start the topic by stating this.

Since neurosis can be considered as a departure from what is happening in essence, a departure from the normal, it is necessary to identify the factors that cause a direct deviation. At this point, author Karen Horney begins her evaluation of the factors that trigger neurosis by considering the factors one by one on the basis of worries, fears and defenses developed against them in the book. Neuroses contain quite complex dynamics by their structure. However, the book mainly discusses the anxiety-fear duo and evaluates the neurotic personality.

Although Horney says that anxiety and fears are conceptually universal, he notes that anxiety and fears will vary from culture to culture, nature and space, and reveals that different neurotic selves can arise through cultural neuroses. At this point, I remembered Freud's book totem and taboo. There, too, tribes that have certain fears and concerns in the regional sense have created totems, traditions, taboos to defend themselves, and this is classified as a belief in a general sense, he says. From this point of view, it is necessary to pursue the question of whether there are religions because "after death" is a source of anxiety and fear for a person.

Let's continue, author Horney reveals that there is a consensual act in neurotic people caused by their anxiety and fears (by being aware of it), transforming the anxiety that they deny, making it acceptable. In this sense, the anxiety that he is aware of also includes the defense area of the person who has a neurotic personality.

It is a book enriched with examples and important source information from a scientific perspective and stands at an important point in the recognition of today's and future people. Although psychology is considered under the topic heading, it also has a content that is directly related to Sociology and Philosophy. I wish you a pleasant reading for the interested person already.

[lukas · Rating 4 out of 5]

aš neurotikas, tu neurotikas, visi mes neurotikai. gal tai ir yra tas žmogiškumas...

šiaip būtų tikrai baisu sutikt žmogų, kuris yra "normalus", kažkur kitam neurotiškumo spektro gale 😬

[Blumfeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karen Horney'in ilk kitabı olan "Çağımızın Nevrotik Kişiliği" Horneyan Psikodinamik Kuramın girişini oluşturması açısından önemlidir. Bu kitapta Horney, Horneyan Psikanalitik Kuram olarak tanımlanacak, Yapısal bir nevroz modelinin temeli ilk defa atmış, Nevrozun etiyolojisinde yeni bir açıklama getirmiştir.

Çağımızın Nevrotik Kişiliğinde, Nevroz'un kökeni temel kaygı kavramında bulunmuş olup, bu kaygıyı etkileyen ve bu kaygıdan etkilenen temel düşmanlık ve savunmacı eğilimlerin ilişkilerinin karmaşık bir açıklamasına giriş yapılmıştır. İleride "Nevrozlar ve İnsan Gelişimi" adlı kitapta olgun haline ulaşacak olan Horneyan Kuramın kavramlarının ilk ortaya çıkışının fark edileceği bu kitap, Horneyan kuramın gelişimini anlamak, ve özelilkle Temel kavramlarının önemini kavramak açısından, iyi bir giriş niteliği taşımaktadır.

İlginçtir, kitabın Horneyan psikolojiye güzel bir giriş olmasının ötesinde, psikoloji literatüründe genellikle bu kitap, Freud'a kültürel karşı çıkışı açısından ilgi çekmiştir. Kitapta Horney'in Klasik Psikanaliz'in biyolojik kökenine yönelik eleştirileri ve Psikanalizin bu alternatif olarak kültür ögesini vurgulaması çoğu kez yanlış bir değerlendirme ile, Horney'in Psiakanalitik kurama sosyal ögeyi ekleyen ve öteki ile ilişkiye dikkat çeken bir "ego psikologu" olarak görülmesine neden olmuştur. Oysaki kitap dikkatli bir göz ile incelendiğinde, Horneyan kuramın bütünselliği içinde, Freud'dan sadece kültürel ögeler olarak değil, temel çatışma ve kişiliğin motivasyonu gibi bir çok önemli noktada kesin bir ayrılma göze çarpar. Horneyan Kurama, Ortadoks Psikanalizin tamamlayıcısı ya da ekleyicisi gibi davranmak, bu kitabın Nevroz Psikolojisine yapısal bir açıklama getirişini gözden kaçırmaya neden olacaktır. Ne yazık ki, Karen Horney'in en çok bilinen kitabı olması, Horneyan kuramı bu kitapla sınırlı tutan bir anlayış geliştirmiştir. Horney'in kuramı, bu kitaptan daha olgun bir aşamaya doğru gelişirken, Horney'i okumayı bu kitap ile sınırlı tutmak, Horney'i ortadoks psikanalitik akıma külterel karşı çıkış gerçekleştiren neo-Freudyen bir kuram olarak görme hatasına düşme tehlikesini barındırmaktadır.

Kitabın bir ilginç yanı da Kişilik Nevrozu adı altında kavramsallaştırılan nevroz tipinin, günümüz "Kişilik Bozukluklarına" olan ilginç benzerliğidir. Benim inancım şudur ki, Bu kitap ve Horneyan Psikanalitik Kuram, Horney'in kişiliğe ve kişiliğin gelişimine yönelik önemli vurgusu ve çalıştığı klinik örneklemin semptomolojisi değerlendirildiğinde, günümüzde kişilik bozukluğu olarak, nevroz ve psikozlardan bağımsızlığını ilan etmiş gibi görünen bir patoloji grubunun etiyolojisine katkıda bulunma gizli potansiyelini taşımaktadır.

[Anahita Bayat · Rating 5 out of 5]

نویسنده به بررسی شخصیت هایی پرداخته که زاده شده از جامعه مدرن ما هستند، ویژگی های اخلاقی زیادی که امروزه مشاهده میکنیم؛ رقابت، میل به بهتر بودن و کمال گرایی و شکست دادن دیگران و درعین حال جلب توجه و محبت آنها! به نظر من این ویژگی هایی هست که در ما انسان های مدرن امروزی وجود داره ولی در شخصیت های عصبی درجه بالایی از اون و البته به صورت ناهشیار وجود داره. که ریشه اون اضطراب و ترس هایی هست که از کودکی در شخص وجود داشته که درواقع اضطراب حس ناامنی هست که کودک در رابطه با والدینش تجربه کرده حالا این حس ناامنی به روابط اون راه پیدا کرده. حالا این ناامنی میتونه به تناقض منجر بشه و اون تناقض میتونه میل به شکست دادن دیگران درعین حال تلاش برای جلب توجه و محبت دیگران با به وجود اوردن احساس گناه باشه. ( ناامنی و اضطراب اینجا ترس از دست دادن دیگران بخاطر شکست دادنشون هست)
البته من در نقد کتاب میتونم بگم که نویسنده میتوانست در ابتدا یک تعریف و دید جامعی از اضطراب به خواننده ارائه بده و همچنین یکسری مطالب پراکنده ای که در کتاب بود مثل تیپ های شخصیتی مختلف بهتر بود که در یک فصل جمع میشدند. همچنین کتاب صرفا جنبه توصیفی این شخصیت ها را دارد و راه حل درمانی ای ارائه نشده.
ولی این کتاب زبان بسیار ساده و قابل فهم برای همه داشت و مطالب خیلی مفیدی هم در برگرفته بود.
در کل از نظر من فرهنگ ها و جوامع میتونن نقش زیادی در به وجود آمدن شخصیتهای عصبی زمانه ما باشند!

[Ebru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horney bu kitabı 1937'de yazmış. Kritik katkısı kültürü işin içine katması. Freud'un libido ile açıkladıklarının belli bir kültürel bağlamda önemli olduğunu, bunun neden değil sonuç olduğunu söylüyor.

Durum nevrozu ve temel kaygıdan kaynaklanan nevroz ayrımı yapıyor.

Temel yakınlık duygusunun eksikliği kaygı ve düşmanlık üretir. Koşulsuz fedakarlıkla sevilme beklentisi yaşamdaki sorumluluklarını başkalarına yükler ve gizli düşmanlık içerir. Bu beklenti karşılanmazsa reddedilmiş hisseder ve yeni düşmanlık, yeni kaygılar üretir. Burada duygusal yakınlık hayatidir ve bu beklentinin bedeli duygusal bağımlılık ya da boyun eğme şeklinde ortaya çıkabilir.

Yazıldığı yıl itibariyle eşcinsellik meselesinin ele alınması sınırlı kalmış.

Kitapta nevrotik kişi tarifi bazen çok uzuyor ve o özelliklerin birleşiminde birini düşünmek zor oluyor.

Hepimizde belirli ölçüde nevrotik davranışlar olduğunu ama bunun ne zaman sorun olacağını çok açık ve akıcı anlatıyor.

[Mohammad Mirzaali · Rating 4 out of 5]

کارن هورنای عصبیت (= روان‌نژندی) را برخلاف فروید نه صرفا سرچشمه‌گرفته از بيولوژی خردسال، که تا حد زیادی فرهنگی، و زمینه‌ی شکل‌گیری‌اش را غیرمنحصر در ایام خردسالی می‌داند. او هم‌چنین استدلال می‌کند که ریشه‌ی عصبیت اضطراب و نفرت است. و نهایتا بررسی سه تیپ افراد عصبی، یعنی تیپ «مهرطلب»، «برتری‌طلب» و «عزلت‌طلب» بخش اعظم کتاب را به خودش اختصاص می‌دهد

[Mohamad · Rating 5 out of 5]

یه کتابی که برای هر حرفش کلی مثال میزنه و هر مثالش کلی فکر مطلبه که در کل روزنامه وار خوندنش رو برات غیر ممکن می کنه.به خصوص این که ترجمه ی آقای مصفا بسیار خوب بود.

[Danya · Rating 5 out of 5]

horney writes some real shit in here

[ewa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jak na książkę z 1937 roku jest ona niezwykle aktualna. Nie będę oceniać jej merytoryki, ale bardzo, bardzo dużo z niej wyciągnęłam. Horney prowadzi wywód w bardzo klarowny sposób, mimo trudnej tematyki, podaje dużo przykładów i obnaża te wady naszej kultury (wiele z nich nadal dotyka człowieka XXI), które prowadzą do wykształcenia się „neurotycznej osobowości”. Polecono mi tę książkę na studiach jako dobrą lekturę na początek nauki o psychologii, ale myślę, że każdy odnajdzie w niej coś dla siebie.

[Charis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A treasure trove of theories on different types of neurotic thinking patterns that behaviours may exhibit- excessive hostility, excessive need for affection/admiration etc. It was interesting but I thought the pace could be slowed down for the average reader, and I got lost in the theories halfway. Nicely tied to the sociological explanations for the mushrooming of this "neurotic personality" Horney believes to be present in today's world, albeit quite a short chapter and ended a bit abruptly.

[Sheziss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Realmente me cuesta entender que esta autora haya permanecido tan olvidada en el mundo del psiconanálisis. Me gusta la parte en que hace énfasis en la influencia de la cultura, de cómo la mitología psicoanalítica realmente solo se puede aplicar en la cultura occidental ortodoxa, cómo la envidia de pene es asimismo un sesgo importante por la época en la que se introdujo, y cómo no son realmente los impulsos sexuales los que motivan los actos de las personas, sino muchos otras motivaciones que mueven al individuo, entre ellos la ansiedad y/o el intento de evitar dicha ansiedad, la hostilidad, y otros.

[Dovilė Stonė · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karen Horney (hor-nai, o ne hor-ni) į psichoanalizę įpūtė fundamentaliai šviežių vėjų. Čia, žiūrėk, moteris - ne nepilnavertis vyras (nes be penio) ar nesuvokiamas neracionalus padaras iš kitos planetos, o žmogus, patiriantis kitokius sociumo lūkesčius ir dėl to turintis kitokias patirtis. Apskritai, psichoanalizę ji kontekstualizavo ir deseksualizavo, išsilaisvindama iš pseudobiologinio visa ko aiškinimo ir atkreipdama dėmesį į sociokultūrinio konteksto reikšmę žmogaus asmenybės bei patologijos formavimuisi.

"Atrodo, kad neurotiku veikiausiai tampa tas žmogus, kuris itin stipriai, daugiausia per vaikystės potyrius, išgyveno kultūros nulemtus sunkumus ir paskui jau nebegalėjo jų išspręsti arba išsprendė, tik tai labai daug kainavo jo asmenybei. Galėtume jį pavadinti mūsų kultūros povaikiu."

Apie poreikį ištirpdyti savąjį "aš":

"Kad ir kiek džiaugsmo teiktų gyvenimas, jis podraug sklidinas neišvengiamų tragedijų. Net jei žmogaus neslegia konkreti kančia, lieka senatvė, ligos ir mirtis, kalbant dar bendriau, niekas neišraus iš žmogaus gyvenimo to fakto, kad individas yra ribotas ir izoliuotas, - kad visa, ką jis supranta, pasiekia ar kuo džiaugiasi, yra ribota, kad jis izoliuotas, nes yra nepakartojama esybė, egzistuojanti skyrium nuo gyvenančių greta ir nuo jį supančios gamtos. Iš tiesų būtent šį individo ribotumą ir izoliaciją mėgina įveikti daugelis kultūrinių užmaršties ir išsilaisvinimo siekiančių krypčių. Skausmingiausiai ir gražiausiai šį išsilaisvinimo ilgesį aprašo Upanišados. Čia sukuriamas upių vaizdas, kurios teka, ir, įsiliejusios į vandenyną, praranda vardą bei savo pavidalą. Ištirpdydamas savąjį "aš" kame nors didesniame, tapdamas didesnės esybės dalimi, individas tam tikru mastu įveikia savo apribojimus; kaip parašyta Upanišadose: "Išnykdami nieke, tampame visatos kūrybinio principo dalimi." Regis, tai ir yra didžioji paguoda ir palaima, kurią žmonėms teikia religija; prarasdami save, jie gali atsidurti vienovėje su Dievu ar gamta. Tokio pat pasitenkinimo galima pasiekti atsidavus didžiam reikalui: palenkdami savąjį "aš" tam tikram tikslui, mes išgyvename vienovę su didesne visuma."

Apie meilės iliuziją:

"Kiekvienam sunku pakelti emocinę atskirtį, bet jei ji sutampa su įvairiomis baimėmis ir netikrumu dėl savojo "aš", tai tampa nelaime.
Būtent tokia padėtis skatina normalų mūsų laikų žmogų intensyviau siekti meilės ir prielankumo kaip vaistų. Kitų prielankumas leidžia jam jaustis mažiau atskirtam, mažiau baimintis priešiškumo, bent šiek tiek atsikratyti netikrumo savimi. Kadangi tai atitinka gyvybinę reikmę, meilė mūsų kultūroje pervertinama. Ji, kaip ir sėkmė tampa fantomu, kuriančiu iliuziją, kad gali išspręsti visas mūsų problemas. Pati meilė nėra iliuzija, nors mūsų kultūroje ji dažniausiai tėra priedanga nieko bendra su meile neturintiems troškimams patenkinti, - tik mes paverčiame meilę iliuzija siedami su ja daug didesnius lūkesčius, nei ji gali išpildyti. O ideologinis meilės pabrėžimas padeda pridengti visus tuos veiksnius, kurie sukuria mūsų perdėtą meilės poreikį."

[Zeynep T.]

DNF. Okumaktan vazgeçtiğim kitaplardan oldu.

"Birçok okurun, bir nevrozun neler içerdiği gibi bu denli ba­sit bir sorunun bu kadar geniş olarak tartışılmasından ötürü sa­bırsızlanmasından korkuyorum."

Kitabını başında 20 sayfa boyunca nevroz nedir, kitabın yazılma amacı nedir, konu hakkındaki literatürde görüşler nelerdir anlatamayınca böyle demiş yazar.

İlk sayfalarda Freud'a atıf var sürekli ama ünlü psikanalizcinin çalışmalarının tamamını okumayanlar için havada kalıyor çoğu. Yazar daha çok gelecek eleştirileri savuşmak istermiş gibi.

Sistematik olmayan kurgu dışı kitapları sevmiyorum. Paldır küldür lafa dalmaktansa konuya üsturuplu giriş yapılması gerekli.

Kitap, psikoloji eğitimi almamış kişilere pek hitap etmiyor bence. Verilen örnekler daha somut vakalar olmalıydı.

"Örneğin isterik kişilik zorlanımlı kişilikten ke­sinlikle farklıdır." Bu ne demek? Ben anlamıyorum.

Çeviri kötü. Yapay duran cümle yapıları ve fazlaca "bir" kelimesi kullanımı var. Metin dili akmıyor tabiri caizse.

34 sayfa okudum. Anladığım kadarıyla yazar kültür ve nevroz arasındaki ilişkiyi irdelemek istemiş fakat yazım yeteneği yetersiz kalmış.

Kitaptan bana kalan "bütün insanlık için geçerli olan normal bir psikoloji diye birşey yoktur." oldu.(cümlenin çevirisi iyi olmasa da)

[Sonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

اين اثر از كارن هورناي اولين اثر اين روانكاو برجسته است كه نظريات خود را به صورت دقيق و موشكافانه در مورد خصوصيات شخصيت عصبي و شكل گيري و رشد آن بيان ميكند.
اين اثر شامل ١٥ فصل است كه از زير بناي شخصيت عصبي آغاز شده و در ادامه به چهار روش دفاعي بدن در مقابل اضطراب اساسي كه پايه عصبيت ادمي است ميپردازد:
جلب محبت، تسليم، قدرت طلبي و عزلت گزيني .
توضيحات مفصلي در مورد اين مكانيسم هاي ناخوداگاه وجود دارد كه با موشكافي دقيق توضيح داده شده است و هورناي در مورد علت بسياري از رفتارها و عكس العمل هاي انسان در شرايط مختلف و به علت ترس و جلب محبت پرداخته است.
.
پ ن: سخن در مورد اين كتاب مفيد بسيار است و بسياري از افراد جنبه هايي از خود را در آن ديده و علت بسياري از رفتارها و عكس العمل هاي خود را مشاهده خواهد كرد