Personality Theories 1

Assignment # 4

Submitted by: Ambar Asif

Registration Number: FA20-BPY--091
Section: A

Submitted to: Mam Jannat Mehboob

Submission Date: 6 June 2022

Humanities Department
COMSAT’S University Islamabad
Lahore Campus
Question
Critical evaluation of the three Neo-Freudian theories
-Karen Horney
-Harry Stack Sullivan
-Erich Fromm
You have to explain both positive and negative aspects of their theories.
Answer
Neo Freudian
Neo-Freudian psychologists were thinkers who agreed with many of the fundamental
principles of Freud's psychoanalytic theory but changed and adapted the approach to incorporate
their own beliefs, ideas and opinions. Psychologist Sigmund Freud proposed many ideas that
were highly controversial but he also attracted a number of followers. These thinkers agreed with
Freud's concept of the unconscious mind and the importance of early childhood. There were
however, a number of points that other scholars disagreed with or directly rejected. Because of
this these individuals went on to propose their own unique theories of personality and cognition.
They felt that Freud's theories focus too heavily on psychopathology, sex and childhood
experiences. Many of them chose to focus their theories on more positive aspects of human
nature as well as the social influences that contribute to personality and behavior.
Limits of Freud's theory
 Failure to recognize personality change after the first few years of life
 Emphasis on instinctual over social influences
 Generally negative picture Freud painted of human nature
Neo-Freudians reduced the emphasis on sex. Neo-Freudians theorized about personality while
Sigmund Freud did not. Sigmund Freud did not emphasize childhood sexuality while the neo-
Freudians did.
Karen Horney
Karen Horney was one of the first women trained in psychoanalysis and she was also one
of the first to criticize Freud's depictions of women as inferior to men. Horney objected to
Freud's portrayal of women as suffering from penis envy. She suggested that men experience
womb envy because they are unable to bear children. Her theory focuses on how behavior was
influenced by a number of different neurotic needs.
Strengths of her theory
 Optimistic view of human Nature
 did not believe humans were doomed to conflict
Criticism of her theory
 Researchers criticized the theory for not being as well-developed as Freud’s
 Her theory and work were all heavily influenced by middle class American culture
Her subsequent emphasis on the importance of relationships and interpersonal psychodynamic
processes laid the foundation for later theories on the psychology of women Thus her influence
is still being felt quite strongly today.
Best Known For
 Feminine psychology
 Theory of neurotic needs
 Neo-Freudian psychology
Karen Horney was a Neo-Freudian psychologist known for her theory of:
 Neurotic needs
 Her research on feminine psychology
 Her critiques of Freud's emphasis on the concept of penis envy
Horney go through psychoanalysis as a young woman and felt it helped her understand her own
inner thoughts and behaviors. Though many aspects of Freudian theory accounted for Horney's
issues she felt psychoanalysis was limited by its male bias. Freud believed that feminine
experience and psychopathology resulted from disappointed male sexuality. Women according
to Freud would always be psychologically small. Horney sought to debunk this view by exposing
its lack of scientific evidence and set about constructing her own theory of personality that better
surround the range of female experience. Unlike Freud Karen Horney believed that social
and cultural factors played a vital role in shaping personality and that biological factor
were not the only things forming personality. She also did not believe that our needs and
desires were a result of repressed sexual aggression her theory explains that people are
motivated by our needs of love, safety and security.

 Erich Fromm
Erich Fromm was a German social psychologist and psychoanalyst who was associated
with the Frankfurt School of critical theory. He was known for developing the concept that
freedom was a fundamental part of human nature and for challenging the theories of Sigmund
Freud. Erich Fromm was a Neo-Freudian psychoanalyst who suggested a theory of personality
based on two primary needs
 The need for freedom
 The need for belonging
According to Freud approach personality is biologically oriented whereas Erich Fromm's theory
of personality has a social orientation. He viewed human beings basically as social beings.
Fromm had a major influence on humanistic psychology. He believed life was a contradiction
since humans are both part of nature and separate from it. From this conflict arises basic
existential needs, including relatedness, creativity, rootedness, identity and a frame of orientation
according to Fromm. Fromm was critical of many of Freud's ideas, including the Oedipus
complex, the life and death instincts and the libido theory. Fromm believed that society and
culture also played a significant role in individual human development.
 Fromm believed that character in humans evolved as a way for people to meet their
needs. Unlike Freud he did not believe that character was fixed.
 Fromm outlined five essential human needs: relatedness, rootless, transcendence, sense of
identity and frame of orientation. The absence of these according to Fromm would cause
mental and social problems such as alienation.
 Fromm envisioned ideal versions of society and religion that emphasized freedom and the
meeting of human needs. In doing so he became one of the founders of humanistic
socialism.

 Harry Stack Sullivan

Stack-Sullivan's theory states that the purpose of behavior is for the patient to have his or
her needs met through interpersonal interactions as well as decrease or avoid anxiety. The
Interpersonal Theory explains six developmental stages which Stack-Sullivan calls epochs or
heuristic stages in development. He proposed interpersonal theory of personality.
He explained the role of interpersonal relationships and social experiences in shaping
personality. He also explained about the importance of current life events to psychopathology.
The theory further states that the purpose of all behavior is to get needs met through
interpersonal interactions and decrease or avoid anxiety. Harry Stack Sullivan was the first
American theorist to construct a comprehensive personality theory in which he believed that
development of the personality occurred within the context of the social group. He also identified
different personifications or images that individuals develop. These may be accurate or distorted
by needs and anxiety. They include the Bad Mother/Good Mother, the Me Personification and
the Eidetic Personification. Sullivan is considered one of the prominent Neo-Freudians because
of the similarities between his and Sigmund Freud's theories. Sullivan was impressed by Freud
and Ruth Benedict the anthropologist, so his point of view reflects these influences. He put
forward the view that a baby feels euphoria because his mother feeds and protects him, and the
baby wants that state to last for the longer time. The mother may convey insecurity by empathy
in him if she is tense herself. So, a person's psyche is the result of interpersonal relationships, the
beginning of which is the relationship of an infant and a mother. Sullivan says that because of
interpersonal relationships the concept of self develops. He defined three types of self:
 Good me
 Bad me
  Not me
He put forward the view that because of our interpersonal relationships we come to have three
types of experiences:
 Prototaxic experience
 Parataxic experience
 Syntaxic experience
Prototaxic Experience refers to the first kind of experience the infant has and the order or
arrangement in which it occurs. Parataxic experiences are felt as concomitant not recognized as
connected in an orderly way. The child cannot yet relate them to one another or make logical
distinctions among them. What is experienced is assumed to be the 'natural' way of such
occurrences, without reflection and comparison. Since no connections or relations are
established, there is no logical movement of 'thought' from one idea to the next. The parataxic
mode is not a step-by-step process. Experience is undergone as momentary unconnected states of
being. Sullivan stated that there are about seven stages of human development:
1. Infancy
From birth to about age one, the child begins the process of developing but Sullivan did not
emphasize as much on the younger years as Freud did.
2. The childhood period
This is from infancy to 8 years. In this the child needs supervision, guidance is dependent. The
development of speech and improved communication is the key in this stage.
3. The juvenile era
The main focus as a juvenile is the need for playmates and the beginning of healthy socialization
Pre-adolescence 8 to 12 years. During this stage, the child's ability to form a close relationship
with a peer is the major focus. This relationship will later assist the child feeling worthy and
likable. Without this ability, forming the intimate relationships in late adolescence and adulthood
will be difficult.
5. Early adolescence
This is from 13 to 18 years and this is when peers and teachers influence him. The onset of
puberty changes this need for friendship to a need for sexual expression. Self-worth will often
become synonymous with sexual attractiveness and acceptance by opposite sex peers.
6. Adolescence
Stresses and storms of sexuality begin to dominate in this period. The need for friendship and
need for sexual expression get combined during late adolescence. In this stage a long-term
relationship becomes the primary focus. Conflicts between parental control and self-expression
are commonplace.
7. Maturity
This is when a person becomes a responsible citizen. The struggles of adulthood include
financial security, career, and family. With success during previous stages, especially those in
the adolescent year's adult relationships and much needed socialization become easier to attain.
Without a solid background, interpersonal conflicts that result in anxiety become more
commonplace. Sullivan's therapy mainly related to schizophrenia and he discovered that
interview was an important tool of psychotherapy. He used empathy as another tool of
psychotherapy