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Horney

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Women in Psychology Paper
Shanda L. Ludwig
PSY/310
September 11, 2011
Dr. Matt Pearcey

Women in Psychology Paper
It was not until the 1890s that women were allowed access to training in most fields of study, including psychology. Since that time many have made significant theoretical contributions to the field of psychology and our understanding of psychodynamic thought including the works of Karen Horney (1885–1952). She was a psychoanalyst best known for her work on neurosis and coping techniques. Horney was a leading figure in the development of a range of non-orthodox psychoanalytic approaches in mid-twentieth-century America. Often compared to orthodox Freudians, she emphasized interpersonal relations and minimized the role ascribed to biology. Horney was particularly critical of Freud's approach to women (Horney 1942).
Biography

Karen Horney was born in Blankensee, a suburb of Hamburg, Germany. She was the daughter of a sea captain, Berenth Henrick Vackels Danielson, and his second wife, Clotilde von Ronzelen. Although her father spoiled her with trips and gifts, Horney described her father as a harsh and claimed he favored her brother over her. Horney fell in love with her brother at a young age and states the rejection she felt from him caused her to spiral into depression around the age of 9. Due to this rejection, Horney felt that she wasn’t attractive and once stated, “If I couldn't be pretty, I decided I would be smart" (Horney, 1942). It was around this time that Horney dedicated herself to academia. After finishing high school in Germany, Horney became interested in studying medicine. She went on to college and studied mainly neuropsychiatry. She completed her dissertation on a case study of head injury psychosis. While studying medicine, Karen met and married a young lawyer, Oskar Horney, and while Karen was completing her medical

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