Basic Anxiety
September 26, 2009 | 194 Views | No Comments
Horney defined basic anxiety as an “insidiously increasing, all-pervading felling of being lonely and helpless in a hostile world.” (Horney, 1937, p. 89).
This is the foundation from which neurosis emerges and it is tied to hostile feelings.
Horney felt that we all feel helpless or defenseless at one time or another. These feelings may be manifested or even expressed in different ways but they are there none the less, they are all similar to us.
Horney believed that in childhood we try to protect ourselves in different ways. Those ways include: securing affection and love, being submissive, attaining power and withdrawing.
By securing affection the child is basically saying “if you love me, you will not hurt me.” Horney points out that there are several different ways that children go about this. One may be trying to do what ever the parent wants, another may be trying to bribe others, and even threatening.
Submissiveness is the act of being compliant with the wishes or demands of other people. A submissive person may choose not to voice their concerns or to defend against an antagonist for fear of the repercussions that the person or people may hand down to them. This fear may be of one loved one or the population in general. Most submissives believe that their submission is a act of unselfishness or self-sacrificing.
By attainging power people believe that they cannot be hurt by others because they are superior to them. This is to compensate for a sense of helplessness.
With withdawing a person chooses to not rely on people at all. They do everything they can to be self-sufficient. A form of indepenedence emerges and they receive satisfaction from not needing anyone for their internal or external needs. This is a psychological withdraw not a physiological stance.
The first three of these protective devices have one thing in common, interaction with people. The fourth is a withdraw from people. All of these devices have one single goal, to defend against basic anxiety.











