fei75766_ch06_179-205.indd 199  02/06/20 11:32 AM
Chapter 6    Horney: Psychoanalytic Social Theory199
With thesecond major technique, freeassociation, patients areasked tosay
everything thatcomes tomind regardless ofhowtrivial orembarrassing itmay
seem (Horney, 1987). They arealsoencouraged toexpress whatever feelings may
arisefrom theassociations. Aswithdream interpretation, freeassociation eventu -
allyreveals patients’ idealized self-image andpersistent butunsuccessful attempts at
accomplishing it.
When therapy issuccessful, patients gradually develop confidence intheirabil-
itytoassume responsibility fortheirpsychological development. They move toward 
self-realization andallthose processes thataccompany it;theyhaveadeeper and
clearer understanding oftheirfeelings, beliefs, andwishes; theyrelate toothers with
genuine feelings instead ofusing people tosolve basic conflicts; atwork, theytakea
greater interest inthejobitself rather thanseeing itasameans toperpetuate aneu-
roticsearch forglory.
Related Research
Horney’s psychoanalytic social theory itself hasnotdirectly motivated agreat 
dealofresearch inmodern personality psychology, withoneexception. Frederick 
Coolidge andhiscolleagues havespent some years developing andvalidating an
instrument designed toclassify individuals onHorney’s neurotic trends. TheHorney 
Coolidge Tridimensional Inventory, orHCTI (Coolidge, Moor, Yamazaki, Stewart, 
&Segal, 2001; Coolidge, Segal, Benight, &Danielian, 2004; Coolidge, Segal, Estey, &
Neuzil, 2011 )hasthree subscales reflecting thecompliant, aggressive anddetached 
trends, andhasbeen shown tocorrelate wellwiththeirintuitively related personal -
itydisorders intheDiagnostic andStatistical Manual (DSM-5), demonstrating its
construct validity (Coolidge etal.,2004). Thepredictive validity oftheHCTI has
alsobeen demonstrated inastudy ofmarital satisfaction showing thatthedetached 
neurotic trend (inbothhusbands andwives) isnegatively correlated withmarital sat-
isfaction (Rosowsky, King, Coolidge, Rhoads &Segal, 2012).
Besides theHCTI’s direct testofHorney’s theorizing ontheneurotic trends, 
herwritings about neuroticism haveinspired some fascinating work. Forexample, 
studies suggest thatconfusing therealandideal self(being inauthentic) maypredict 
aggressive tendencies. Andaneverincreasingly large body ofevidence ismounting 
tostrongly suggest thatneuroticism isnotallbad,andmayindeed predict some good 
outcomes.
The Neurotic Search for Glory in the Lab
Diana Pinto andhercolleagues (2012) designed aninteresting behavioral testof
Horney’s theory thatinauthentic individuals (those whoarecompelled torealize 
theidealized self)engage inself-preserving tendencies suchasanger andaggression 
toward others whom theyseeasthreats. Recall thatHorney believed thathealthy 
individuals willmove toward self-realization, orauthenticity. Thisauthenticity is
achieved byevaluating ourselves against others andrecognizing thatwe,likeothers, 
haveshort-comings andstrengths. Unhealthy development ischaracterized bycreat -
inganidealized self,andsolidifying ittothepoint thatitisconfused withtherealself.Final PDF to printer