The classic of psychoanalysis, Karen Horney, believed that often we can independently understand the driving forces of our internal conflicts. How? Her book «The Constructive Theory of Neurosis» is about this.
Internal conflict is a state familiar to each of us. We are torn between different (and sometimes mutually exclusive) desires, trying to reconcile them, looking for a compromise, getting entangled in contradictions — and we don’t even always notice how this happens. This is the book of Karen Horney (1885-1952), a classic of psychoanalysis. Not all conflict is a sign of neurosis, she argues. The difference between «normal» and neurotic conflict is how far apart the conflicting tendencies are. Why are unresolved conflicts harmful to us? Horney paints a detailed picture of the chaos that they bring to the individual, leading to a devastating loss of strength. In the case of severe neuroses, it is extremely difficult to unravel this tangle alone, and here the analyst comes to the rescue: Horney describes in detail the possible ways of working. She also believes that in many cases we can independently understand the driving forces of our conflicts, and seeks to help those who want to resolve their internal contradictions and are ready to make efforts for self-knowledge. It is no coincidence that she calls her theory of neurosis constructive.
Canon+, 256 p.