The Neurotic Personality of Our Time (Paperback)

~ Karen Horney (Author) "WE USE the term "neurotic" quite freely today without always having, however, a clear conception of what it denotes..." (more)
Key Phrases: neurotic competitiveness, obtaining affection, neurotic need for affection, New Introductory Lectures, Ruth Benedict, Sigmund Freud (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In this work, Karen Horney explores the basic structure of neuroses in the context of their cultural assumptions. Her topics range from the neurotic need for affection, to guilt feelings and the quest for power, prestige and possession. .

About the Author

Karen Horney (1885?) was also the author of The Neurotic Personality of Our Time.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co. (January 17, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393310973
• ISBN-13: 978-0393310979
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #264,176 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye opener, March 24, 2000

By A Customer

Although the importance of the work of Karen Horney is sometimes downplayed, this is one of the best books I have read in my life. Far from incomprehensible language and theories that seem much more far from reality that the ones they are supposed to apply to, this book is an easy read for everyone, and I could understand simple mechanisms that therapists take years to reveal. Karen Horney does not try to place sex as an explanation for everything that you do or think.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Horney Was a Genius, March 29, 2003

By A Customer

Horney revolutionalized analysis. She found societal roots for neurotic behavior and detailed how the intrapsychic processes get projected onto others in a way that could be understood. She changed the language of psychoanalysis -- she made it make sense and so helped thousands and thousands make sense of their lives. Cognitive therapy really started here.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book on Personality, May 6, 2008

By	Enneagram Fan (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews

I would highly recommend this book to every student of personality, psychology, and/or human character. Essentially the book is about neurotic styles. Earlier this week I read an article saying that Freudianism is dead; this cannot really be true, because Horney's books describe reality. She has a very lucid prose style that's all the more impressive considering that German is her native language. I plan to read her books over for the rest of my life. I will say that if you are TOO neurotic, you may find this painful to read.