Moving toward people (Compliance)
The need for affection and approval; pleasing others and being liked by them.
The need for a partner; one whom they can love and who will solve all problems.
Moving against people (Aggression)
The need for power; the ability to bend wills and achieve control over others—while most persons seek strength, the neurotic may be desperate for it.
The need to exploit others; to get the better of them. To become manipulative, fostering the belief that people are there simply to be used.
The need for social recognition; prestige and limelight.
The need for personal admiration; for both inner and outer qualities—to be valued.
The need for personal achievement; though virtually all persons wish to make achievements, as with No. 3, the neurotic may be desperate for achievement.
Moving away from people (Detachment)
The need for self sufficiency and independence; while most desire some autonomy, the neurotic may simply wish to discard other individuals entirely.
The need for perfection; while many are driven to perfect their lives in the form of well being, the neurotic may display a fear of being slightly flawed.
The need to restrict life practices to within narrow borders; to live as inconspicuous a life as possible.
Theory of Neurosis
Horney believed that neuroses occur on different occurrences throughout an individual’s lifetime. She placed much emphasis on the link between neurosis and childhood. She believes the key to understanding a person’s neurosis is to get an understanding of the child’s perception of events as opposed to the parent’s intentions.
Horney found ten patterns of neurotic needs. These ten needs are based upon things which she thought all humans require to succeed in life. She modified these needs to some degree to correspond with what she believed were individuals’ neuroses. These ten fall into three main categories of coping strategies: