Our Inner Conflicts by Karen Horney

Here Karen Horney develops a dynamic theory of neurosis centered on the basic conflict among attitudes of "moving forward" "moving against," and "moving away from" people.

Unlike Freud, Horney does not regard neurosis as rooted in instinct. In her words, her theory is constructive because "it allows us for the first time to tackle and resolve neurotic hopelessness. . . . Neurotic conflicts cannot be resolved by rational decision. . . . But [they] can be resolved by changing the conditions within the personality that brought them into being."

Karen Horney (1885-1952) was one of the most influential psychoanalysts of the twentieth century. Her books include Neurosis and Human Growth, The Neurotic Personality of Our Time, New Ways in Psychoanalysis, Our Inner Conflicts, Self-Analysis, Feminine Psychology, Final Lectures, and, as editor, Are You Considering Psychoanalysis?