Karen Horney “The Distrust between the Sexes”

Covering patriarchy in detail gives the reasoning behind the handling of women across generations and its implication to the thriving of women in life. Patriarchy does not only cover the functioning of the society but also how it governs women. The converse is matriarchy which is to mean that women are responsible for their families. The culture in Turkey, as well as, in the majority of the countries is patriarchal. Men are regarded as heads of the families. Women find themselves in most cases having to fight for their rights and in some occasions they find themselves struggling to survive without the authority and domination of men posing a threat to them. Regardless of whether women want to overcome patriarchy will arise from her drive to be independent as well as defined beyond the context of men. The dominance of patriarchy can be seen in the case of world leaders where most leaders with significant careers are men. Karen Horney covers the issues between men and women in “The Distrust between the Sexes.” This research paper shall focus on attempting to understand the common background that gives rise to the issues between men and women. 

At the initial chapters of the essay by Horney she covers passion and illustrates why it is rare. People tend to feel insecure placing all their trust in another individual. She argues that self-preservation is considered as part of human instinct and people tend to fear to lose themselves in finding their loved ones. Children are also not left out in this expose where Horney illustrates that they face painful encounters that stem from being lied to. They may end up playing second fiddle to a member of the family. The child becomes helpless in this situation which leaves them with only one option of venting their frustration which is to spend on extravagant fantasies. The fantasies are in most cases brutal and criminal in nature. Their lack of capacity to comprehend some these destructive behaviors drives them to become fearful adults. 

Horney proceeds to cover the future impact of the childhood aspect of fears in relationships. A little girl who suppresses her desires as a result of a guilty conscience is likely to grow up projecting that need to every male she encounters. On more than one occasion, she will shy from demanding or embracing anything from their spouse. This may drive her into depression upon which she will divert the responsibility that comes from helplessness to the man. She ends up dominating her man while hiding behind the guise of her helplessness. 

Horney also attempts to cover the psychology of males and its associated traits. She refers to several instances of how men regard women in high esteem but also explores the issue of distrust for women. The best illustration of this argument is the Adam and Eve narrative in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible. The narrative detaches value in the ability of women to procreate and portrays them as a sexual temptress. It is essential to take note of the fact that your spouse is a human that ought to be accepted just as they are. For instance, take into consideration a case of a girl with nothing but love for her father and has a healthy relationship with him. Upon the demise of her father in her adulthood, she sets herself on the pursuit to find a man with a personality that resembles that of his father. Karen Horney believes that we consider the impact of such high expectations on love whereas in reality it just expresses the extent of our deepest desires (Horney 109). The desire by members of the society to be happy drives us to a myriad of expectations on how we perceive love which leads us to frustrations that often lead to heart breaks. The expectations from our childhood have also been established to be passed down to generations in some cases (Horney 110).

Horney and Humanistic Psychoanalysis

The thoughts presented by Horney in “The Distrust between the Sexes” was developed in three phases, thus it is prudent to discuss the various phases distinctly. First, her opinions on feminine psychology shall be explored, followed by an exploration of a psychoanalytic diagram that she developed in the 1930s, and wrap up the discussion with the mature theory. 

Feminine Psychology

The politics and origin of the theory on psychoanalytic feminism can be traced back to Karen Horney whose theories have been established to form the foundation of the current revisions on psychoanalytic concepts and the debate in gender in the early periods.  

The Male View of Women

Horney made attempts to illustrate to young girls and women that their biological traits as well as patterns of development are understood in their own context and not in isolation as the basis of their difference and presumed inferiority to men. She raises an argument that psychoanalysis regards as inferior to men on the ground that it is a result of a male genius as well as a male-dominated culture. The male understanding of the women was included psychoanalysis to be used as a reference of the illustration of the nature of a woman. A significant question for Horney is why men perceive women the way they do. She arrived at the argument that the envy by the male for motherhood, childbirth, and pregnancy, as well as, breast and suckling gave rise to the unconscious behavior of devaluing women and that the impulse of men toward art is a reward in excess for the small role they play in procreation. She is of the opinion that the envy of the womb is regarded as stronger than the penis-envy by women because men tend to look down on women more than women look down on men. 

In a subsequent essay, Horney expounded on the male perspective of women in an attempt to bring to light the lack of scientific basis. She brings forward the argument in “The Distrust between the Sexes” (1931) that women are considered as inferior (“second-rate”) because, at any point in time, the side that holds power will develop a concept that helps to maintain this position. In this argument, the difference of the weaker side is regarded as inferiority and it will be proven that the variances are fixed in stone or reflect the will of God (Horney, 116). 

Horney established ground that the dread of males to women arises from the fear by boys that their genitals were not complete in regard to their mother. The risk posed by women is not one of castration but one of humiliation. This is to imply that the threat is to the regard of their masculine self. As they mature, the men exhibit anxiety that is rooted deeply concerning the size of their male genital or his potency. The anxiety is not reflected in their female counterpart who plays their role by simply existing (Horney, 1967, p. 145). As such she is in no way obligated to prove her womanhood. The male responds to their anxiety by putting in place a mechanism of efficiency, by devaluing the object of love and seeking sexual conquests. 

Cultural Factors

In her expositions on feminine psychology, Horney shifted swiftly from beliefs held by Freud concerning the concept of anatomy being regarded as part of destiny and towards much emphasis on cultural aspects including the source of challenges by women as well as gender identity. She admitted that little girls admire the male plumbing but it does not mean much psychologically. Women are drawn to male privilege and they are constantly in the conquest for a wider platform for them to advance their human capacities. The patriarchal concept of woman does not amount to an inherent trait, but the cultural authority of that concept tends to make women conform to it. 

Horney disputed the notion that pointed to the concept that masochistic behavior is inherent in the core of the nature of women (Horney, 1967, p. 214). This is the logic in psychoanalysis that reflect stereotypes being manifested by the male culture. Horney, however, pointed out a couple of social conditions that have rendered women to be more masochistic compared to men. Additionally, research indicates that these factors have not been established to be universal and some societies have been regarded as inhibiting to the development of human capacities by women compared to others.

The Masculinity Complex

Horney failed to prove that women do not envy men and are in some instances not comfortable with their feminine role. As a matter of fact, most of her essays address masculinity complex which is highlighted as the myriad of fantasies and feeling that women have as well as the feeling that they are being discriminated against, their wish to be male and to abandon their role as women (Horney, 74). Nonetheless, she raised arguments suggesting that women are bound to suffer from masculinity complex emanating from their desire to free themselves from guilt and anxiety that come from their oedipal condition. Horney supported that masculinity complex cannot be evaded and it is a result of a culture that is dominated by male privilege and certain 

As a matter of fact, a girl is taught from their birth and as they grow to the idea whether it is presented to them delicately or brutally regarding her inferiority is an experience that contributes to her masculinity complex (Horney, 1967, p. 69). In bringing to light the dynamics of the family, Horney placed focus, to begin with on the relationship of a girl with the male family members but later she derived the developed masculinity complex as well as all phenomena that have in history been linked to penis-envy including vindictiveness, inferiority, as well as their competitiveness towards males from the relation with members of her family, particularly the mother. Girls may tend to dislike their female identity because her mother intimidated her from very early stages or she has faced a disillusioning frustration from the brother or father, early sexual encounters that scare her, or her brother was preferred to a large extent to herself. (Horney, 1967, p. 179). All these aspects were eminent in Karen Horney’s childhood.

The Overvaluation of Love

This part of Horney’s research establishes a background from seven women that faced a family history, social background, and symptoms were similar to her childhood. She attempts to establish why the women had an obsessive need for a man but find it difficult to establish satisfactory relationships. Their dire need can be traced back to their childhood where they all came from a situation where they were regarded as second best in the search for a man. (Horney, p. 193). Every girl is destined to be frustrated in her pursuit of the love of her father but for those females, the situation and consequences are more adverse where their sister or mother dominates the encounter erotically. 

The girl tends to respond to her sense of failure by either eliminating themselves from the competition for the male or coming up with a compulsive rivalry with her counterparts where she attempts to demonstrate her erotic appeal. The competition for men results in what Horney addresses as a vindictive triumph which is only a coping mechanism for self-hate and anxiety. The girl that feels inadequate tends to develop an anxiety concerning her nature that presents itself as a fear that there is something that is not right with their genitals or there is no possible way they can be attractive to a man. The frantic pursuit is driven by the desire to be normal by having a man to avoid the disgrace of not having one. 

The scenario for the females is sad since in as much as their encounter with men is considered to be paramount, they tend to be inadequate. The women lose their interest in a man once the man has been conquered since they have a fear that emanates from humiliation and disappointments that are associated with falling in love (Horney, 205). Having suffered from rejection by brother or father in their childhood, they are driven by their need to establish their worth through erotic competitions as well as avoiding to make situations where they are invulnerable by avoiding emotional bonds that run deep. This drives them to change lovers often since once they have won the affection of a man, they have to move to a new relationship before they get hurt. Regardless of their beauty, they do not seem to believe that it is possible for a man to be genuinely into them. In addition, they tend to have an innate desire for revenge which is fueled by their initial defeat. The desire drives them to get better of a man, to replace him, reject just as she was once treated as an option (Horney, p. 206).

Gender Neutrality

In as much as Horney had devoted her career to researching on feminine psychology, she dismissed the topic in 1935. This decision was driven by her belief that the role played by culture in determining the female thinking renders it complicated to establish what can be considered to be distinctively feminine. She raised the argument in “Woman’s Fear of Action” (1935) where she pointed out that only when women have emancipated themselves from the idea of femininity that has been driven by a culture that is male dominated can we establish the difference from men in terms of their psychology. Our main objective ought not to be to pinpoint what is feminine in its own essence but to encourage the development of entire human personalities for both genders. Following this, she developed a gender-neutral theory, one which may be considered to be gender neutral.

Horney argues that love can be in many facets which attempt to develop bridges for people to escape from the loneliness that is on one shore to the loneliness that exists on the next one. The bridges may come with associated beauty, however, they may not last an eternity and in most cases cannot put up with too much load without crushing (Horney 111). If we are to establish strong bridges, it is essential to develop mutual respect for each other.

In summary, Horney raised arguments suggesting that women are bound to suffer from masculinity complex emanating from their desire to free themselves from guilt and anxiety that come from their oedipal condition. Horney supported that masculinity complex cannot be evaded and it is a result of a culture that is dominated by male privilege and certain. As a matter of fact, a girl is taught from their birth and as they grow to the idea whether it is presented to them delicately or brutally regarding her inferiority is an experience that contributes to her masculinity complex.

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