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The purpose of this paper is to review Horney's concept of the analysis of the actual situation, to present what some others have written on this subject, and to attempt a restatement. (Parts II and III will be published in subsequent issues).
It seems essential to do so because this concept is of crucial importance in therapy. It has so often been misunderstood. Partly this is due to Horney's failure to amplify her meaning and because what she did present was incomplete. Other sources of difficulty have been the inability of some to shift from a genetic, mechanistic way of thinking (Freud) to holistic and process thinking (Horney). Methodologic and terminologic problems lead to further confusion. Past, childhood and life history are thought of as static, isolated things somehow separated from the present as if it too were an entity in itself. The notion of the past in the present as an aspect of the actual situation has not been appreciated. For my purposes I shall consider past and childhood as subsumed under life history. And by life history I mean all that a person has been up to and including the immediate moment or present. This simply means that all a person is at any moment is a consequence of his life experiences up to and including that moment.
The method of the first two parts of this paper will be to present quotes from contributors to this subject. The purpose in doing so is to include not only their exact words but also to communicate the spirit of the person's writing. Style, selection of words and the arrangement of them convey many further dimensions of meaning. In using exact quotes a more accurate and adequate comparison can be made with what each has said and with what I am attempting to elaborate. My effort is to make a comparison of the language and concepts used, to point out how each has developed his own ideas and how each has added to the other and/or brought in new aspects for emphasis. In making this comparative summarization and in present