Wholeness, Alienation From Self, and the Schizoid Problem

Sigmund Freud created the first psychoanalytic model of the mind. It contained three parts: what was within awareness (the conscious), what could be brought into awareness (the preconscious), and what was entirely outside of awareness (the unconscious). This topographical model was later supplemented by Freud's structural theory, with its concepts of id, ego, and superego. Each structure has a unique function, which is, by definition, generally resisted by those of the other two structures. Freud's work illuminated the human need to disown conflictual feelings and thoughts. For him, human beings are by nature at war with themselves. Their developmental task is to grapple with the warring instinctual factions (aggression/libido) and to unite them through the process of neutralization.

Karen Horney conceived of the human being in different terms. Horney rejected Freud's structural theory. She saw the human being as having the innate potential to be whole from the start. This is the person in his or her natural state. Horney (1) described this as follows:

He will develop then the unique alive forces of his real self: the clarity and depth of his own feelings, thoughts, wishes, interests; the ability to tap his own resources, the strength of his will power; the special capacities or gifts he may have; the faculty to express himself, and to relate himself to others with his spontaneous feelings. All this will enable him to find his set of values and his aims in life. In short, he will grow, substantially undiverted, toward self-realization, (p. 17)

For Horney, only when one is hindered is one forced to develop alternatives in the form of unconscious neurotic strategies. For human beings in our culture, the optimal conditions for growth and development are lacking. Horney pointed out how cultural conditions predispose toward neurotic development. Her conclusion was that all human beings in our culture are faced with contradictory elements that make for neurotic