Our Inner Conflicts - Karen Horney

Written by Karen Horney, Our Inner Conflicts: A Constructive Theory of Neurons, resonates with every reader. By breaking down the three types of emotional conflicts, this book is the perfect guide to furher understanding yourself and others.

Here are some quotes from the book:

'We must be aware of what our wishes are, or even more, of what are feelings are. Do we really like a person, or do we only think we like them because we are supposed to? [...] Most of us would find it difficult to answer such simple questions; that is, we do not know what we really feel or want'

'To make a decision presupposes the willingness and capacity to assume responsibility for it. This would include the risk of making a wrong decision and the willingness to bear the consequences without blaming others for them.'

'We shall understand the fear of exposure when we have answered two questions: What is a person afraid to disclose? and What is it that he fears in case he should be exposed?'

'The Pretense of Love [...] Love in our civilization is so rarely a genuine affection, maltreatment and betrayal abound. We are left with the impression then, that love turns into contempt, hate, indifference.'

Source:

Horney, Karen, Our Inner Conflicts: A Constructive Theory of Neurons (New York & London: W.W. Norton & Company, 1992)

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