Did that get your attention? Gosh, in this day and age, one has to bet that there is nothing real about this title. WRONG. And by the way… It’s pronounced Karen “Horn eye”. As you will read, her ability to see was quite clear.
Back in October 2025 we celebrated Ada Lovelace Day. You can read about that here: Ada Lovelace Day – Tell It Tuesday Women In Science fascinate me. I am particularly interested in the history of women in science and their fight against patriarchy.
Karen Horney is a real early 1900’s woman who fought “Penis Envy” with science. Often, people reference Sigmond Freud. His contributions to psychology are foundational. However, his theories often lacked empirical data, over emphasis of sexual drives, and were deterministic. One of Freud’s wacked out theories was the notion that women wished they were men and therefore suffered from “Penis Envy.”
Karen Horney studied medicine in Berlin and earned her medical degree in psychology. She began practicing psychology using Freudian theories in 1920. What she found in her clinical studies, was evidence that did not match Freudian theory. What did she find?
She found that society didn’t allow for women to have real power. She found that instead of being able to be free and independent, society forced them to live through their husbands and children.
Karen moved to America in 1932 and worked with both the New School for Social Research and the New York Psychoanalytic Institute. In her work, she founded The Theory of Neurosis. Her theory countered Freud’s biological argument of “Penis Envy”. Instead, she found that emotional disorders are caused by adverse and unloving developmental context environments.
Neurosis is an inability to adapt and a tendency to experience excessive negative or obsessive thoughts and behaviors. This Neo-Freudian therapy meant that people could learn to live with their anxieties and eventually not need therapy.
You can read about Karen’s theory of Neurosis here: Horney’s Theory of Neurotic Needs
And please do read that. It could help you.
Of course her theory, counter to Freud’s, got her forced out from the New York Psychoanalytic Institute. Regardless, she continued to publish papers and books and her influence on psychology today is still very influential.
Horney’s theory of Neurosis is based on relationships, belonging, safety and love, rather than biological instincts.
Freud Theory of Penis “Envy” = Women are deficient.
Horney Theory of Neurosis = Women are adapting to unsafe systems.
Jesus = Women are daughters of God, fully worthy of His love DIRECTLY.
Jesus theory on “Penis Envy.”
- Patriarchy Said, “Be small” (Think Penis Envy)
- Anxiety said, “survive.”
- Jesus said, “Stand up daughter.”
Mark 5:41 NIV
41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”).
Jesus theory of healing is where the heart comes in:
Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV
22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
1 Samuel 16:7 NIV
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Get up little girl and seek Him and He will change your Heart.