Karen Horney’s Core Theory in 3 Hours.
Put on your favourite cardigan, make a cup of coffee, and let me walk you through one of the most underrated psychoanalytic thinkers. Made easy with six video lessons and downloadable slides.
You keep meaning to read Horney. But you haven’t.
Her books sit on your shelf unfinished.
You bought Neurosis and Human Growth with the best intentions. It’s been three months. You’re on page 12.
Reading everything? That’s 2000+ pages.
You’re looking at a lot of reading time. Taking one book with you on vacation? Yes. Reading all of it while working full-time? You’d rather not.
You don’t know where to start.
Horney wrote across decades and her thinking evolved. What’s foundational? What’s outdated? And what might actually be helpful?
Let’s condense 2000+ pages into 3 hours.
Karen Horney is one of those underrated female psychoanalysts more people should know about. She broke from Freud and built a model of neurosis that’s accessible and in plain English (even though she was German).
This workshop distills her core theory into 3 hours, taught the way I’d explain it to a colleague over coffee. But with slides and visuals (I would not bring a slide show to a coffee meet up).
What you’ll keep, long after you finish watching.
Horney’s theory, distilled and usable
Six lessons take you through her core ideas, in the order that actually builds understanding. By the end you’ll be able to explain her model in your own words.
The principle behind all of it
Horney’s concepts can feel like a long list until you see the thread that ties them together. Once you have it, it’ll be a lot easier to see how all her concepts connect.
Slides you can keep and revisit
Every lesson comes with downloadable slides, so no need to take notes. There are also helpful visuals for a quick reference later.
What we cover, lesson by lesson.
Introduction: Horney vs. Freud
Where she agreed, where she broke, and why her departure from Freud wasn’t a rejection of psychoanalysis but a reworking of it. This sets up the rest of the workshop.
Basic Anxiety: The core of neurosis
Horney’s foundational concept, the felt sense of being isolated and helpless in a potentially hostile world. We unpack where it comes from and why everything in her theory grows out of it.
Neurosis: Neurotic vs. healthy development
What Horney thought separates a neurotic developmental path from a healthy one. Less binary than it sounds, and clinically useful once you see how she draws the line.
Neurotic Needs and Trends
The moving toward, against, and away from people. We cover all three, why each one feels like a solution from the inside, and why each one breaks down over time.
The Pride System: From idealization to alienation
Here is where it gets dense. We’ll talk about her concepts of the Idealized Self, Tyranny of the Should, Neurotic Claims, Neurotic Pride and Self-Hate.
Therapy and Technique
Horney’s thinking on what clinicians should pay attention to in treatment. A practical close that translates the theory into a way of listening you can take into your next session.
Past participants called it insightful, fun, and genuinely time-saving.
“I have just finished the Karen Horney workshop and I found it incredibly insightful and helpful. You have a gift for teaching.”
“It was a downright pleasure to learn more about the life and work of Karen Horney. The videos are not only highly informative, they’re also fun to watch. All ideas are supported by downloadable PDFs, so no need to take notes. It’s all right there at your fingertips in nicely proportioned bitesize bits. I highly recommend this workshop.”
“Thanks so much for putting together that workshop on Karen Horney’s thinking. It was so helpful and time saving. You put a lot of work into it but it definitely paid off. It is super clear and the resources are great.”
Skip this workshop if any of these are true.
- You’re looking for therapy or supervision. This is a theory-explainer only and no substitute for either of the two.
- You cannot afford the price comfortably. Get Horney’s books for free at your library and invest your time instead — that will be the better option for you.
- You want a quick clinical hack without the theory. The whole point here is the theory.
- You’ve already read and studied Horney in-depth and are looking to go from intermediate to pro. This is a solid, in-depth but foundational walk-through, not an advanced discussion.
Start learning now.
- Six video lessons (about 3 hours total)
- Downloadable slides for every lesson
- *Lifetime access = access for as long as the hosting platform Teachery exists (guaranteed 12 months)
- Pre-recorded: watch and re-watch on your schedule
Abiding by German laws, you can ask for a refund up to 14 days after purchase, if you are unsatisfied with the workshop.
Hi, I’m Alina.
I’m a German psychologist, psychodynamic psychotherapist-in-training, and psychoanalyst-in-training. I have been reading and thinking about psychodynamic theory in public for years on YouTube. And Karen Horney is one of those underrated psychoanalysts more people should know about.
Answering questions you might have.
Reading Horney directly is your best first option and if you have the time and stamina, do it! This workshop exists for those who either don’t have the time or prefer to learn differently. I’ve done the reading, organized the concepts in the order that builds understanding, and tied them together to help you make sense of it. You’re paying for the synthesis and the organisation, not the information.
It’s pre-recorded. No schedule, no camera, no need to look engaged. You can watch and re-watch at your own pace.
You’ll have access to this workshop as long as the hosting platform (Teachery) exists. I guarantee 12 months but it’ll likely be much, much longer than that (the people at Teachery surely hope to stay in business!).
Some familiarity helps, since we open by placing Horney in context. But I teach in plain language and define the terms that matter as we go. Psychotherapists-in-training have done well with it.
This workshop is not formally accredited as CE, so I’d check with your specific licensing or training body before assuming it counts. Participants usually take it for their own learning journey.
Understand Horney’s ideas in 3 hours.
If you’ve been meaning to read her for months, this is the shortcut that doesn’t lose all of the depth.
Enrol in the workshop