ABSTRACT

Karen Horney Clementina Theodora Danielsen was born to Clothilde Marie Danielsen and Berndt Henrik Wackels Danielsen in Eilbek, West Hamburg on September 16th, 1885. During her formative years, Karen avidly recorded her life experiences in her diaries. Wackel’s zealousness coalesced with his firebrand mentor and friend Pastor Nikolai Von Ruckteschell. Their combined belief that ‘God the Father’ was on their side, pushed the limits of Karen’s religious acceptance and conformity. Karen’s relationship with a literal interpretation of scripture had come to an end. In 1920 Karen became one of the founding members of the Berlin Psychoanalytical Institute. Where Horney potentially made her most significant contribution to the field was in her stance against Freud’s position on the female personality. The society took a hard stance against Karen Horney; she was singled out as a troublemaker, stripped of her status as a training analyst and removed from all teaching and supervision.