17
c. The Impact of Culture and the Importance of Childhood Experiences
Based on Horney’s theory, personality is the impact of culture. According to Horney, as cited by Feist and Feist, the conditions in the society related to
cultural influences are what shape someone’s personalities 165. Further, Horney, as cited by Feist and Feist, also believes that childhood is
the age from which majority of problems arise. She says that childhood experiences are primarily responsible for personality development 165.
Therefore, children should experience a good environment. This idea is expressed in Horney’s statement that is referred by Feist and Feist: Horney suggests that
children need a warm and loving environment yet one that is not overly permissive. Children need to experience both genuine love and healthy discipline
165-166. Concisely, The Psychoanalytic Social Theory of Karen Horney says that
culture, especially early childhood experiences, plays a leading role in shaping human personality, either neurotic or healthy.
d. Horney’s Theory on Ways People Protect Themselves against Loneliness
Feist and Feist explain that Horney identified four general ways that people protect themselves against the feeling of being alone in a potentially
hostile world. Those are affection, submissiveness, effort to achieve power, power, and possession, and withdrawal 166-167.
The first is affection. It means that the people try to fulfill their affection by satisfying themselves with compliment, material goods, or sexual favors. The
18 second is submissiveness. It means that people merge themselves to other people
or institutions such as organizations or religions. The third is by achieving power, prestige, and possession. Power is to fight
against real or imaginary hostility of others. Besides, power also causes a tendency to dominate others. Prestige is for protecting towards humiliation
performed by others. However, prestige also causes a tendency to humiliate others. Possession is for protecting of poverty, though it leads to a tendency to
deprive others. The fourth is withdrawal. It is because by doing withdrawal, the people
believe that they cannot be hurt by other people. Further, Feist and Feist explain that Horney believes that all people use
them to some degrees; though, it becomes a problem when people feel forced to rely on them and unable to do others interpersonal activities 167. For this
condition, the people are as neurotics.
e. The Idealized Self-Image
People have their own ideal self-image. Unfortunately, what is in mind is not always same with the reality. The differences cause frictions and
contradictions. Neurotics believe the reality of the images in their minds. Feist and Feist state that Horney recognizes three aspects of the idealized
image. Those are The Neurotic search for Glory, Neurotic Claims, and Neurotic Pride 173.
19
1 The Neurotic Search for Glory
As neurotics come to believe in the reality of their idealized self, they begin to integrate it into all aspects of their lives, their goals, their self-concept,
and their relations with others. Horney, as cited by Feist and Feist, refers to this comprehensive drive toward actualizing the ideal self as the neurotic search for
glory 173. In addition to self-idealization, Horney, as cited by Feist and Feist,
explains that the neurotic search for glory includes three other elements: the need for perfection, the neurotic ambition, and the drive toward a vindictive triumph
173. Feist and Feist state that the need for perfection refers to the drive to mold
the whole personality into the idealized self 174. It means that the neurotics want to be their idealized self. They try to alter his personality to the idealized
self. A second key element in the neurotic search for glory is neurotic ambition.
Feist and Feist define it as the compulsive drive toward superiority 174. It means the neurotics have exaggerated need to do what they want. Horney, as cited by
Feist and Feist, states “this drive, therefore, may take several different forms during a person’s lifetime 174”. It means that the compulsive drive may be
reflected in various actions during the person’s life. Feist and Feist give some examples:
…while in school, a girl may direct her neurotic ambition toward being the best student in school. Later, she may be driven to excel in
business or to raise the very best show dogs. Neurotic ambition may also
20 take a less materialistic form, such as being the most saintly or most
charitable person in the community. 174 Thus, a neurotic ambition is not always a drive to do bad action. It can be a
good action, such as becoming the most charitable person in the community. The third aspect of the neurotic search for glory is the drive toward a
vindictive triumph. Feist and Feist call it as the most destructive element of all 174. They also state that the need for a vindictive triumph may be disguised as a
drive for achievement or success. However, Horney, as cited by Feist and Feist, says “its chief aim is to put others to shame or defeat them through one’s very
success; or to attain the power…to inflict suffering on them—mostly of a humiliating kind 174”.
Further, Feist and Feist state “the drive for a vindictive triumph grows out of the childhood desire to take revenge for real or imagined humiliations 174.” It
means that the vindictive triumph is a form to take revenge for the pain experienced in childhood. Feist and Feist also state that “No matter how
successful neurotics are in vindictively triumphing over others, they never lose their drive for a vindictive triumph—instead, they increase it with each victory
174”. Therefore, it is clear that the triumph the neurotics achieve cannot satisfy the drive.
2 Neurotic Claims
A second aspect of idealized image is neurotic claims. Neurotics believe that something is wrong with outside world. They proclaim that they are special.
Therefore, they deserve to be treated in accordance with their idealized view of themselves.
21 Feist and Feist explain that neurotics cannot see that their claims of special
privilege are unreasonable 174. When normal wishes are not fulfilled, people become understandably frustrated, but when neurotic claims are not met, neurotics
become indignant, bewildered, and unable to comprehend why others have not granted their claims.
Feist and Feist also give an illustration example of the difference of normal desires and neurotic claims. It is about a situation in which many people
are waiting in line for tickets of a popular movie. Most people near the end of the line might wish to be up front, and some
of them may even try some ploy to get a better position. Nevertheless, these people know that they don’t really deserve to cut ahead of others.
Neurotic people, on the other hand, truly believe that they are entitled to be near the front of line, and they feel no guilt or remorse in moving ahead of
others. 174-175
3 Neurotic Pride
The third aspect of an idealized image is neurotic pride. Feist and Feist define it as “a false pride based not on a realistic view of the true self but on a
spurious image of the idealized self 175.” Neurotics imagine themselves to be glorious, wonderful, and perfect, so when others fail to treat them with special
consideration, their neurotic pride is hurt. Horney, as cited by Feist and Feist, says about the differences between
genuine self-esteem and neurotic pride. She says “Genuine self-esteem is based on realistic attributes and accomplishments and is generally expressed with quiet
dignity. Neurotic pride, on the other hand, is based on an idealized image of self and is usually loudly proclaimed in order to support a glorified view of one’s self
175.”
22 Further, Feist and Feist add that in order to achieve and protect their pride,
neurotics also try to become associated with socially prominent and prestigious institutions and acquisitions 175.
B. Review of Related Studies
There are several undergraduate theses of Sanata Dharma University, which scrutinize The Kite Runner. However, there is only one thesis that has a
relationship with the issue discussed in this study: Assef. The thesis is written by Hapsari. The title of the thesis is The Discriminations toward Hazara People as
seen in Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. As it has been sketched previously, Hapsari, in the thesis, has give details about the characteristics of Hazaras. It
includes how Afghanistan people commonly react to Hazaras. She also explains how those matters prove the existence of discrimination towards Hazaras. In her
thesis, Hapsari glosses that there is a character representing the discrimination— even, Hapsari asserts that the character has done the most inhuman action as a
form of discrimination to Hassan: a rape. The character is Assef.
C. Review on Sociocultural-Historical Condition of Afghanistan 1. The History of Afghanistan
As a country in the story, it is a must to have Afghanistan reviewed. The review on Afghanistan is taken from Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East,
Volume 1 43-51. Afghanistan is a country sharing borders with Iran, Pakistan, the Xinjiang province of China, and the newly independent successor Central
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