Neurosis and Human Growth

TOGETHER Adolph Meyer, James S. Plant, H. S. Sullivan) who had discarded Freud's theory of instincts, I first saw the core of neurosis in human relations. Generally, I pointed out, these were brought about by cultural conditions; specifically, through environmental factors which obstructed the child's unhampered psychic growth. Instead of developing a basic confidence in self and others, the child developed basic anxiety, which I defined as a feeling of being isolated and helpless in a world potentially hostile. In order to keep this basic anxiety at a minimum, the spontaneous moves toward, against, and away from others became compulsive. While the spontaneous moves were compatible, each with the others, the compulsive ones collided. The conflicts generated in this way, which I called basic conflicts, were, therefore, the results of conflicting needs and conflicting attitudes with regard to other people. And the first attempts at a solution of these conflicts were largely attempts at integration, through giving full rein to some of these needs and attitudes, and suppressing others. This is a somewhat streamlined summary, because the intrapsychic processes are too closely interwoven with those going on in interpersonal relations for me to have left them out altogether. They were touched upon at various points. To mention but a few: I could not discuss the neurotic's need for affection, or any equivalent need