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Hypercomptetitiveness
indiscriminate need to win at all costs in order to feel superior
(Hypercompetitive parents tend to treat their children poorly, giving rise to neurosis
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Traits of hypercompetitiveness
- -hostile
- -dogmatic
- -arrogant
- -aggressive
- -derisive toward others
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Characteristics of hypercompetitives
- -characterized by primary psychopathy: aggressiveness, callousness, and lack of remorse
- -not characterized by secondary psychopathy: excessive guilt, lack of clarity about goals
- -leads to lying, cheating, plagiarism
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competition avoidance
need to check ruthless ambition and excessive competitive strivings because of extreme fear of losing the affection and approval of others due to success or failure in competition
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characteristics of competition avoiders
- -minimize their chances for success by belittling themselves
- -feel embarrassed or humiliated by competitive defeat
- -engage in self-handicapping: giving plausible excuses for poor performance in order to protect one's self-esteem
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personal development competitiveness
- an attitude in which the primary focus is not primarily on the outcome
- (i.e., winning), but rather more on the enjoyment and mastery of the
- task
- -individuals are more concerned with self-discovery, self-improvement, and task mastery than with comparisons with others
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personal development competitors
want strongly to win and be successful, but not at the expense of others
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attitudes and behaviors of hypercompetitive parents that cause disturbed relationships
- –Direct or indirect domination
- –Indifference and erratic behavior
- –Lack of respect for individual needs and real guidance
- –Disparaging attitudes
- –Lack of reliable warmth
- –Having to take sides in parental disagreements
- –Isolation from other children
- –Injustice and discrimination
- –Unkept promises and hostile atmosphere
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basic anxiety
poor treatment by parents that makes a person feel isolated and helpless in a potentially hostile world, leading to neurosis
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characteristics of basic anxiety
- -neurotic need for affection and approval
- -neurotic need for partner to control one's life
- -neurotic need to restrict one's activities
- -neurotic need for power
- -neurotic need to exploit others
- -neurotic need for social recognition and prestige
- -neurotic need for personal admiration
- -neurotic need for personal achievement
- -neurotic need for self-sufficiency and independence
- -neurotic need for perfection and unassailability
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Horney's 3 basic neurotic trends
- compliant type
- aggressive type
- detached type
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compliant type
- individuals who cope with feelings of basic anxiety by
- indiscriminately seeking the approval and affection of others through excessive
- conformity; such individuals move toward people, a trend that protects them
- against basic anxiety by self-effacement and obliteration
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aggressive type
individuals who protect themselves against feelings of insecurity by exploiting others in order to feel superior; such individuals adjust by moving against people, a trend that seeks to control basic anxiety through domination and exploitation of others
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detached type
- individuals who protect themselves by continual avoidance of
- others; such individuals move away from people, a trend that protects the
- person against basic anxiety by utter detachment and extreme self-sufficiency
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basic conflict in neurosis
turmoil created within neurotics because the three major trends are incompatible with one another
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humanistic view of development
each person is special and has a unique set of potentials that will flourish under wise parental guidance
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real self
unique set of potentials for constructive growth within each person
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idealized self
defensive identification of neurotics with their idealized images
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tyranny of the shoulds
moral imperatives that drive neurotics to accept nothing less than perfection for themselves
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externalization
- tendency of neurotics to experience internal processes as if they occurred outside the self and to hold external factors responsible for their difficulties
- -involves projection: tendency to attribute one's own failings and shortcomings to others
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seven defenses used by neurotics to keep the idealized self intact
- blind spts
- compartmentalization
- rationalization
- excessive control
- arbitrary rightness
- elusiveness
- cynicism
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blind spots
painful experiences are denied or ignored because they are at variance with the idealized self
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compartmentalization
alleviation of tensions by separating beliefs and actions
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rationalization
person wards off anxiety by offering plausible, but inaccurate, excuses for his or her conduct
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excessive control
person exercises willpower to keep emotional impulses under control
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arbitrary rightness
conviction that one is always right
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elusiveness
person refuses to take a position on anything so that he or she can never be proven wrong and criticized or ridiculed by others
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cynicism
person claims to believe in nothing so that he or she cannot be hurt or disappointed by others
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