Shimin Case Study

Case Study 10

1. Shimin combats basic anxiety by withdrawing. A person who withdraws attempts to be independent of others and doesn’t rely on other people to satisfy internal or external needs (Schultz & Schultz, 2009). Shimin does not seek out others for assistance or approval, even believing that his independence would earn him the respect of others (Ashcraft, 2012).

2. Shimin displays a neurotic need for self-sufficiency and perfection. Shimin was a remarkable student all through school, requiring little-to-no attention from teachers. Shimin didn’t feel he could always rely on others for help, so he preferred his teachers to not be involved. Shimin held himself to high standards without any pushing from teachers or advisors.

3. Shimin is using rationalization to avoid clubs and dates. He finds a way to explain his actions that seem consistent with his own idealized self-image and with socially acceptable images. His idealized self-image is that he needs to work hard, and it’s socially acceptable to be busy, so Shimin just tells himself and others that he’s simply too busy to join.

1. Shimin’s family and childhood is not mentioned (Ashcraft, 2012). With Adler’s theory, one could assume that Shimin was the youngest child. Competing with one or more older siblings may explain why Shimin is so focused on being academically superior. It may also explain why he constantly compared his students to himself; he’s showing a competitive side. Last-borns are often high achievers in whatever work they undertake as adults (Schultz & Schultz, 2009).

2. Horney placed much emphasis on social relationships in forming personality; that people are motivated by a need for security and love (Schultz & Schultz, 2009). Horney based her psychoanalytic social theory on beliefs that social and cultural conditions influence personality later in life (Langenderfer, 2009).  Fromm believed that specific personality types are related to specific socioeconomic patterns.

3. Horney’s approach of a detached personality is marked by withdrawing and having little social contact due to fear of rejection (Schultz & Schultz, 2009). This is similar to Adler’s avoiding personality type, in which a person avoids problems and difficulties to avoid any possibility of failing (Schultz & Schultz, 2009). Shimin withdraws from people, avoiding interpersonal relationships. He doesn’t feel he can rely on others for help, so why would he feel he can rely on others for social support? Shimin avoids problems, such as his experience in teaching. Instead of fixing it, Shimin chose to stop teaching.

References

Ashcraft, D. (2012). Personality theories workbook (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Langenderfer, G. (1999, May 1). Karen Horney. Retrieved October 25, 2015, from http://www.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/horney.htm

Schultz, D., & Schultz, S. (2009). Theories of personality (9th ed.). Australia: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.