July 6, 2011
The Neurotic Need to be Right
Karen Horney and her theory of personality talked about the 10 neurotic needs of man:
1. The neurotic need for a partner.
2. The neurotic need for affection.
3. The neurotic need to restrict oneself within narrow borders.
4. The neurotic need for power.
5. The neurotic need to exploit others.
6. The neurotic need for recognition.
7. The neurotic need for achievement.
8. The neurotic need for admiration.
9. The neurotic need for self-sufficiency.
10. The neurotic need for perfection.
Now, these are classified as a neurotic need because they are irrational, illogical, unreasonable and superficial. To make a long story short, they are not that important. The fixation or the mindset of the individual to artificially accomplish the abovementioned is what makes it a neurosis.
Over time, there appears to be a creeping neurotic need that is plaguing man’s behavior. Such is the title of this article, the neurotic need to be right.
People tend to believe that they are right - that what they are doing, that their advocacy is infallible. They seem to be under the delusion that they are right and therefore cannot be wrong. And taken to an extreme, people afflicted with this neurotic need tend to be fanatics. And just like any fanatic, they have no qualms about shedding literally and figuratively – some blood to get their way.
The sad reality is that people commit mistakes, and that more often than not, we are wrong. The redeeming part about being human is that we can mend our ways. We can change. We can alter our current scenario to correct what was previously perceived to be an infallible path.
Truth be said, humans are prone to commit mistakes. To be wrong however is not a deplorable situation, because from our mistakes, we learn and take corrective actions and remedies. From our mistakes, we become a better individual.
To err is glorious because after such, we evolve into a better person.
