Psychology of Personality and the Attachment Theory

Psychology of Personality Case Study
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Psychology of Personality Case Study
Claire Mann is a highly successful businesswoman and a mover in the fashion industry. Being in an industry that requires closely working with other talented individuals such as fashion stylists, photographers, and models, among others, her success has been mostly associated with her ability to form powerful networks. Yet, she lacks healthy personal connections and relationships with others, including members of her family. This paper aims at exploring her personality using the attachment theory and Karen Horney’s basic conflict theory. Understanding how people form attachments and solve conflict can help create a better picture of how Claire developed her personality, especially when it comes to relating with others.
Information about the Case
On the surface, Claire is a very friendly woman who appears to be close to many people. She can form connections with people instantly because she understands how helpful such connections are to her career. However, a closer look into these relationships reveals that they are superficial. She understands that the connections are meaningless in the absence of quid pro quo. For her, interactions and connections with others involve some form of exchange. She strongly believes that she can only receive something from someone by giving something. As such, her relationships with others are very transactional and impersonal. No one seems to know any intimate details about her. Her assistant, who considers her a role model and mentor, not only to her but also to other women in the industry, says that she hardly talks about her personal life. If anything, those close to her see her as an emotionally detached person; nothing seems to get to her. Claire never attends social functions, which is interesting because people from networks in such social functions, especially in her industry. When she does attend social functions, it is only because she is interested in meeting a certain person or people with whom she can do business in the future. Claire is highly driven, self-reliant, and an over-achiever. She has strong opinions that are rarely influenced by others, she hardly consults others, and she is very hands-on with her employees.
Claire was raised by a single parent, her mom, and is an only child. Her father left them when she was three years old and went on to start a new family. He never tried to reach out to Claire. Growing up, her mother was hardly home. She was always working and doing something else other than spending time with Claire. As a single parent, she had to make sure that the bills were paid and Claire had access to good schools. In fact, Claire went to boarding school at an early age because her mom could not juggle work and parenting responsibilities. At boarding school, Claire would be under the care of her teachers, which gave her mom time to focus on her work. Her mother rarely came to see her in school, even during special school events which required parents and their children to participate in various activities together. She learned early on how to rely on herself. Just like her mother, Claire has put a lot of focus on her work, which makes her unavailable whe...