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Karen Horney 1885 - 1952 Karen Horney was born in Hamburg, Germany to Captain and Mrs. Berndt Wackels Danielson on September 16, 1885. Captain Danielson was a religious man with an authoritarian parenting style, he was referred to as “the Bible thrower”. Although her father brought her gifts from around the world and let her accompany him on three sea excursions, Karen felt that he favored her older brother Berndt. The lack of a connection with her father made Karen become extremely close with her mother, Clotilde aka Sonni. Clotilde was Captain Danielson’s second wife, 19 years seperated the cosmopolitan wife from her harsh husband. When Karen was nine she changed her approach to life and became more bold and ambitious. At the same time, Karen’s crush on her beloved teenage brother led him to distance himself from her uncomfortable attentions. Berndt’s rejection made Karen depressed, the first of many bouts of depression throughout her life. In 1904 Clotilde divorced Karen’s father and left both Berndt and Karen in his care. In 1906, Karen Horney decided to attend medical school against her parents wishes. Contrary to societal norms, Horney attended the universities of Freiburg and Be