Our Inner Conflicts, first published in 1945, considered the dilemma of a man whose inner self and outer persona had become incompatible, his true identity and desires concealed from the world. One possible result of that conflict, Horney suggested, would be a series of “neurotic” behaviors not unlike those Hoover exhibited on a regular basis: “perfectionist drives,” “rigid self-control,” the “need for admiration,” “a compulsive craving for power and prestige.” Such patterns attempted to compensate for—or to avoid—an essential truth that might be shattering if faced head-on.
