“We are inclined to be reserved and ever ready to retreat...we all have a natural fear of losing ourselves in another person" (Horney 1). Karen Horney mentions in her essay “The Distrust Between the Sexes” that we dread of loving someone and being loved, which is one of the characteristics that reside in our human nature. Formerly, the concept of projection allows us to examine the behavior and pinpoint the possible origins of the conduct of the main character in the movie “Amélie” by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. With this in mind, we can make assumptions to explain of the why of her actions and understand what elements led her to the complex personality that she adopts from her early childhood days to her late young adult life.
To be able to understand…show more content… According to the U.S. Department of Human Health & Resources, “The importance of early infant attachment cannot be overstated. It is at the heart of healthy child development and lays the foundation for relating intimately with others, including spouses and children” (Nancy Low), supporting that to have a close relationship with the parents is of utmost importance in the early stages of childhood. However, this is not present in Amélie’s family. Due to the absence of physical contact, she develops an intricate imagination. She adapts to solitude and becomes comfortable with it. Horney confirms the need for a child to have its desires fulfilled in a general aspect and how problematic it is for them to be carried out (Horney 2). All of this allows us to understand why Amélie has trouble establishing romantic relationships in her young adult life and how she came to wander in her imaginative…show more content… She takes an interest in the lives of the people (without getting involved), and this is observed when she finds a small box behind a wall in her apartment. She decides to return the box to its legitimate owner. After a sequence of events, she finds the owner of the box. The aging man's reaction display of delight is more than enough to initiate a spark in Amélie that eventually will lead to doing acts of kindness to others. Why would she search for the happiness of those surrounding her and not her own? Karen Horney gives some insight into this phenomenon, “… the fear o love will always be mixed with the fear of what we might do to the other person, or what the other person might do to us”(3). It is possible to assume that Amélie is afraid that her repressed feelings cultivated and refined by a tough childhood might not be satisfied. Even more, her condition may turn in a worse state than before. However, Amélie receives some insight from Raymond Dufayel, who reminds her that, despite her intentions to help others, she is neglecting the pursuit of happiness. Eventually, when she has an encounter with Nino Quincampoix, an eccentric young man, she gains interest in him and decides to find about him. After a series of events In return, her response to her so long-unfulfilled desires to become happy. Horney mentions at the end of her essay by saying, “analysis not only can help in
