ERICH FROMM

1
ERICH FROMM

• HUMANISTIC PSYCHOLOGY

2
FROMMS BASIC ASSUMPTIONS

• HUMAN PERSONALITY CAN ONLY BE UNDERSTOOD IN THE
  LIGHT OF HISTORY.
• HUMANS HAVE BEEN TORN AWAY FROM THEIR
  PREHISTORIC UNION WITH NATURE AND LEFT WITH NO
  POWERFUL INSTINCTS TO ADAPT TO A CHANGING WORLD.
• HUMANS HAVE ACQUIRED THE ABILITY TO REASON
  THOUGH HUMANS CAN THINK ABOUT THEIR ISOLATED
  CONDITION.
• CALLED THE HUMAN DILEMMA.

3
FROMMS BASIC ASSUMPTIONS

• REASON IS BOTH A BLESSING AND A CURSE
• FORMS DICHOTOMIES
• 1. LIFE AND DEATH
• WE WILL DIE-----TRY TO NEGATE THIS BY POSTULATING
  LIFE AFTER DEATH. (DOES NOT STOP US FROM DYING)
• 2. CAPABLE OF CONCEPTUALIZING COMPLETE
  SELF-REALIZATION, BUT LIFE IS SHORT AND WE CAN
  NEVER REACH IT. (SOME BELIEVE THEIR PRESENT LIFE
  IS THE CROWNING ACHEIVEMENT WHILE OTHERS STILL
  POSTULATE DEVELOPMENT AFTER DEATH

4
FROMMS BASIC ASSUMPTIONS

• 3. WE ARE ALONE, BUT WE CANNOT TOLERATE
  ISOLATION. (WE ARE SEPARATE INDIVIDUALS, BUT WE
  ARE AWARE THAT OUR HAPPINESS DEPENDS ON UNITING
  WITH OUR FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS.

5
HUMAN NEEDS

• EXISTENTIAL NEEDS
• OUR HUMAN DILEMMA CANNOT BE SOLVED BY SATISFYING
  OUR ANIMAL NEEDS (FOOD, SLEEP, AND SEX), BUT IT
  CAN ONLY BE ADDRESSED BY FULFILLING OUR HUMAN
  NEEDS.
• MOVES US TOWARD REUNIFICATION WITH THE NATURAL
  WORLD.
• RELATEDNESS
• DESIRE FOR UNION WITH ANOTHER PERSON.
• RELATE TO OTHERS BY
• SUBMISSION
• POWER
• LOVE
• LOVE, OR THE ABILITY TO UNITE WITH ANOTHER WHILE
  RETAINING ONES OWN INDIVIDUALITY AND INTEGTRITY,
  IS THE ONLY RELATEDNESS NEED THAT CAN SOLVE OUR
  BASIC HUMAN DILEMMA.

6
HUMAN NEEDS

• TRANCENDENCE
• HUMANS HAVE THE URGE TO RISE ABOVE THEIR PASSIVE
  AND ACCIDENTAL EXISTENCE, TO TRANSCEND THEIR
  NATURE BY DESTROYING OR CREATING PEOPLE OR
  THINGS.
• MALIGNANT AGGRESSION CAN DESTROY OR KILL FOR
  REASONS OTHER THAN SURVIVAL, BUT THEY CAN ALSO
  CREATE AND CARE ABOUT THEIR CREATIONS.
• ROOTEDNESS
• NEED TO ESTABLISH ROOTS AND TO FEEL AT HOME AGAIN
  IN THE WORLD.
• ROOTEDNESS CAN BE PRODUCTIVE OR NONPRODUCTIVE

7
HUMAN NEEDS

• PRODUCTIVE STRATEGY
• WE GROW BEYOND THE SECURITY OF OUR MOTHER AND
  ESTABLISH TIES WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD.
• NONPRODUCTIVE STRATEGY
• FIXATED AND AFRAID TO MOVE BEYOND THE SECURITY
  AND SAFETY OF OUR MOTHER OR A MOTHER SUBSTITUTE.
• SENSE FO IDENTITY
• AWARENESS OF OURSELVES AS A SEPARATE PERSON.
• IDENTITY IS EXPRESSED NONPRODUCTIVELY AS
  CONFORMITY TO A GROUP AND PRODUCTIVELY AS
  INDIVIDUALITY.

8
HUMAN NEEDS

• FRAME OF ORIENTATION
• ROAD MAP OR CONSISTENT PHILOSOPHY BY WHICH WE
  FIND OUR WAY THROUGH THE WORLD.
• NONPRODUCTIVE
• STRIVING FOR IRRATIONAL GOALS
• PRODUCTIVE
• MOVEMENT TOWARDS RATIONAL GOALS
• SUMMARY OF HUMAN NEEDS
• PEOPLE ARE HIGHLY MOTIVATED TO SATISFY THE FIVE
  EXISTENTAL, OR HUMAN, NEEDS BECAUSE IF THEY ARE
  UNSATISFIED IN THESE NEEDS, THEY ARE DRIVEN TO
  INSANITY. EACH NEED HAS A POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE
  COMPONENT, BUT ONLY THE SATISFACTION OF POSITIVE
  NEEDS LEADS TO PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH.

9
BURDEN OF FREEDOM

• FREEDOM BECOMES A BURDEN, AND PEOPLE EXPERIENCE
  BASIC ANXIETY, OR A FEELING OF BEING ALONE IN THE
  WORLD.
• AS PEOPLE GAINED MORE POLITICAL FREEDOM, THEY
  BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE MORE ISOLATION FROM OTHERS
  AND FROM THE WORLD AND TO FEEL FREE FROM THE
  SECURITY OF A PERMANENT PLACE IN THE WORLD.
• MECHANISMS OF ESCAPE
• TO REDUCE THE FRIGHTENING SENSE OF ISOLATION AND
  ALONENESS, PEOPLE MAY ADOPT ONE O THREE
  MECHANISMS OF ESCAPE.
• 1. AUTHORITARIANISM
• TENDENCY TO GIVE UP ONESS INDEPENDENCE AND TO
  UNITE WITH A POWERFUL PARTNER
• CAN TAKE THE FORM OF EITHER MASOCHISM OR SADISM.

10
BURDEN OF FREEDOM

• 2. DESTRUCTIVENESS
• FEELINGS OF ISOLATION
• AN ESCAPE MECHANISM THATIS AIMED AT DOING AWAY
  WITH OTHER PEOPLE OR THINGS.
• 3. CONFROMITY
• SURRENDERING OF ONES INDIVIDUALITY IN ORDER TO
  MEET THE WISHES OF OTHERS
• POSITIVE FREEDOM
• SPONTANEOUS ACTIVITY OF THE WHOLE, INTEGRATED
  PERSONALITY, WHICH IS ACHIEVED WHEN A PERSON
  BECOMES REUNIFIED WITH OTHERS AND WITH THE WORLD.
• SUCCESSFUL SOLUTION TO THE HUMAN DILEMMA OF BEING
  PART OF THE NATURAL WORLD AND YET SEPARATE FROM
  IT.

11
CHARACTER ORIENTATIONS

• PEOPLE RELATE TO THE WORLD BY ACQUIRING AND USING
  THINGS (ASSIMILATION) AND BY RELATING TO SELF AND
  OTHERS (SOCIALIZATION), AND THEY CAN DO SO EITHER
  NONPRODUCTIVELY OR PRODUCTIVELY.
• CHARACTER ORIENTATION
• A PERSONS RELATIELY PERMANENT WAY OF RELATING TO
  PEOPLE AND THINGS
• CHARACTER
• THE RELATIVELY PERMANENT SYSTEM OF ALL
  NONINSTINCTUAL STRIVINGS THROUGH WHICH MAN
  RELATES HIMSELF TO THE HUMAN AND NATRUAL WORLD.
• CHARCTER IS A SUBSTITUTE FOR LACK OF INSTINCTS.
• BY ACTING ACCORDING TO OUR CHARCTER TRAITS, WE
  CAN BEHAVE BOTH EFFICIENTLY AND CONSISTENTLY.

12
CHARACTER ORIENTATIONS

• NONPRODUCTIVE ORIENTATIONS
• 1. RECEPTIVE
• BELIEVE THAT THE SOURCE OF ALL GOOD LIES OUTSIDE
  THEMSELVES AND THAT THE ONLY WAY THEY CAN RELATE
  TO THE WORLD IS TO RECEIVE THINGS INCLUDING LOVE,
  KNOWLEDGE, AND MATERIAL OBJECTS.
• POSITIVE QUALITITES INCLUDE
• LOYALTY
• TRUST
• NEGATIVE QUALITIES INCLUDE
• PASSIVITY
• SUBMISSIVENESS
• 2. EXPLOIATIVE
• ALSO BELIEVE THAT SOURCE OF GOOD LIES OUTSIDE
  THEMSELVES.
• AGGRESSIVELY TAKE WHAT THEY WANT RATHER THAN
  PASSIVELY RECEIVING IT.
• POSITIVE QUALITIES INCLUDE
• PRIDE
• SELF CONFIDENCE
• NEGATIVE QUALITIES INCLUDE
• ARROGANCE
• CONCEIT

13
CHARACTER ORIENTATIONS

• HOARDING
• TRY TO SAVE WHAT HAS ALREADY BEEN OBTAINED
  INCLUDING OPINIONS, FEELINGS, AND MATERIAL
  POSSESSIONS.
• POSITIVE QUALITIES INCLUDE
• LOYALALTY
• NEGATIVE QUALITIES INCLUDE
• OBSSIVENESS
• POSSESSIVNESS
• MARKETING
• SEE THEMSELVS AS COMODITIES AND VALUE THEMSELVES
  AGAINST THE CRITERION OF THEIR ABILITY TO SELL
  THEMSELVES
• HAVE FEWER POSITIVE QUALITIES THAN THE OTHER
  ORIENTATIONS, BECAUSE THEY ARE ESSENTIALLY EMPTY.
• THEY CAN BE OPEN-MINDED AND ADAPTABLE, AS WELL AS
  OPPORTUNISTIC AND WASTEFUL

14
CHARACTER ORIENTATIONS

• PRODUCTIVE ORIENTATION
• PSYCHOLOGICALLY HEALTHY PEOPLE WORK TOWARD
  POSITIVE FREEDOM THROUGH PRODUCTIVE WORK, LOVE,
  AND THOUGHTS.
• PRODUCTIVE LOVE NECESSITATES A PASSIONATE LOVE OF
  ALL LIFE AND IS CALLED BIOPHILIA.