1. ERICH FROMM (1900-1980)
Natalie Curran
Regina Munoz
Kim Ocana

2. I. BIOGRAPHY
 born in Frankfurt, Germany, 1900
 only child of orthodox Jewish parents
 studied law but eventually changed his field of study to
sociology at University of Heidelberg
 Ph.D. in sociology at age 22
 joined the Frankfurt Institute for Social Research, later
known as the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory
 After completing his training at the Berlin Psychoanalytic
Institute, he and Frieda Fromm-Reichmann helped to
found the Frankfurt Psychoanalytic Institute
 1933, fled from Nazis and went to the United States

3. I. BIOGRAPHY
 1949, he became a professor at the National
Autonomous University of Mexico, where he
instituted the department of psychoanalysis.
 Founder and director of the Mexican
Psychoanalytic Institute
 1974, Fromm moved to Switzerland, where he died
in 1980.

4. I. BIOGRAPHY
Contribution to Psychology:
 humanistic philosopher, personality theorist and social
psychologist
 retained a strong interest in the role of social factors in
determining personality development
 influenced the field of psychology through his many
books, theories, and institutions
 Escape from Freedom, in 1941, which had a significant
psychological, political, and social tone
 His theories on human character were embodied in this
and his second book, Man for Himself, and were
expounded upon in his most popular publication, The Art
of Loving

5. I. BIOGRAPHY (BOOKS BY FROMM)
 Escape from Freedom (1941)
 Man for Himself (1947)
 The Art of Loving (1956)
 Sigmund Freud's Mission; an Analysis of his Personality and Influence (1959)
 Zen Buddhism and Psychoanalysis (1960)
 May Man Prevail? An Inquiry into the Facts and Fictions of Foreign Policy (1961)
 Marx's Concept of Man (1961)
 Beyond the Chains of Illusion: My Encounter with Marx and Freud (1962)
 Socialist Humanism (1965)
 The Nature of Man (1968)
 The Crisis of Psychoanalysis (1970)
 The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness (1973)
 To Have or to Be? (1976)
 Greatness and Limitation of Freud's Thought (1979)
 The Art of Being (1993)
 The Art of Listening (1994)
 On Being Human (1997)

6. II. THEORIES
A basic theme in Fromm's thought: We feel lonely
and isolated because we have become separated
from nature and from other human beings.
“If I am what I have and if I lose what I have who then
am I?”

7. II. THEORIES
"Man is the end, and must never be used as a
means; material production is for man, not man for
material production; the aim of life is the unfolding
of man's creative powers; the aim of history is a
transformation of society into one governed by
justice and truth---these are the principles on which,
explicitly and implicitly, all criticism of modern
Capitalism was based.”

8. II. THEORIES
The being and having modes
 Two modes are competing for the spirit of humanity
 The having mode relies on the possessions that a
person has. It is the source of the lust for power and
leads to isolation and fear.
 The being mode, which depends solely on the fact of
existence, is the source of productive love and activity
and leads to solidarity and joy. Responding
spontaneously and productively and having the courage
to let go in order to give birth to new ideas.

9. II. THEORIES
The being and having modes
 Fromm points out that both Jesus and Buddha
taught that we should not crave possessions. He
quotes Jesus, "For what is a man advantaged, if he
gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast
away?" Our real goal should be to be much rather
than to have much.

10. II.THEORIES
FREEDOM IN MEDIEVAL AND MODERN SOCIETY
(reference: Escape from Freedom,1941.)
 "What characterizes medieval society...is its
lack of individual freedom. Everyone is chained
to his role in the social order. Had to stay where
born. Personal, economic, and social life are
dominated by rules and obligations. But although
the person was not free, neither was he alone and
isolated. Was rooted in a socialized whole. Life had
a meaning which left no place for doubt. A person
was identical with his role.”

11. II. THEORIES
FREEDOM IN MEDIEVAL AND MODERN SOCIETY
 Roles. Today we like to say we're a person first,
and the role comes second.
 In the old day's one's place was given. For example
in medieval times, the knight and peasant have
their roles.
 By contrast, in modern society we're not sure what
our role is. In a sense, freedom is scary. We are
isolated, alone, and afraid.

12. II. THEORIES
FREEDOM IN MEDIEVAL AND MODERN SOCIETY
 Capitalism and freedom. Capitalism contributed to
the growth of freedom, to a critical, responsible self.
It also made people more alone. Put the individual
entirely on his own feet. Furthered the process of
individualization.
 The more man gains freedom, the more he
becomes an individual.

13. II. THEORIES
FREEDOM IN MEDIEVAL AND MODERN SOCIETY
 Escape from making choices. Much of Fromm's
work had to do with how a person tries to escape
from having to choose. We try to get the other
person, or the institution, to take action for us. But
this alienates us from our own power and
responsiveness.

14. II. THEORIES
Escape Mechanisms:
1. Authoritarianism - the tendency to give up one’s
independence and to unite with a powerful partner.
2. Destructiveness - escape mechanism aimed at
doing away with other people or things.
3. Automaton Conformity - surrendering of one’s
individuality in order to meet the wishes of others.

15. II. THEORIES
Authoritarianism
the tendency to give up one’s independence and
to unite with a powerful partner.
Submission or domination
In masochistic form, we allow others to dominate
us. In sadistic form, we try to dominate and
control the behavior of others.
belief that one's life is determined by forces
outside oneself, one's interests, or one's wishes,
and the only way to be happy is to submit to those
forces

16. II. THEORIES
Destructiveness
 escape mechanism aimed at doing away with
other people or things.
 "The destruction of the world is the last, almost
desperate attempts to save myself from being
crushed by it."
 Destructiveness is often rationalized as love, duty,
conscience, or patriotism.

17. II. THEORIES
Automaton Conformity
 surrendering of one’s individuality in order to meet
the wishes of others.
 People cease to be themselves and adopt the
type of personality proffered by their culture.

18. II. THEORIES
6 Character Orientations (reference: Man for Himself, 1947)
1. Receptive
2. Exploitative
3. Hoarding
4. Marketing
5. Productive
6. Necrophilous

19. II. THEORIES
6 Character Orientations:
1. Receptive - only way to obtain something they want is to receive it from an
outside source; they react passively, waiting to be loved.
2. Exploitative – Take things they want by force or cunning; they expoit others
for their own ends.
3. Hoarding – these personalites hoard and save what they already have; they
surround themselves with a wall and are miserly in their relations to others.
4. Marketing – experience themselves in commodities on th market; they may
be described as opportunistic chameleons, changing their colors and values as
they perceive the forces of the market to change.
5. Productive – value themselves and others for who they are; they relate to the
world by accurately perceiving it and by enriching it through their own creative
powers.
6. Necrophilous - This kind of person stands alone from the others in that he,
instead of attempting to find a solution to life, seeks to destroy it. These people
are often fascinated by death, and find war and destruction as not necessary,
but desirable.

20. II. THEORIES- RECEPTIVE (ACCEPTING)
POSITIVE ASPECT NEGATIVE ASPECT
 accepting  passive
 responsive  opinionless
 devoted  submissive
 charming  parasitical
 adaptable  unprincipled
 polite  spineless
 optimistic  wishful thinking
 trusting  gullible

21. II. THEORIES- EXPLOITATIVE (TAKING)
POSITIVE ASPECT NEGATIVE ASPECT
 active  exploitive
 takes the initiative  aggressive
 makes claims (and  Egocentric
hears those of others)  Conceited
 proud  Arrogant
 self-confident  rash
 impulsive  seducing
 captivating

22. II. THEORIES- HOARDING (PRESERVING)
POSITIVE ASPECT NEGATIVE ASPECT
 practical  unimaginative
 economical  stingy
 careful  suspicious
 reserved  cold
 patient  lethargic
 cautious  anxious
 steadfast, tenacious  stubborn
 methodical  obsessive
 loyal  possessive

23. II: THEORIES- MARKETING (EXCHANGING)
POSITIVE ASPECT NEGATIVE ASPECT
 purposeful  opportunistic
 able to change  inconsistent
 youthful  childish
 Open-minded  unprincipled
 experimenting  aimless
 efficient  overactive
 curious  tactless
 adaptable  undiscriminating
 tolerant  indifferent
 generous  wasteful

24. II. THEORIES
The basic human needs:
1. Transcendence  Relating to other people and loving productively
2. Sense of identity Becoming aware of ourselves as separate and
unique individuals
3. Rootedness  Feeling that we belong
4. Frame of orientation Having a stable and consistent frame of
reference to organize perceptions and make sense or our environment
5. Unity  A sense of oneness between one person and the "natural
and human world outside."
6. Excitation and stimulation Actively striving for a goal rather than
simply responding
7. Effectiveness  The need to feel accomplished
8. Relatedness  Relating to other people and loving productively

25. III. ASSESSMENT AND RESEARCH

26. IV. REPORTER‘S CRITIQUE

27. SOURCES:
 http://dean.roushimsx.com/fromm.htm
 http://www.drrogerwalsh.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Theories-of-
Personality-Psychopathology-Fromm-Allport-Murray-goldstein-Maslow-
Murphy-Lewin-Gestalt-Lacan-Cattell-Skinner-Ken-Wilber.pdf
 http://psychology.about.com/od/profilesal/p/erich-fromm.htm
 http://www.logosjournal.com/issue_6.3/funk.htm
 http://www.goodtherapy.org/famous-psychologists/erich-fromm.html
 Theories of Personality (Xerox from Sir‘s Book)
 Love is union with someone or something while retaining the
separateness and integrity of one's own self
 If I can love only one person and no one else, if my love for this person
alienates and distances me from others, this is not love in its full
flowering.