Erich Fromm Essays

  • Erich Fromm

    3419 Words  | 7 Pages

    sense of Fromm's orientations Erich Fromm 1900 - 1980 Biography 8Erich Fromm was born in 1900 in Frankfurt, Germany. His father was a business man and, according to Erich, rather moody. His mother was frequently depressed. His childhood was not very happy. 8Like Jung, Erich came from a very religious family, in his case orthodox Jews. Fromm himself later became what he called an atheistic mystic. 8In his autobiography, Beyond the Chains of Illusion, Fromm talks about two events in his

  • The Philosophy of Erich Fromm

    1138 Words  | 3 Pages

    Philosopher Erich Fromm was born in the early 20th century and could witness all of its major developments (Cherry). Not only did it bring technological progress and new ideologies, but also bitter fruits of war unseen by mankind before. He contemplated the motives behind aggression and violence which led him to the study of psychology and sociology (Cherry). Fromm’s last work, “To Have or to Be” (1976), is the culmination of his strive to find and explain the purpose of human life. He perceived

  • Analysis Of To Have Or To Be By Erich Fromm

    1771 Words  | 4 Pages

    Erich Fromm was an influential German psychoanalyst and philosopher in the 20th Century. One of his most important works is the text, “To Have or to Be?” This book highlights Fromm’s opinion of the difference of “having” and “being” and why they are both important aspects to one’s life. The two different concepts have been widely debated between philosophers and analysts throughout the years. The term “having” seems to be the easier mode to define, while “being” becomes more complicated to outline

  • Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem by Erich Fromm

    839 Words  | 2 Pages

    Necessary Rebellion Erich Fromm is a psychoanalyst and sociologist who wrote many books and journals over the years. Fromm closely studied other psychologists such as Freud and Marx, and he published analytical works on both many other theories. In his essay, “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem,” Fromm explains that as humans we start out with disobedience, and make it into something horrible—something for which we must repent, feel sorry for, and act as if we won’t do it again (621)

  • Disobedience By Erich Fromm

    1247 Words  | 3 Pages

    One cannot be obedient to one’s power without being disobedient to another. In his article, “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem,” Erich Fromm argues people obey authority to feel safe. When one obeys, they become an ambiguous part of a whole, no longer accountable for actions or left on their own. In Ian Parker’s article, “Obedience,” analyzing Milgram's experiment, he claims people obey orders when there is no second option. According to Parker, if someone obeys an order, but there

  • The Individual in "Chains of Illusion”

    958 Words  | 2 Pages

    people who are not tired of life ,but enjoy living every moment that it gives. For example, my grandfather,... ... middle of paper ... ... a organization. They claim that the role of an non-conformist is to clash with society and their rules. Fromm and Emerson were fascinated by thinkers who freed themselves from organized societies . The main problem with their philosophy is that if all of human race was non-conforming to society, the world would be destroyed. Laws were created to promote order

  • King Lear as a Commentary on Greed

    1114 Words  | 3 Pages

    King Lear as a Commentary on Greed In Chapter 4 of a book titled Escape from Freedom, the famous American psychologist Erich Fromm wrote that "Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction" (Fromm 98).  Fromm realized that avarice is one of the most powerful emotions that a person can feel, but, by its very nature, is an emotion or driving force that can never be satisfied.  For, once someone obtains a certain

  • Erich Fromm: Psychoanalysis and Religion

    562 Words  | 2 Pages

    Erich Fromm in his psychoanalytical approach to religion is distinct from the earlier works of Sigmund Freud. Fromm defines religion as “any system of thought and action shared by a group which gives the individual a frame of orientation and an object of devotion.” Fromm argues that irreligious systems including all the different kinds of idealism and “private” religions deserve being defined as a “religion.” Based on Fromm’s theory, it is explained that there is no human being who does not have

  • The Evil of Capitalism

    1068 Words  | 3 Pages

    millions of people, due to the innovation of these great American inventors. Often the greatest criticism of capitalism comes from social visionaries, such as Erich Fromm. He proposes that mankind must cease living in the having mode, concerned only with material wealth and power, to enter the being mode, and abandon their selfishness and greed. Fromm states, "In the having mode of existence my relationship to the world is one of possessing and owning, one in which I want to make everybody and everything

  • Different Personality Disorders: THe Syndrome of Decay

    1722 Words  | 4 Pages

    1. Eric Fromm defined the “syndrome of decay” as the presence of a cluster of three different personality disorders (maximum 25 points). Eric Fromm discussed three very unappealing and evil forms of personality in psychologically unhealthy people that make up the "syndrome of decay", Necrophilia or the love of death, Malignant Narcissism or infatuation with self, and incestuous symbiosis or the propensity to be constrained to a mothering figure or something that is similar. In my opinion these pathological

  • The art of loving

    1564 Words  | 4 Pages

    and as a social philosopher, reformer and rebel Erich Fromm is no less great a name. As a psychoanalyst, he diverged from the typical Freudian obsession with unconscious drives and insisted on the importance of economic and social factors for mental well-being. His works are noted for their emphasis on a “sane society”, one which is based on rational human needs and where individuality is not compromised in the name of economics or authority. Erich Fromm is one of the pivotal figures in the Humanist

  • Obedience: Submit or Defy

    1721 Words  | 4 Pages

    many instances where people have the opportunity to avoid responsibility for their actions, and it must be changed or as Fromm has predicted, our society will end by obedience to powers of which we are unsure and therefore “commit suicide”. Works Cited A Few Good Men. Dir. Rob Reiner. Perf. Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, and Demi Moore. Colombia Pictures, 1992. Film. Fromm, Erich. “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem.” Writing and Reading for ACP Composition. Ed. Thomas E. Leahey and

  • Critique Of Erich Fromm's Just Do What The Pilot Tells Me

    1320 Words  | 3 Pages

    the Pilot Tells You”, and psychoanalyst and philosopher, Erich Fromm, author of “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem”, come into the conversation. Both of these men, while renowned psychologist, have different viewpoints on obedience, nonetheless share some common ground. Obedience is a force that happens to people

  • Critical Analysis Of Erich Fromm's Escape From Freedom

    1135 Words  | 3 Pages

    When analyzing the first half of the book “Escape from Freedom” written by Erich Fromm, I gained quite a diverse perspective towards how individuals have become constructed throughout history. Fromm had summarized, humans cannot live in freedom without consequence. Furthering this, I was able to connect similarities between Fromm’s thesis and how a man such as Adolf Hitler, came into power. With such bold statements regarding the psychology of human nature, I have both positive thoughts as well as

  • Examining the Impact of Roles and Social Pressures on My Life

    1805 Words  | 4 Pages

    some other name, this element of spontaneity exists in every person and can allow him to break free of his expectations. Works Cited Berger, Peter L. Invitation to Sociology: A Humanistic Perspective. Garden City: Anchor, 1963. Fromm, Erich. Escape From Freedom. New York: Avon, 1969. Sartre, Jean-Paul. "No Exit." No Exit and Three Other Plays. New York: Vintage, 1989.

  • Obedience and Disobedience in A Few Good Man

    1610 Words  | 4 Pages

    The experimenter’s goal was to make sure that the teacher followed all orders, even if that meant supposedly harming the learner. Surprisingly, more people obeyed the experimenter rather than following the instinct to help the learner. Likewise, Erich Fromm, a psychoanalyst and philosopher, claims that obedience and disobedience both can have good and bad consequences. From... ... middle of paper ... ...of two marines, to perform a code red on Santiago, the learner. Although no harm was intended

  • Frankenstein

    1625 Words  | 4 Pages

    is what the creature feels (Fromm 623). When humanistic conscience is analyzed in more detail, it becomes apparent that this form of conscience is based on the concept that as a human being, one equips an instinctive awareness that enables him/her to decipher between what is human, and in return, what is inhuman (Fromm 623). In addition, one who possesses a humanistic conscience is also able to distinguish between good and evil, conductive and destructive, etc. (Fromm 623). Due to the creature possessing

  • Work In An Industrial Society By Erich Fromm

    1647 Words  | 4 Pages

    Work in an Industrial Society Final In the essay “Work in an Industrial Society” by Erich Fromm, the author explains how work used to carry a profound satisfaction, however today workers only care about their payment for their labor. Fromm opens up with how craftsmanship was developed in the thirteenth and fourteenth century. It was not until the Middle ages, Renaissance and the eighteenth century, when craftsmanship was at its peak. According to C.W. Mills, workers were free to control his or her

  • Erich Fromm's Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem

    1408 Words  | 3 Pages

    Erich Fromm's Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem In "Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem," Erich Fromm (1963) argues that society will self-destruct without achieving freedom through disobedience. Fromm begins with analogies of Hebrew and Greek mythology showing how disobedience to a god freed humans. Using this correlation, Fromm shows freedom as a condition for disobedience, and vice- versa. Therefore, Fromm proclaims that without disobedience the human race could

  • Erich Fromm’s The Art of Loving

    1171 Words  | 3 Pages

    Erich Fromm’s "The Art of Loving" Upon reading Erich Fromm’s The Art of Loving, I gained a better understanding of what love really is. Fromm’s book puts love into perspective. He begins with several facts with regards to the attitude in which people treat love. They are the problems of how to be loved, the object to love as well as the confusion between the initial experience of falling in love and the permanent state of being in love, which had a great impact on me, as far as thinking about