Fromm's humanistic psychoanalysis

Humanistic PsychoanalysisHumanistic PsychoanalysisErich FrommErich FrommPSY103 – Theories of Personality

OverviewOverview

Emphasizes the influence of sociobiological factors, history, economics, and class structure.

Humanity’s separation from the natural world has produced feelings of loneliness & isolation, called Basic Anxiety.

Erich FrommErich FrommBorn in Germany in 1900.Strict upbringing, similar to Karen

HorneyEclectic philosophyCombination of Sigmund Freud

and Karl MarxFirst infatuation / WWIMarried three timesWent to the US in 1934, affair with

Karen Horney

Erich FrommErich Fromm

Went to Mexico towards end of career

Private Psychoanalytic practicePublication of researches and

booksDied in Switzerland in 1980, 5 days

before his 80th birthday.

Influences Influences

1. Teachings of humanistic rabbis2. Karl Marx3. Sigmund Freud4. Zen Buddhism5. Johann Jakob Bachofen

Basic AssumptionsBasic Assumptions

Individual personality can be understood in the light of human history.

Concept of Human Dilemma◦Reasoning facility◦Awareness as isolated beings◦Permits them to survive◦Tendency to solve insoluble

dichotomies

Fundamental DichotomiesFundamental Dichotomies

Life and Death

Complete Self- realization and shortness of life

Separate Individuals and Social Relatedness

Human NeedsHuman Needs

Also known as existential needs◦Relatedness◦Transcendence◦Rootedness◦Sense of Identity◦Frame of Orientation

RelatednessRelatednessDrive for union with

another person or other persons.

SubmissionPowerLove

TranscendenceTranscendence

An urge to rise above a passive and accidental existence and into the realm of purposefulness and freedom.

Malignant Aggression

RootednessRootednessThe need to establish roots To feel at home with the world.Influence of mother’s role

Sense of IdentitySense of IdentityThe capacity to be aware of

ourselves as a separate entity.

Frame of OrientationFrame of OrientationPhilosophy, a consistent way of

thinking.Refers to Goals or destinations

Summary of Human Summary of Human NeedsNeeds

Negative Components

Positive Components

Relatedness Submission / domination

Love

Transcendence

Destructiveness

Creativeness

Rootedness Fixation Wholeness

Sense of Identity

Group conformity

Individuality

Frame of Orientation

Irrational goals

Rational goals

Mechanisms of EscapeMechanisms of Escape

Authoritarianism◦Tendency to fuse with another

person◦Masochism / sadism

Destructiveness◦By destruction, people restore

feelings of power.Conformity

◦Reactive, acts like robots

Positive FreedomPositive FreedomSolution to the human dilemma

Represents overcoming of loneliness, achieving union with the world, & maintain individuality.

Character OrientationsCharacter OrientationsA person’s relatively permanent

way of relating to persons and things.

Character replaces instincts

Assimilation◦Acquisition and use of things

Socialization◦Relating to self and others

Non- Productive Non- Productive OrientationsOrientationsStrategies that fail to move people

closer to positive freedom and self- realization.

Not entirely negative

◦Receptive◦Exploitative◦Hoarding◦Marketing

ReceptiveReceptiveThe only way they can relate to the world

is by receiving things; more concerned with receiving than giving.

Passivity, submissiveness, lack self- confidence

Loyalty, acceptance, trust

ExploitativeExploitativeAggressively take what they

desireEgocentric, conceited, arrogant,

seducingImpulsive, proud, charming, self-

confident.

HoardingHoardingHold everything inside and do not let go

of anything.Rigidity, sterility, obstinacy,

compulsivity, lack of creativityOrderliness, cleanliness, punctuality

MarketingMarketingDependent on the ability to sell themselves.Personal security rests on shaky grounds.No permanent principles or values.Opportunistic and wastefulOpenmindedness & adaptability

The Productive The Productive OrientationOrientationWorking

Loving

Reasoning

Personality DisordersPersonality DisordersPeople who are incapable of love

and uniting with others.

NecrophiliaMalignant NarcissismIncestuous Symbiosis

NecrophiliaNecrophilia

Any attraction to deathHates humanityDestructive behavior is a

manifestation of their basic character

Malignant NarcissismMalignant NarcissismImpedes the perception of reality

so that everything belonging to a narcissistic person is valued and everything belonging to another is devalued.

Incestuous SymbiosisIncestuous SymbiosisExtreme dependence on the

mother or mother surrogate.It may be another person or

object.

ComparisonComparisonSyndrome of Decay

Syndrome of Growth

Necrophilia Biophilia

Narcissism Love

Incestuous Symbiosis

Positive Freedom

PsychotherapyPsychotherapyDream AnalysisInterviewsQuestionnairesProjective TechniquesPsychohistory

ExamplesExamples

Social Character in a Mexican Village◦ Study of social character in an isolated

farming village in Mexico◦ Found evidence of all character orientations

except the marketing oneA Psychohistorical Study of Hitler

◦ Applied the techniques of psychohistory to study Hitler, the conspicuous example of someone with the syndrome of decay

◦ Fromm traces and describes Hitler’s necrophilia, malignant narcissism, and incestuous symbiosis

CritiqueCritique

Fromm’s Theory Is:◦High on Organizing Knowledge◦Low on Guiding Action, Internal Consistency, and Parsimony

◦Very Low on Generating Research and Falsifiability