ERICH FROMM - HUMANISTIC PSYCHOANALYSIS

Flashcards about Erich Fromm's theories and concepts based on lecture notes.

When and where was Erich Fromm born, and what was his family background?

Born in Frankfurt, Germany on March 23, 1900, into an Orthodox Jewish family.

How did Fromm describe his father?

Aloof, moody, anxious, and morose.

Who were Erich Fromm's three wives?

Freida Reichmann, Henny Gurland, and Annis Freeman.

According to Fromm's biographer, what did his relationships with older women symbolize?

His attachment to his mother or a motherly figure, stemming from a less-than-ideal relationship with his mother.

Where did Fromm move in 1974, and when did he die?

In 1974, he moved to Muralto, Switzerland, where he died on March 18, 1980, due to heart problems.

Whose writings greatly influenced Fromm's work?

The writings of Freud and Karl Marx.

Why did Fromm break with Horney's Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis (APP)?

Because of his appointment to teach a clinical course without the necessary qualifications, leading him to form the William Alanson White Institute.

What does Fromm's theory of humanistic psychoanalysis emphasize?

Sociobiological factors, history, economics, and class structure.

What factors does Fromm's theory emphasize in understanding human psychology?

The influence of sociobiological factors, history, economics, and class structure.

According to Fromm, what has humanity's separation from the natural world produced?

Loneliness and isolation, leading to basic anxiety.

What is the human dilemma according to Fromm?

Humans have the ability to reason about their isolated conditions and are aware of themselves as isolated beings.

What are the three fundamental dichotomies Fromm identified?

Life and death, the goal of self-realization vs. a short life, and being alone vs. the need for relationships.

How did early people try to cope with feelings of alienation from nature, according to Fromm?

People tried to cope with alienation from nature by identifying with tribes or clans.

What are the three psychic escape mechanisms Fromm proposed?

Authoritarianism, destructiveness, and automaton conformity.

What is authoritarianism as a psychic escape mechanism?

Giving up one's independence to fuse with someone or something outside oneself, often displayed as masochistic or sadistic feelings.

What is the definition of authoritarianism?

The tendency to give up the independence of one’s own individual self and to fuse one’s self with somebody or something outside oneself, in order to acquire the strength which the individual is lacking.

What is destructiveness as a psychic escape mechanism?

Desire to eliminate threatening objects, persons, and institutions.

What is automaton conformity as a psychic escape mechanism?

Giving up individuality to become whatever other people desire them to be, displaying unconditional obedience.

According to Fromm, how do children develop in relation to their parents?

As children grow, they achieve increasing freedom and independence from their parents.

What are the three forms of interpersonal relatedness between parent and child, according to Fromm?

Symbiotic relatedness, withdrawal-destructiveness, and love.

What is relatedness as a human need?

The need to unite with another person, which can be achieved through submission, power, or love.

What is transcendence as a human need?

Urge to rise above a passive existence, achieved either by creating life or destroying it.

What is rootedness as a human need?

The need to establish roots or to feel at home again in the world.

What is sense of identity as a human need?

Capacity to be aware of ourselves as a separate entity.

What is frame of orientation as a human need?

The need for a road map to make their way through the world.

What are the negative components associated with Fromm's human needs?

Submission/domination, destructiveness, fixation, adjustment to a group, and irrational goals.

What are the positive components associated with Fromm's human needs?

Love, creativeness, wholeness, individuality, and rational goals.

What are the nonproductive character orientations?

Receptive, exploitative, hoarding, marketing, necrophilous, and having.

What are the characteristics of orientations of productive individuals as defined by Fromm?

Biophilous and being.

What is the receptive character orientation?

Expect to get whatever they want from an outside source and are highly dependent on others.

What is the exploitative character orientation?

Take what they want by force or cunning, desiring what belongs to others.

What is the hoarding character orientation?

Derive security from hoarding and saving, building walls around themselves.

What is the marketing character orientation?

Value superficial qualities and play a packaged role, leading to alienation.

What is the necrophilous character orientation?

Attracted to death, corpses, decay, and are devoted to force and power.

What is the 'having' character orientation?

Define their life by possessions and are highly competitive.

What is the biophilous character orientation?

Are in love with life and attracted to growth, creation, and construction, influencing others by love and reason.

What is the 'being' character orientation?

Define themselves in terms of what they are, cooperating and living productively with others.

What is Fromm's view on human nature in terms of optimism vs. pessimism?

places emphasis on optimism