Erich Fromm And His Theory Of Humanistic Psychoanalysis

For Erich Fromm, the main task of human beings in life is to give birth to themselves in order to transform themselves into what they really are, into someone nobler, stronger and freer. These and other reflections demonstrate this humanist, and at the same time revolutionary, perspective of a figure of great relevance in psychology. Also, we talk about someone who is considered the philosopher of love.

When we refer to psychoanalytic theory, there are still those who make the mistake of seeing it as a whole, as a single rigid and specific entity, where concepts, dynamics and very clear approaches, enunciated by the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, inhabit. We forget, perhaps, that within this current, there are schools and forms of thought that enriched the foundations of psychoanalysis, deviating from Freud’s words and ideas.

Erich Fromm was one of those “backwards”. It was in the 1940s that this social psychologist, of German-Jewish origin, decided to break with the psychoanalytic doctrine with which they worked at the “Institute for Social Research at the University of Frankfurt” and completely renew theory and practice, approaching a much more cultural, human approach. For example, he reformulated the idea of ​​libido development, replacing it with a more feasible one. A new conception in which it enunciated and articulated the processes of assimilation and socialization of the individual.

Likewise, we could say without error that Fromm  was, above all, a fascinating thinker, a philosopher, and one of the best representatives of humanism in the twentieth century. His 3 most important books: “The fear of freedom”, “The art of loving” and “The heart of man” brought us a universe of thoughts, reflections and theories in which psychology goes hand in hand with anthropology and history, and where, in turn, the legacy of Sigmund Freud and Karen Horney remained very present.

Erich Fromm and the systemic crisis of Western society

To understand Erich Fromm’s theory of humanist psychoanalysis, it is necessary to know this person, understand his roots, his context and this adrift world that constituted his most immediate reality. In this way, we will be in a position to understand what served as a guide and inspiration for their theories.

When someone reads his autobiography, “My meeting with Marx and Freud” and focuses mainly on his childhood and adolescence, he immediately realizes that these were not happy stages in Erich’s life. Fromm’s father was a very aggressive businessman, his mother suffered from chronic depression, and, in addition, he was brought up in an extremely strict environment, under Orthodox-Jewish standards. He says that during this time he lived moments that marked him.

The first was the suicide of a 25-year-old girl he was in love with as a child. She was a painter and very close to the only family she had: her father. This died suddenly and a few days later the young artist decided to take her own life. His suicide made Fromm wonder:  Why? What makes people go to such extremes?

The second fact that marked him was the beginning of the First World War. Then came the shadow of nationalism, the radicalization of the masses, the messages charged with hate and the eternal difference between “us” and “them”, between my identity and yours, your religion and mine, my vision of the world and its “not acceptable” worldview.

The world was fragmenting and these cracks not only opened up insurmountable distances between various world powers, but also began a period of systemic crisis throughout society. All psychological, philosophical and social theories enunciated so far should be reformulated in search of answers and explanations in the face of such chaos…

A vision for human understanding and hope

Reading the work of Erich Fromm is almost essential to understand this period of crisis of values, principles and social policies that began in the first half of the 20th century, in which the two world wars compromised, so to speak, our faith in humanity .

However, to read Fromm is to reconcile exactly with humanity itself. Because it tells us about hope and, above all, it provides us with great resources from the human sciences and from psychoanalysis itself to initiate a positive and creative transformation…

Let’s now look at the basics of your theory.

From biological-mechanistic man to biological-social man

Erich Fromm accepted most of the concepts developed by Sigmund Freud: the unconscious, repression, defense mechanisms, transference, the concept of dreams as an expression of the unconscious and – naturally – the relevance of childhood as the root of many psychological disorders.

• Well, one thing that Fromm could not agree with was the view of the human being as a biological-mechanistic entity, as a being that responds exclusively to the will of the “Id”, that entity that seeks to satisfy the basic impulses of the aggressiveness, survival and reproduction.

• Erich Fromm spoke about the biological-social man to exalt the “psychology of the self”, in which people limit themselves solely to reacting or defending themselves against impulses or instincts. It is necessary to expand the limits and become aware of the social and how, sometimes, the most significant figures for a child can provoke adverse and traumatic processes in them.
• Interpersonal relationships are now located with Fromm as the main axes that completely replace the classical theory of the evolution of libido, as a motivational and mechanistic concept, in the figure of the human being.

the human being is free

Fromm’s theories are not only influenced by Freud and Karen Horner. Talking about Fromm is also talking about Marx. We must remember once again the social context of the time, the crisis of values, the content gaps when giving answers about why human behavior, why wars, nationalism, hatred, class difference…

Assuming the biological-mechanistic perspective inherited from Freud, as we already know, lacked meaning and utility. Thus, the principles defended by Marx fitted much better into the premises that Fromm sought. For Marx, people were not just determined by society, they were primarily determined by their economic systems.

Thus, in many of Fromm’s texts, we can still recognize ourselves today in his lines and in those messages that leave no one indifferent.

“Our consumer and market economy is based on the idea that you can buy happiness. But be careful, because if you don’t have the money to pay, then you’ve lost all chances to be happy. Therefore, it is necessary to remember that only what comes from our own efforts, from our interior, is not only ‘cheaper’, but also what can make us happier.”

However, something interesting about Fromm’s theory is that despite the fact that human beings are influenced by their culture and economic systems, there is an end that we must always fight for and that we can conquer: freedom. Fromm, in fact, encouraged people to go beyond the determinisms of Freud and Marx to develop something that is inherent in human nature itself: our freedom.

People, Fromm argues, are determined by some biological principles, just like the rest of animals . We are born with a body, mature, grow old and fight for our survival. However, beyond that limit, anything is possible. If we can progress from the traditional societies of the Middle Ages to today’s society, then we cannot surrender in this process in search of more freedoms, more rights and greater well-being.

Freedom is a complex thing to achieve, but to achieve it, it is necessary to cultivate individual responsibility and social respect. Otherwise, in case we do not fight or escape our own freedom, we run the risk that in our societies some of these scenarios that, without a doubt, are known to us will appear:

• Authoritarianism.
• Destructivity (which includes aggression, violence or suicide).
• Automated conformity, in which the person becomes a “social chameleon”, that is, assumes the color of the environment, without protesting.

These three ideas were developed into an irreplaceable book, which is worth reading again from time to time: “The Fear of Freedom”.

The foundations of humanistic psychoanalysis

Something that undoubtedly stands out in Erich Fromm’s trajectory is that, unlike the most classic psychoanalysts we know, he did not start in the medical or psychiatric field. He wasn’t actually a doctor, his base of work was sociology, so sometimes he wasn’t very well accepted or well regarded. His relationship with Karen Horney was indeed quite complex, and many psychologists have always seen him as a field theorist rather than an orthodox psychologist.

However, this is where Fromm’s true greatness lies: his broader and more integral vision of the human being. Where not everything corresponds to an organic pathology, to the forces of biology, but it is culture, family and, in essence, society itself that often leave us surrounded and blocked from the very expression of being.

We will see below the basic foundations of his theory of humanistic psychoanalysis.

Keys to Understanding Erich Fromm’s Psychological Approach

Here are some of the main keys to understanding Fromm’s psychology:

• Fromm’s humanistic characteristic brings a new approach to the concept of disease. In it, the psychoanalyst is forced to reformulate not only the definition of illness, but also the tools with which he faces it.

• The professional’s purpose is none other than to facilitate the person’s encounter with himself. Saying in a more current language: “favor personal development to achieve happiness”.
• Such a thing can only be achieved by developing responsibility and self-love.
• When treating a patient, it is not convenient to focus exclusively on the pathological, on the symptoms of the disease or on its negative conditions. It is necessary to see the person’s qualities and positive aspects in order to facilitate the therapeutic technique.
• The only aim of psychoanalysis should not be to add its little grain of area to the person to change. In addition, it is necessary to facilitate strategies for the person to reintegrate into society, but feeling stronger, more skilled and prepared to be aware that there are also “sick” aspects in the interpretation of the reality that society (or great part of it) does not consider.

• Psychoanalysis must be receptive to advances in science, to changes in society, it must understand the culture that surrounds us, the economic and political conditions that surround us in order to help people in a much better way. Sticking with a reductionist view would be a mistake.
• The professional must use an understandable, transparent and clear vocabulary. In addition, you should try not to project an image of power or superiority.

To conclude, the legacy that Fromm left us represents a giant step not only in the field of psychology but also in philosophy. Thus, although for many his theories have sometimes sinned for “utopianism”, the truth is that he shaped a more real type of psychoanalysis, in which to develop the best in each person. A not insignificant approach from a thinker that, as we’ve said, is worth remembering and reading in depth. May this article be an invitation.

References:

Fromm, E. (1983) La patología de la normalidad. Barcelona. Editorial Paidós Iberian.
Fromm, E. (1989) Del Tener al Ser, Barcelona. Editorial Paidós.
Fromm, E., Maccoby, Michael (1979) Socio psychoanalysis of the Mexican peasant. Economic Culture Fund.
Fromm, E. (1986) Ethics and psychoanalysis. Mexico. Economic Culture Fund.
Fromm E. (1977) El corazón del hombre. Su potency for el bien and for el evil. Mexico. Economic culture background.
Fromm et all (1974) Socialist Humanism. Buenos Aires. Editorial Paidós.
Fromm E., El Humanismo as a global philosophy of hombre. En: FROMM, Erich: About disobedience. Barcelona.
Morín, E., La Cabeza bien puesta. Basis for an educational reform. Rethink the reform. Rethink the thought. Buenos Aires. Editorial New Vision