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Research on Fromm’s Critical Theory of Character Structure

  • [Chinese abstract not available] Erich Fromm is a Western Marxist and a major representative of the >Freudian Marxism< school. His thoughts are very rich, among which the critical theory of character structure is of great significance and is an important component of Fromm’s ideological system. This theory is an original theory formed by Fromm on the basis of combining Marx’s thought and Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, and on this basis, he deeply criticized Western capitalist society. The content of Fromm’s critical theory of character structure is mainly reflected in the trilogy of character structure theory, namely, >Escape from Freedom<, >Man for Himself<, and >The Sane Society<. Through these three books, we can see the clear thread of the construction and development of Fromm’s critical theory of character structure: from the analysis of the causes of specific social phenomena-the rise and popularity of fascism-to the theoretical framework, and finally highlight the future direction of this theory. >Escape from Freedom< is mainly a probe into the origin of the significant event of the emergence and popularity of fascism in the 1930s, revealing the universal state of modern people’s escape from freedom and the formation of psychological mechanisms for escape from freedom. Starting from the discussion of human nature issues, >Man for Himself< proposed a division and in-depth interpretation of human social personality, and initially completed the configuration of the critical theory of personality structure. >The Sane Society< is the development and extension of the themes in >Escape from Freedom< and >Man for Himself<, highlighting the ideal future pointed to by the critical theory of character structure.– The introduction first introduces the theoretical value and practical significance of the research, then combs the research status of domestic and foreign scholars on Fromm’s critical theory of character structure, summarizes the main viewpoints of the academic community on its theory and the existing problems. Finally, the research methods, research objectives, and innovations of this article are proposed. The first chapter mainly analyzes the origin of Fromm’s critical theory of character structure. The changes brought about by the two world wars and the industrial revolution are the realistic background for the emergence of this theory. Marx’s thought and Freud’s theory are the theoretical source and foundation of Fromm’s critical theory of character structure. Fromm, based on Marxist positions and methods, placed human beings in the relationship between human beings and the world and analyzed human behavior from the perspective of economic and social structures. However, he believed that Marx ignored the importance of irrational factors and did not realize the laws of human nature itself. So Fromm borrowed Freud’s psychoanalytic theory and devoted himself to theoretical elaboration of modern people’s social personality from the perspective of social psychology.– The second chapter mainly analyzes the foundation of the critical theory of character structure: the escape freedom theory. In the book >Escape from Freedom<, Fromm reveals the formation process of the psychological mechanism of escaping freedom based on the situation of people escaping freedom in modern society, and forms a systematic theory of escaping freedom. This article mainly expounds the process and reasons for people’s transition from pursuing freedom to escaping freedom, and sorts out three manifestations of the psychological mechanism of escaping freedom: authoritarianism, destructive desire, and mechanical convergence. Fromm seeks to find a positive way out of love and labor for people, enabling them to maintain individual independence, achieve positive freedom, and establish close ties with others. The third chapter mainly explains the construction of the critical theory of personality structure. >Man for Himself< is a sequel to escaping freedom. Fromm further reveals the alienation of modern personality structure in his book. The discussion of human nature is the foundation and prerequisite for the concept of social character. Fromm revealed three main contradictions faced by human beings by analyzing their survival dilemmas, which led to various needs. It is precisely because people have adopted different ways and means in the process of striving to meet these needs that they have formed different social personalities. This part systematically explores the connotation of social character, the expression of alienation of human social character, and the division of social character-productive and non-productive social character. It focuses on explaining four types of pathological non-productive social character, and initially proposes an ideal personality under sound social conditions, namely, productive social character.– The fourth chapter mainly discusses the future dimensions of the critical theory of personality structure. >The Sane Society< is the ideological extension of >Escape from Freedom< and >Man for Himself<. Since the existing society is morbid and cannot support the shaping of an ideal productive social character, it should move towards the construction of a sound society. Fromm proposed three solutions to the problems of capitalist society: totalitarianism, super capitalism, and socialism beyond both. He analyzed the reasons why the three solutions could not be implemented, and then advocated the establishment of >Humanistic socialism<. He proposed standards and theoretical ideas for a sound society, and discussed specific reform plans for moving towards a sound society. The fifth chapter evaluates the value and limitations of Fromm’s critical theory of character structure. This theory enriches Marx’s alienation theory, expands the content of Marxist social character and Freud’s character theory, and has unique theoretical contributions. At the same time, it also deepened the criticism of contemporary capitalist society. Of course, it also has the limitations of breaking away from historical materialism and not touching the fundamental contradictions of capitalist society. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 1/2024]

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Metadaten
Author:Jiali Shen
Document Type:Dissertations
Language:Chinese
Year of first Publication:2023
Release Date:2024/04/04
Format:no download and copy possible
IdNo:Shen_Jiali_2023
Writings about Erich Fromm (Secondary Literature):Dissertations / Dissertationen
Erich Fromm's Library and Erich Fromm Archive:Dissertations / Dissertationen
Licence (German):
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