Fromm’s Theory of Consumption Alienation and Its Contemporary Significance [弗洛姆的消费异化理论及其当代意义 ], Master thesis, Basic Principles of Marxism, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China 2017.

  • 埃里希•弗洛姆(Erich Fromm 1900-1980)是二十世纪享有国际声誉的美籍德裔社会心理学家、哲学家,是西方马克思主义的代表人物之一。弗洛姆站在人本主义的立场上,融合了马克思的异化理论及弗洛伊德精神分析学说等相关理论,透过资本主义社会经济繁荣、物质丰裕的表象,在深入分析其内在矛盾的基础之上,深刻揭示和批判了资本主义社会消费异化现象,并为摆脱异化进行了积极的路径探索。其理论高举人道主义的旗帜,丰富和发展了人的本质内涵,具有强烈的批判现实的精神和人文主义关怀。本文从弗洛姆对资本主义消费社会中人的生存与发展困境的关注为主线,挖掘弗洛姆对消费社会中人的异化进行批判的原因,阐释其对资本主义社会消费异化现象的多重揭示以及摆脱异化的路径探索。在马克思主义理论的指导下,对弗洛姆的消费异化理论的利弊得失进行分析,并且结合当下中国消费领域中出现的一些问题,提出一些合理化的建议。本文主要从以下几个层面展开:首先,对弗洛姆批判资本主义社会消费异化的时代背景及社会环境进行考察。资本主义文明所带来的现代性及其弊端,以及消费时代的兴起,并未给人带来真正的自由与幸福,反而会使人的主体性丧失,将人推入消费的泥潭中,陷入一种自我否定和压抑的窘态之中。出于对人的生存与发展的关切,弗洛姆在此时代及社会背景下,积极探求救世良方。其次,梳理了弗洛姆建构其消费异化理论的主要思想来源。马克思的商品拜物教及异化理论、卢卡奇的物化理论等相关理论,是弗洛姆消费异化理论的主要来源。在此基础上,弗洛姆还融合了弗洛伊德的相关理论,将异化深入到对人的心理分析中,形成了自己独特的异化理论。然后,进一步阐释了弗洛姆对消费异化现象的多重揭示。弗洛姆在对异化及消费异化内涵阐释的基础上,又进一步剖析了资本主义消费社会中异化的消费者及其消费、虚假的自由和幸福以及由此带来的人类生存危机等异化现象,并从人性及社会层面分析了异化产生的根源。由现象到本质,揭开了消费异化的神秘面纱。第四,阐述了弗洛姆对资本主义社会摆脱消费异化的路径探索。在路径的探索上,弗洛姆主张通过心理上的变革与社会整体变革同时进行。一方面,他主张要放弃重占有的生存方式,提倡重生存的生活方式,积极培育人的生产性人格,使人养成人道的、健康的消费方式。另一方面,就社会变革来说,他提倡整个社会政治、经济、文化等方面的协同改革才能取得良效。通过这两个层面的改革,来消解消费异化对人的侵蚀,使人最终摆脱物的统治,走出生存困境。最后,在对弗洛姆消费异化理论评析的基础上,关照现实情境,对当代中国消费领域出现的一些问题进行分析和思考。就弗洛姆的消费异化理论来说,一方面,其理论丰富了马克思的异化理论,积极关照了人的现实生存困境,体现人文主义的关怀,具有其合理性。另一方面也存在割裂了马克思整个理论体系的逻辑关系,以抽象的人性论为基础,实践上的乌托邦等局限性。在对其理论批判的基础上,关照当下的中国消费现实情境,从社会、国家、企业、个人、大众传媒等各个方面共同努力,以期能够营造一种良好的消费氛围,构建一种健康的消费文化,从而促进中国消费领域的健康和谐发展。
  • Erich Fromm (1900–1980) is an American born German social psychologist and philosopher who enjoys an international reputation in the twentieth Century. He is one of the representatives of Western Marx doctrine. Fromm stood in the humanistic standpoint, combines Marx’s alienation theory and Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis and other related theories, through the capitalist society economic prosperity, material abundance representation, on the in-depth analysis of its inherent contradictions, reveal and criticize the capitalist society of consumption alienation, and carried out active exploration the path to get rid of alienation. His theory holds high the banner of humanitarianism, enriches and develops the essential connotation of human beings, and has a strong spirit of criticizing reality and humanistic concern. This paper focus on Fromm from the predicament of survival and development of capitalist consumer society people as the main line, Fromm’s alienation of consumer society in mining the critique of reason, to explain the phenomenon of consumption alienation in capitalist society and reveal the multiple path out of alienation exploration. Under the guidance of Marx’s theory, the author analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of Fromm’s consumption alienation theory, and puts forward some reasonable sugges¬tions according to some problems in the current consumption field in china. This article mainly launches from the following several aspects: First of all, Fromm criticized the social background and social environment of consumption alienation in capitalist society. The modern capitalist civilization and its disadvantages, and the rise in consumption age, did not bring real freedom and happiness, but will make the loss of human subjectivity, human consumption into the quagmire, into a self-denial and repression of embarrassment. In view of the concern for human existence and deve-lopment, Fromm actively sought salvation in this era and social context.– Secondly, it combs the main ideological source of Fromm’s theory of consumption alienation. Marx’s theory of alienation and commodity fetishism, Lukács’s theory of reification theory, is the main source of Fromm’s theory of consumption alienation. On this basis, Fromm also integrates the relevant theories of Freud, the alienation into the psychological analysis of human, and formed its own unique theory of alienation.– Then, it further explains Fromm’s multiple revelation of consumption alienation. Fromm based on the connotation of the alienation and the alienation of consumption, further analyzes the consumer and the consumer, the alienation of capitalist consumer society in false freedom and happiness and the resulting crisis of human survival and the alienation of human nature and society, and from the root level of alienation. From the phenomenon to the essence, it reveals the mystery of consumption alienation.– Fourth, it expounds Fromm’s exploration of capitalist society’s way out of consumption alienation. In the exploration of the path, Fromm advocated that both the psychological change and the whole social change should be carried out simultaneously. On the one hand, advocated giving up the heavy possession way of life, advocating the existence of a more serious life style, and actively cultivating people’s productive personality, so that people can develop humane and healthy consumption patterns. On the other hand, in terms of social change, he advocated a coordinated reform of the whole society, politics, economy and culture so as to achieve good results. Through the reform of these two levels, to eliminate the consumption alienation of human erosion, so that people eventually get rid of the rule of things, out of the plight of survival.– Finally, on the basis of the analysis of Fromm’s consumption alienation theory, we take care of the realistic situation and analyze and ponder some problems in the contemporary Chinese consumption field. As far as Fromm’s consumption alienation theory is concerned, on the one hand, his theory enriched Marx’s theory of alienation and actively paid attention to the plight of human existence. It reflected the concern of humanism and had its rationality. On the other hand, there is a logical relationship that separates the whole theoretical system of Marx, which is based on abstract theory of human nature and utopian in practice. Based on the theory of critical care, the Chinese consumption situation, from society and the state, enterprises and individuals, the mass media efforts, in order to create a good atmosphere for the consumer, is to build a healthy consumption culture, so as to promote the healthy and harmonious development of Chinese consumption field. [Author’s translation]

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Metadaten
Author:Qiaohong Li
Document Type:Dissertations
Language:Chinese
Year of first Publication:2017
Release Date:2019/03/04
Format:no download and copy possible
IdNo:Li_Qiaohong_2017
Writings about Erich Fromm (Secondary Literature):Dissertations / Dissertationen
Erich Fromm's Library and Erich Fromm Archive:Dissertations / Dissertationen
Licence (German):
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