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The author discusses the ideas of three important psychoanalytic thinkers about group processes in large social groups: Sigmund Freud, Wilfred Bion, and Erich Fromm. Their ideas are developed and applied to analysis of group processes in totalitarian systems, as they were known to the author in Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. In conclusion, treatment considerations as they apply to patients who grew up in these regimes are developed and illustrated by clinical cases.
Self-image arises from a complex interaction of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. This article explores the importance of people with a learning disability attaining a positive self-image. It discusses the effect of society's perception of people with learning disabilities, and questions the willingness of the community to accept such people in a non-judgmental way. It argues that staff caring for this client group have a vital role to play in how people with learning disabilities are perceived by others and discusses the effects that a market philosophy (Fromm, 1978) and the popular media have on society regarding people with learning disabilities. Self-worth is important to everyone; however, the article concludes that a person with a learning disability is seriously disadvantaged in this respect. This aspect of care therefore requires insight, support and skills on the part of those healthcare professionals caring for this client group.
Love is an Art [爱,是一门艺术]
(2008)
This paper asks whether prisoners should have access to Pell Grants, for which they are currently ineligible. In the first section, the author considers philosophical arguments relating to the present ban by examining traditional concerns of deterrence, rehabilitation, and retribution. The second section explores two arguments against a more inclusive Pell Grant policy. In the third section the author argues that restoring higher education grants to prisoners is compelling, especially when one considers issues of race and class. The paper concludes by using Erich Fromm’s social theory to call into question the justice, ethics, and rationality of those societies that normalize mass incarceration.
Strains on professional resources and complex experiences of isolation and despair have taken their toll on communities, adding to the challenges for social workers and social work as a profession. In a context of austerity and locational stress, communities are increasingly relied upon to enhance or, indeed, replace the need for state intervention. However, grass-roots and mutual aid collectives have the potential for both community support and resistance. Using original qualitative data, this article explores how some groups based in Scotland’s most deprived locales provide collective and mutual aid, and, in doing so, attempt to address some of the challenges of modern life (such as overcoming addiction, isolation and mental anguish). Importantly, this article revives and develops Erich Fromm’s discourse on the importance of ‘love’ and Marx’s concept of ‘spiritual emancipation’ to explore the potential for transforming individual experiences into collective resistance.
The Pathology of Modernity
(2021)
This chapter presents the psychological burden of living under modernity’s law of gravitation as the defining focus of much continental philosophy and social science. Most Western philosophers with any self-respect have their own diagnoses of present-day society, intended to capture the essence of living in modernity. Key thinkers such as Nietzsche, Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Freud, Adorno and Horkheimer, Fromm, Rieff, Eriksson and Mitscherlich gave their important contribution to individuation – the development of a unique self, socialization and subjectivation. Equally important is the question of failed individuation as these psychologists, sociologists and philosophers ask themselves whether modern man can manage without >God< and if the science-based Enlightenment’s promise of secular happiness would hold water.
The evolution of dynamic psychology has been highly contradictory and uneven due in part to differences of emphasis and focus, and also due to philosophical and theoretical differences, which led to congruent and incongruent results between the respective schools. Now, especially with the new millennium, many are asking again whether in fact we should not go beyond the different schools towards a new sense of unity and purpose. Today there is a call for integration and a sense of common purpose, although how this is to be achieved is not clear. However, it has been argued that the introversion of a theory and the defence of its purity by its adherents will act as a brake on its growth and further development (John, 1998; Millar, 2000). The basis of any theory is always incomplete (Fromm, 1980) and consequently scientific progress must come as a result of open dialogue and debate for the benefit of all schools of psychology and psychotherapy. Classically, Adlerian psychology was founded upon a flexible and open-ended approach to the understanding of human nature. Orgler, for example, notes that Adler avoided offering a >rigid scheme< that could easily be copied by physicians and therapists (Orgler, 1973, p.167). And, regarding training, Orgler writes that >Adler demanded a thorough knowledge of other psychological schools, of philosophy and of pedagogy< (ibid, p.176).
Loneliness, as a universal sensation, has been a classic topic in literature for a long time. Yiyun Li, a new star in Chinese American literature, has published several short stories in The New Yorker, employing her upbringing memories in her motherland and English, the public language in a foreign land. The loneliness and plight of ordinaries against the profound epochal background have been the universal themes in her works and her humanistic and calm written style attracts readers’ attention. At present, studies of Yiyun’s short stories have concentrated on translation strategies, trauma, culture or multicultural, and Chinese characteristics. However, there is a lack of research on the theme of loneliness. In following six representative short stories, >A Thousand Years of Good Prayers< (2005), >A Flawless Silence<(2018), >Extra< (2005), >Gold Boy, Emerald Girl<(2010), >The Science of Flight< (2010), >A Small Flame< (2017), Yiyun Li portrays different kinds of loneliness with different characters in a psychological sense, which is a mirror reflection of the existential predicaments and spiritual dilemmas of modern people, highlighting the universal value of loneliness in literary criticism. The thesis will investigate the theme of loneliness in the six short stories mentioned above, integrating four key concepts on loneliness in Fromm’s Neo-psychoanalytic theory: automation conformity, authoritarianism, the needs for love, and social unconsciousness to examine three types of loneliness in Li’s writings, such as the aphasics, the marginal man, and the rootless people, to ascertain the association of loneliness among these three types of people, and then, to trace the origins of loneliness from the insane personality, the impotence to love, and the suppressed social unconscious. Therefore, the first key to recovering from loneliness is that individuals must confront and accept loneliness; secondly, they should employ spontaneous love to relieve loneliness; and finally, they could completely get rid of loneliness and make connections with the outside world through joint efforts. Li only depicts loneliness, leaving the question on how to dissipate it to readers. Notably, with her caring and warming kindness for her characters, she invites readers to think together and discuss the ways to cure loneliness. Therefore, from the perspective of Fromm’s Neo-psychoanalytic criticism, the thesis offers guidance for the aphasics, the marginalized and the rootless to get beyond loneliness, and provides reference and insight for loneliness research in a contemporary social context. [www.cnki.net, 1/2023]
Fromm is an important representative of the Frankfurt School in the 20th century, as well as a well-known humanist philosopher and well-known humanist philosopher and psychoanalytic psychologist. The thought of Fromm’s humanistic is based on the investigation of human nature and the analysis of the actual living conditions of human beings. He believes that the rapid development of economy and technology in Western capitalist society has also caused human alienation and social morbidity. On the basis of in-depth analysis and criticism of this, Fromm reveals the survival dilemma of modern people, and hopes to achieve human liberation through psychological revolution (>The Art of Loving< and social revolution (the establishment of a sound society). The article is divided into three parts. The first part is the analysis of the theoretical origins of Fromm’s humanistic thought, mainly involving Freud's psychoanalysis, Marx's theory of alienation, the Frankfurt School’s Critical theory, and the influence of Eastern Zen thought on him. The second part is the analysis of the main content of Fromm’s humanistic thought, taking human nature of good and evil, and the multiple character structure of humans as the logical starting point, leading to the antinomy of existence, the psychological tendency to escape freedom, and the existence of reoccupied existence. In response to these contradictions, Fromm not only proposed to cultivate >new people< from the perspective of psychological revolution, that is, to cultivate creative love and productive personality, but also put forward the idea of overall social change in the fields of economy, politics, and culture, and advocated the establishment of a >new society< aiming at the full and free development of people. The third part is the analysis and evaluation of Fromm’s humanistic thought, analyzing the influence of Fromm’s thought in Frankfurt School, and interpreting the contemporary value of Fromm’s humanistic thought. [English: www.cnki.net, 4/2022]
[Chinese abstract not available] Donna Tartt has published three novels all together. In 2014, she won the Pulitzer Prize for her masterpiece >The Goldfinch<. In this novel, alienation is ubiquitous: A terrorist attack causes irreparable harm to victims; there is widespread addiction to drugs and alcohol; relationships among people are alienated, either superficial and distorted or indifferent and apathetic; people worship art, freedom or money irrationally. People are belittled, objectified and deprived of love and conscience in a materialistic and egotistic society. In this novel, Donna Tartt condemns terrorism and explores the causes of alienation and the ways to overcome it which are scientific and reasonable according to Erich Fromm’s theory of alienation which is the theoretical basis of this thesis. Many articles compare >The Goldfinch< with the works of famous writers like Charles Dickens and Fyodor Dostoevsky. Some analyze the power or value of art or explore the question about the degree of freedom. And some praise the excellent writing skills and delicate expressions in the novel. This thesis focuses on manifestations and causes of alienation and ways to alleviate it, which have not been analyzed deeply yet.– This thesis is divided into five chapters. The first chapter introduces >The Goldfinch< and its author Donna Tartt and Erich Fromm and his alienation theory. This chapter also makes the literature review, analyzing related studies at home and abroad. The second chapter concerns the manifestations of alienation, including people’s irrational worship of art, freedom or money, apathetic relationships between fathers and sons and between man and others, characters’ Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and widespread addiction to drugs and alcohol. The third chapter explores causes of alienation in >The Goldfinch<, pointing out that it is materialism and egotism in capitalist society that lead to inferiority and objectification of man and disappearance of conscience and love under the guidance of Fromm’s theory of alienation. The fourth chapter is about redemption in this novel in thought, action and feeling, proposing that to overcome alienation, man should wake up from stupor and pay more attention to human beings than to things as Hobie does to Theo and as Theo does to Mrs. Barbour, man should make right choices actively when selecting career and choosing between good and evil and man should relate himself to the world lovingly and artistically. All these ways can help people overcome alienation and get redemption according to Fromm’s theory. Lastly, there is a conclusion of the whole thesis. This novel shows that productive love is the most important for people to develop and fulfill humanity, which is the ultimate weapon to overcome alienation. In front of alienation, people should not give up their self and humanity, but believe in their own life force and face everything bravely. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 2/2024]
D. H. Lawrence (1885 – 1930) is one of the most important novelists in the history of English literature in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He lived at a time when capitalist industry was at its peak, but at the same time, a series of negative consequences of the industrial revolution were exposed. The nature of man is poisoned, the integrity of the individual is destroyed, and the relationship between man and man and nature loses its balance in traditional agricultural societies. For Lawrence, he was living in a time when the world was completely out of balance. For this reason, he keeps on writing, with sharp and bold strokes to express the alienated individual, abnormal interpersonal relationship and the imbalance between man and nature under the capitalist industrial civilization, and tirelessly explores the way to restore the balance between individual and self, between man and man, and between man and nature. Furthermore, in his opinion, these three levels do not exist in isolation, but constitute a mutually restrictive whole; An imbalance at any level leads to an imbalance at other levels, or problems at any level reflect problems at the other two levels. Thus, among the >imbalance< and >balance<, the individual, society and nature form an intricate internal relationship, presenting a systematic structure of three and one, one and three, which integrates Lawrence’s whole life exploration and literary creation. This provides an important entry point for us to re-understand Lawrence’s series of controversial topics and reassess their current significance. Based on this, this paper takes Lawrence’s novels as the research object and the concept of >balance< as the entry point to make a detailed discussion of the relationship between man and self, man and man, man and nature in his works.– This paper consists of three parts: introduction, text and conclusion. The introduction mainly focuses on Lawrence’s personal experience of >imbalance< and traces the origin of his concept of >balance<. The concept of >balance< is preliminarily defined; Review relevant research results at home and abroad.– The first part of the text discusses Lawrence’s concept of balance from the perspective of individual self. Under the background of industrial revolution, due to the poison of mechanical civilization and rampant materialism, human beings constantly overcome or tame their own nature. But when the civilization overcomes the nature, man gradually moves toward the one-sided. In Lawrence’s works, human nature and civilization correspond to >blood consciousness< and >mind consciousness< respectively, while the individuals in his works can be divided into >brain type< individuals and >blood type< individuals. In Lawrence’s opinion, when the >blood< of an individual is overwhelmed by the >mind<, his emotion and instinct will be suppressed, thus leading to the alienation of human nature. At the same time, the >blood< of the individual must resist the >mind< and call for the return of nature, so as to achieve the >balance< of the individual self.– The second part uses Erich Fromm’s theory of >possession and existence< to explore Lawrence’s thoughts on the relationship between people. In Lawrence’s opinion, due to the dominance of >possessive< value orientation, the lovers’ relationship, family relationship and class relationship in the era of industrial civilization were also out of balance, and they tried to control, dominate and possess others, resulting in the breakdown of interpersonal relationship. In view of this bad situation, Lawrence proposed the concept of >interstellar balance< relationship model, calling on modern people to get out of the dilemma of self-centeredness and build a relationship model of >existence<, sharing and symbiosis on the basis of respecting others, so as to rebuild the balance of human relations.– The third part discusses Lawrence’s thoughts on the relationship between human beings and nature in modern industrial civilization from the perspective of ecological criticism. Lawrence believed that the relationship between man and nature became estranged and antagonistic during the transition from agricultural civilization to industrial civilization. His works deeply reflect on and criticize the anthropocentrism and development-oriented concepts in western culture, and accuse human beings of unrestrained conquest of nature. In Lawrence’s view, human beings are part of nature, and they should Revere nature, return to nature, blend in with nature, and live in harmony with nature. Only by conquering nature and reconciling with nature and restoring the balance between man and nature can modern people overcome the ecological crisis and seek the healthy and all-round development of human society.– The conclusion focuses on the inner constitution and current significance of Lawrence’s concept of >balance<. Lawrence’s works comprehensively present his profound reflection on modern industrial civilization and his grand conception of future ideal civilization. His thought has obvious integrity and systematism. In this regard, his idea of >balance<, ostensibly derived from his meditation on the ideal of love, actually runs through his complex meditation on the whole of modern civilization. In his opinion, individuals, society and nature constitute an organic whole. Any imbalance at one level may lead to the imbalance at other levels and trigger a chain reaction at other levels. In order to restore balance at any level, the reconstruction of balance state at other levels is indispensable. Although Lawrence’s concept of >balance< is obviously utopian, it still has important reference value and significance in today’s era of numerous spiritual problems, continuous cultural conflicts and continuous deterioration of ecological environment. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 7/2023]
Oedipus complex is a key concept in psychoanalysis. It is related to the theory of sexual instinct within the system, the field of unconsciousness, the analysis of dreams, neurosis and other important categories, and has caused numerous disputes since its birth. In the past, the evaluation of Oedipus complex mainly focused on three aspects: one is that children depend on their mother rather than sexual desire for food and emotional needs; the other is the penile centralism and neglect of mother in Freud’s theory; the third is the universality of Oedipus complex. These controversies still follow the critical thinking of Malinowski and Fromm, but actually do not touch the core of Oedipus complex. Because the Oedipus complex in Freud’s view is essentially a concept about sex, and the successors of Lacan and other psychoanalytic schools have responded to these disputes by reinterpreting the Oedipus complex.– Therefore, this paper will focus on the initial definition of Oedipus complex and explore the original rationality of this concept. Freud first discovered the special relationship between early children and their parents when exploring the causes of neurosis. This relationship appears again frequently in typical dream cases and self-analysis. Therefore, Freud regarded this connection as a common phenomenon and applied it to clinical treatment and analysis. In addition to returning to the context in which Freud raised this issue, we also introduce Levi Strauss and Foucault’s theory of sex and gender from the perspective of triangular interpersonal structure and human gender differences to reflect on the bias of traditional interpretation of the concept of Oedipus complex. Specifically speaking: Freud believed that the sexual desire contained in Oedipus complex can only appear in the form of heterosexuality, that is, the first impulse of a child should be directed to the heterosexual side of the parents. According to Foucault’s analysis of the relationship between power and sex, sexual experience is produced rather than born with us. Therefore, in this sense, the concept of Oedipus complex constructed by Freud falls into the power. Furthermore, Freud limited the external manifestation of Oedipus complex to the family triangle in the general sense of experience. This kind of setting only pays attention to the interaction between kinship roles, and does not consider each role in the whole system. In Levi Strauss’s view, the deep structure of kinship is the uncle nephew relationship based on the premise of >incest taboo<, which includes four words: >brother-sister-father-son<. This >basic structure of kinship< is universal and stable in explaining all the facts of kinship. To sum up, this paper intends to analyze the heterosexual form and triangular relationship in Oedipus complex through Foucault’s theory of sexual experience and Levi Strauss’s theory of kinship structure. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
Of all the psychological theorists who have tried to formulate a system better than Freud's to approach problems of contemporary life, no one has been more creative or influential than Erich Fromm. He is the most articulate advocate on the role of social forces in molding our character and on our manner of relating to others. This volume is an expansion of his systematic doctrine. >The Dogma of Christ<, which is also the longest essay in this collection, appears in English for the first time. It was written thirty years ago, when Fromm identified himself with the orthodox wing of the psychoanalytic movement. He describes the experience of the early Christian community, with its emphasis on the role of the son, as an expression of the revolutionary stirrings of an oppressed minority against the paternalism of the Roman Empire. >The suffering Jesus originated primarily from the need for identification on […]
This volume is the first major expansion of the interpersonal theory of psychiatry since the death of Harry Stack Sullivan. The authors, who are husband and wife, are directors of the Sullivan Institute for Research in Psychoanalysis. In addition to drawing in a major way on Sullivan's formulations, the authors were influenced by the particular approach of Drs. Frieda Fromm-Reichman, Erich Fromm, and Clara Thompson. The central idea of this book is that the life history of any particular individual can only be understood by the quality of his relatedness with significant people. The therapist is the agent who will help catalyze or impede the forces within the individual towards growth. The authors delineate the elements which need affirmation in order for human capacities to be realized. The text is divided into five sections: the structure of personality, normal sequence in interpersonal growth, love and hate, diagnostic categories in interpersonal […]
Grundeinkommen braucht Europa - Europa braucht Grundeinkommen, Berlin (Lit-Verlag), 2023, 215 pp.
(2023)
心理學普通不設宗教信仰這一問題,因為兩者的研究對象各有不同之故。但由於心理學所討論的人,是「整體性」的,生理與心理固然不能分離,肉體與精神現象也很難完全分開處理;因此自五十年代以來,某些研究「人之所以為人」之特徵的心理學家,已開始對宗教信仰這一問題發生了興趣。心理學家討論信仰問題,不管他們的背境是什麼,藉通不強調、更不執著某種特定的宗教系統,如佛教、基督教、或天主教,雖然這些心理學家也有他們自己的特定信仰。本文收集了五位較有代表性的心理學家,並計劃從他們不同的立場來討論人與宗教之問題:(一)從成熟的人格觀點來看人之宗教信仰對人之人格成熟有何關連。這裡介紹了兩位心理學家,即亞爾伯之人格理論及梵岡之信仰健康觀。(二)從人生意義之探索看信仰問題。並以意義治療學之創始人以弗蘭克為代言人。(三)從追求道德及靈魂之實有看宗教,以新精神分析學權威佛洛姆為主。(四)從人之自我實現論談宗教信仰,並以此理論之創始人馬斯洛為主要依據。輔大以全人教育為宗旨,並以真善美聖為師生共同追求的目標,但全人教育不設宗教這一問題又如何能成為「全人」。真善美聖的實際內涵又脫不了終極關懷的問題。我們不願以自己的信仰談宗教,雖然我們也有此權利及責任,但畢竟易引起誤會及反感。本各完全以人自己的立場來說信仰,似乎應該易於接受。
This paper contributes to the current debate about decolonisation by rethinking the theoretical base of psychotherapy. It offers, first, a reformulation of the problem of human suffering that draws on the concept of alienation as detailed in the works of Karl Marx, Frantz Fanon, and Erich Fromm. Second, it presents an alternative reading of Wulf Sachs’ psychoanalytic text, Black Hamlet, as viewed through the prism of alienation theory. And third, while affirming the significance of that classic work for psychotherapists today as well as the salience of alienation theory, the paper raises complex questions about the integration of Marxism and psychoanalysis.
>Hans, einen herrlichen Film hab ich gesehn.< Von Potemkin bis Ben Hur. Die Grundigs und das Kino
(2022)
It has become a trend in the academia to study Byron, the great Romantic poet and his poems inter-disciplinarily. Most scholars at both home and abroad have carried out inter-disciplinary studies on Byron’s poetry from the perspectives of religion, history, politics, philosophy, ecology, science and visual arts. Moreover, some scholars have also employed psychology and psychoanalysis to approach Byron’s poetry against the backdrop of their rapid development. However, many scholars devote to exploring Byron’s personal diseases and the therapeutic function of Byron’s poetry to his own diseases but ignoring the other therapeutic functions. This status quo provides a space for the further exploration on the mutiple therapeutic functions in Byron’s poetry. Therefore, based on the psychologist and psychoanalyst, Freud’s theory of individual therapy and the social psychologist Fromm’s theory of social therapy, this study analyzes the therapeutic functions of Byron’s poetry to himself, the British society and the oppressed countries at that time. This research not only expands the objects of Byron’s poetry therapy, but also analyzes the therapeutic effect in reality, which makes a breakthrough in the paradigm of literary therapy. Therefore it has significant meanings on studies of Byron’s poetry and literary therapy. This thesis is composed of six parts: introduction, four chapters and conclusion. The introduction, which gives a brief introduction to Byron and his poetry, synthesizes the relevant literatures of the inter-disciplinary research of Byron’s poetry at home and abroad, and elaborates the central argument, research methodology and the research significance.– The first chapter briefly describes the history and classification of literary therapy and gives some examples. Moreover, the first chapter introduces in detail Freud's theory of individual therapy and Fromm’s theory of social therapy, which lays the theoretical foundation for this study.– The second chapter employs Freud’s theory of individual therapy to study Byron’s self-treatment in his poetry. This chapter analyzes Byron’s mental diseases and finds that Byron treats his mental diseases by talking with readers and transferring his emotions to others in his poetry. Under the treatment of his poetry, Byron gets the emotional comfort and achieve his self-realization in the fields of poetry and revolution.– The third chapter adopts Fromm’s theory of social therapy to explore the therapeutic function of Byron’s poetry to the British society. This chapter makes an in-depth analysis of the diseases in the British society at that time and the process of Byron’s treatment of the diseases through Oriental writing and humorously satirical writing in his poetry, and concludes that the therapeutic effect of Byron’s poetry on the British society lies in that it helps to improve the British society to some extent.– The fourth chapter also uses Fromm’s theory of social therapy to investigate the therapeutic function of Byron’s poetry to the oppressed countries such as Italy and Greece at that time. This chapter analyzes the >diseases< of the oppressed countries and finds that Byron treats them in his poetry through his glorification of ancient civilization and heroic deeds. And the ultimate therapeutic effect is to inspire the people of the oppressed countries to fight for freedom.– The last part is the conclusion, which is the summary and generalization of the whole thesis. It is shown in the conclusion that Byron’s poetry cures the diseases of Byron himself, the British society and the oppressed countries to a certain extent. [English: www.cnki.net, 4/2022]
Erich Fromm (1900 – 1980) was not only one of the key members of the Frankfurt School, but also a prominent German-American social psychologist, psychoanalyst and humanistic philosopher. Using Freudian psychoanalysis, Fromm synthesized the Marxian humanist doctrine on the basis of social character and the social unconscious as mediators. This led to the construction of a unique system of thought covering multiple levels of society and psychology, and an in-depth discussion of a series of externalized psychological problems that have emerged since the development of capitalist society.– This article attempts to clarify the logical progression of Fromm’s thought on alienation by looking at the realistic background and theoretical sources of the formation of his thought system. First of all, it examines Fromm’s need for human survival in the light of the dilemma of existential alienation in Western capitalist society, and grasps the unique connotation of his alienation thought and interprets it. Fromm explores the dilemma of survival in human society by combining the process of individuation and socio-historical development, and exposes the state of spiritual alienation of individuals. Secondly, Fromm’s diagnosis of the roots of pathological alienation in Western society is outlined in both subjective and objective dimensions. Again, Fromm’s critique of the consequences of alienation in developed industrial societies is explored, elucidating the logical correlation between the emergence of freedom-avoiding mechanisms, non-productive personality tendencies, possession-oriented ways of being and the alienation that occurs in the inner world of individuals. This is followed by an examination of the consequences of the interaction and conflict between the psychological alienation of the individual and the alienation of society in general, revealing the relationship between the individual and society.– Finally, Fromm’s search for a way to overcome alienation and build a sound society that meets human needs is discussed, and the rationality and limitations of his vision are objectively assessed. Fromm made a positive contribution to the evolution and enrichment of human culture and spirituality in the twentieth century. However, he does not fully acknowledge the role of material production and only overemphasizes the influence of psychological factors on human beings, while ignoring the fact that private ownership is the fundamental cause of the limitation of human freedom. Neither spontaneous activities nor social changes can fundamentally solve the problems caused by total alienation, but they can still provide a reference for the path of building a human-centered >harmonious society< in China: after the material enrichment of Chinese society, it should pay more attention to the spiritual existence of human beings and leave behind the possession-oriented way of living; promote humanistic culture and calmly We should also pay attention to the psychological and spiritual state of human beings and cultivate a sound personality. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 5/2023]
Carson McCullers is an outstanding female writer in the 20th century United States, becoming a celebrity with her first novel >The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter<. There is no doubt that McCullers is endowed with a talent for writing. She is a keen and sensitive woman, which is probably due to her life experiences and illness. In some sense, her personality contributes a lot to her writing, enabling her to grasp the slightest details of humanity. She is adept at exploring the psychology of human beings and pays special attention to their state of loneliness, which constitutes her writing theme >spiritual isolation<. McCullers tends to highlight man’s spiritual impotency through physical deformity. The freaks in her works make up rebellious power against the mainstream culture in the American South. >The Member of the Wedding< is a very representative work of McCullers. It follows the theme of spiritual isolation as her other works. Through McCullers’s elaborate portrayal, a 12-year-old girl’s struggle and sorrow are vividly presented to readers. The female protagonist Frankie is a tomboy living in a small Southern town. In the year when she progresses from 12 to 13, she falls into the dull repetition of days, becoming a solitary >freak<. A great dilemma confronting Frankie is that she aspires for freedom, but is unable to take the burden of freedom. Becoming a part of some group and leaving the town constitute two strong desires of Frankie. They are seemingly irrelevant, but closely related. Belonging saves Frankie from isolation, and escape promises her greater freedom and connectedness. Through a close reading of Carson McCullers’s novel >The Member of the Wedding<, this thesis is devoted to analyzing the protagonist Frankie’s living predicament from a psychoanalytical perspective and discussing the underlying solution to the condition. Erich Fromm’s theory of freedom and love exhaustively explores the spiritual crisis of modern man and provides a feasible solution. Using his theory will be conducive to the explanation of the protagonist’s complex psychology and her dilemma. Besides, Adler’s concept of social interest can help further analyze how the protagonist is able to realize positive freedom. After research, it can be concluded that Frankie is confronted with the universal predicament of modern man's burden of freedom. While she tries to escape from the burden, she suffers disillusionment, but at the same time, it helps the development of her individual self and provides motivation for positive freedom. Fromm believes that to get rid of the unbearable plight, love is indispensable. For Frankie and any modern man who suffers from aloneness, mastering the art of love is necessary to advance to positive freedom. [www.cnki.net, 1/2023]
The paper analyses the Freud’s dilemma in his theory of civilization, on this basis, finds the course of problem. In this process, we begin with the two basic concepts, namely civilization and instinct. In Freud’s theory, the civilization is existed as the performance of difference between people and animals. It not only include the knowledge and ability that formed in dealing with the relationship between human and nature, but also include the various rules and regulations between peoples. Instinct, as a core concept in his theoretical system, is inherited from the theory of biological evolution. He believes that the instinct urged the organism returning to the previous state, and eventually, he divided the instinct into instinct for life and death instinct, and believed it has fundamental confliction between the two instincts. When Freud’s perspective turns to the field of the social life, he also looks at modern civilization from the perspective of instinct, and believes that modern civilization oppresses the satisfaction of instinct and meets the demands of instinct at the same time. But, he does not completely abandon the idea of civilization or instinct, he thinks that civilization can oppress instinct appropriately. However, the oppression what degree is appropriate, Freud does not give a clear standard. So, in fact, the problem he encountered has not been fully resolved. Aiming at the difficulties encountered by Freud, other scholars such as Marcuse and Fromm have tried to solve this problem. But, their theories have their own shortcomings. Marcuse does not fully understand Freud’s problem, he is more concerned about Freud’s instinct for life. In fact, Freud is more attention about death instinct. As for Fromm, he integrates the spirit of Marxism and psychoanalysis, in the face of the difficulties encountered by Freud, he thinks that the problem can disappear with the development of society. So, he gives us only a hope, a utopian existence. So, we should explore the root cause of the dilemma encountered by Freud, and analyze whether the dilemma exist or not in actually.– When analyzing Freud’s theory of civilization, we finds that to imagine a non-oppressed civilization, the biggest obstacle we faced is the death instinct.– So, the question is weather the death instinct is necessary. Karen·Horney raises doubts in this regard. Through her own analysis, she thinks that it is not necessary to mention death instinct, for, there is no full evidence to certificate it, and it also contradict with the reality. However, the death instinct, after all, as a real theory is putted forward by Freud, and when the theory take the great dilemma to him, he still use it. So, it was necessary to explore the theoretical way what his death instinct produced. Freud is impacted by the theory of evolution deeply, and he introduces the concept of instinct as a biological field into the psychological field. In this course, he also introduce the logic of evolution into psychological field. So, the things what are established in biological field are similarly established in psychological field. When he discovers that the people have the tendency to repeat previous activities, he considers that it represents a kind of instinctive tendency also. On this basis, he puts forward the death instinct that is, return to the previous inorganic state. However, when he looks at human civilization, he is still from the view of biology, and considers that people and animals have no essential difference. This is a non-scientific idea .It has been recognized by many scholars that it has essential difference between people and animals. Therefore, the study of human civilization should be from the fundamental characters of human.– In the history of Western thoughts, it has been existed the concept of rational person religionary person and biological person. Cassirer puts forward the concept of symbolic person, on the basis of analyzing the limitation of these concepts, and it mainly emphasize the higher level ability of free creating what human has. This is consistent with the Marx’s incisive elucidation. So, >people are symbolic animals< seizes the people’s fundamental characters. From the concept of >human is symbolic animals<, human has the ability of creating and using the symbol. This is the universal dynamic creativity what human has. In the course of creating and using symbol, human has the ability of giving the value to symbols freely and dynamicly, so the symbol system is a free system also. Civilization is a development course of self-determination. It develops and heritages through the symbol media. Thus, the development of civilization is a free, dynamic process also. So the development of civilization not only does not oppress anything, but also is not hampered by other things. Thus, in Freud’s view, the course of the development of civilization does not oppress instinct. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 6/2023]
[Chinese abstract not available] From a philosophical point of view, creativity is the development of people’s subjective understanding of the development and changes in the world formed in practice, and is the intrinsic motivation to realize individual self-development and promote social progress. With the deepening of the scientific and technological revolution, innovation has become more and more important in the development of the country, and fundamentally stimulating the creative vitality of individuals and society has become an inherent requirement for social development. At the same time, the emergence of the epidemic has bred pessimism about the future development of the situation, and a series of social problems have emerged one after another. In the post-COVID-19 era, to dispel people’s negative emotions and fundamentally enhance people’s confidence in the future situation, we need not only a solid material guarantee for the country, but also a better understanding of the current situation. In Fromm’s view, forming a rational understanding of the individual and the world is an important manifestation of the creative development of the individual. As one of the important representatives of the humanistic psychoanalysis school, Fromm saw the commonalities between Marx’s humanistic doctrine and Freud’s psychoanalysis theory, and thus combined the two organically. In the face of various problems existing in capitalist society, Fromm adhered to the humanistic stance, and made diagnosis and treatment of society and people living in it from the perspective of social psychology. From the perspective of human feelings and needs, he pointed out that the perfect state of human development should be creative and spontaneous.– This paper points out the pathological phenomenon in the modern capitalist society and the alienation phenomenon of people in it, and criticizes this phenomenon strongly, and puts forward the targeted reform plan, hoping to build a sound society to realize the creative development of people. He believed that creativity fulfilled the unique need of human survival and was a potential for a mentally healthy person. Creative people can fully develop their personality and reason, express their true inner needs, and have a constructive relationship with themselves and the world. Only a sound society can stimulate people’s creativity. Fromm’s attempt to clarify the interaction between economic base and ideology from the perspective of social psychology points out the role of creativity in human development, enriches the connotation of human essence, and specifically analyzes the psychological mechanism of alienation of modern man on the basis of the interpretation of the general psychological mechanism of man. His creative theory is not only a supplement and development of Marx’s humanistic thought, but also an inheritance and development of the Frankfurt School’s social and cultural theories. Although his proposals for changes in the economic, social, political and cultural fields are not directed at the capitalist system itself, but are only an improvement of the present society, and many of his theoretical ideas are too specific and lack practicality, his theories profoundly combine human existence and psychological conditions with social development, inspiring us to pay attention to people’s needs and seek solutions to social problems from the subjectivity of people. It has a great value for our country to implement the spirit of putting people first, dispel the negative emotions of individuals under the epidemic, and re-establish social confidence. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 1/2024]
In undertaking this study, the writer became aware of the following problem of study method in theology: skepticism indeed is an indispensable part of the theologian’s equipment; he must train himself to be disturtful of anything he sees on the printed page unless there seems good reason to believe that it can be trusted. In our theological culture, the printed word is generally regarded with such excessive respect that the grossest errors in fact may go unchallenged for years until the properly skeptical reader comes along. The above stated problem dictated the formulation of this study with the following purpose in mind: to develop a critical study method in theology. Accordingly, Erich Fromm's thought of religion was criticized from such standpoint in this study.
Erich Fromm was a humanistic philosopher and psychoanalytic psychologist. He devoted his life to adapting Freud’s psychoanalytic doctrine to the spiritual situation of Westerners after the two world wars. Today, his ideas still have a great influence on contemporary society, especially his theory of consumer alienation which opens up a certain theoretical vision for the >consumer age< we live in. At the same time, Fromm’s alienation theory has a certain degree of scientificity and extensibility, because he takes Marx’s alienation thought as the theoretical foundation and Freud’s psychoanalytic theory as the extension, and through the appropriate combination of the two, he leads his own alienation theory, in order to profoundly analyze the problem of human alienation, the most important of which is the problem of consumer alienation. For Fromm, the theme of modern capitalist society is no longer >production<, but >consumption<, and the source of alienation is not only the former >alienation of labor<, but also the >alienation of consumption<. The source of alienation is not only the former >alienation of labor<, but also the >alienation of consumption<, in which modern society is full of symbols, and in which people are gradually commodified. During this period, Fromm remained sober, warning people about the great danger of consumer alienation, trying to wake up and save people who were trapped in the trap of consumer alienation, and Fromm always insisted on calling people to be rational subjects, in order to build a sound society. Nowadays, China has become the second largest consumer market in the world through continuous development, and along with the irreversible globalization, the world is becoming >smaller<, so the invasion of the Chinese market by consumerism is inevitable.
In such a social context, Fromm’s theory of consumer alienation becomes more valuable, which is also the starting point and research purpose of this paper. At the same time, the objective limitations of Fromm’s theory of consumer alienation also serve as an important reflection and reference for our analysis of the consumption problem in China. To this end, this paper analyzes and studies Fromm’s theory of consumer alienation and its contemporary value through five main parts: first, through the introductory part, it compares the domestic and foreign literature to achieve a systematic macroscopic grasp of Fromm’s theory of alienation.– Secondly, through the theoretical tracing of Fromm’s theory of consumer alienation, the development background and theoretical foundation of his theory are more objectively understood.– Third, through the exploration of the basic contents of Fromm’s theory of consumer alienation, we discuss its causes and connotations and discover its realistic manifestations and possible crises.– Fourth, through the first three parts, we will find Fromm’s path to overcome consumer alienation and his specific expectations for building a sound society.– Fifth, through an objective evaluation of the contributions and limitations of Fromm’s theory of consumer alienation, we will use its reference value to analyze the current problems of consumption in China, and use it as a reference to actively explore favorable insights and solutions to improve the consumption problem in China. [Translation: www.cnki. net, 9/2022]
Beck (1995) has outlined an influential social theory in which the role of modern risks has been highlighted. Modern societies are characterized as qualitatively distinct from premodern societies due to the self-generated new risks of annihilatory potential. Jonas (1979) has proposed an approach highlighting fear as a heuristic guideline for approaching further scientific research and technological development. According to this framework, imagining annihilatory risks inherent in a particular technology and research should make us forego the potential benefits of this technology, as the potential costs are too high. Mittelstraß (1992) argues exactly the opposite and claims that not less but more research and technological progress is necessary in order to enhance the survival chances of the human species. In order to reduce the possibility of deliberate action, which may trigger the annihilation of the human species, however, Mittelstraß (1992) calls for the development of a strong ethos of responsibility. The question, though, remains on what kind of rationale this ethos of individual responsibility may be grounded? It is suggested in this paper that Fromm (1947) provided the answer to the question of how such an ethos may be created and sustained.
This article takes the position that our contemporary overheated media environment lends itself to comfortable passivity, resulting in mental breakdown in the guise of the dark emotions: anxiety, melancholia and boredom. This is especially the case with the inevitable synergy of the upcoming technological transformations from genetic modification, virtual reality simulacra and artificial intelligence/robotics. After discussing the data from the World Health Organization regarding the stark increase of people across the globe suffering from depression and anxiety, this article weds the concepts of McLuhan’s hot-cool distinction with Fromm’s delineation of the productive character orientation. Following Fromm, this article argues that joy ensues from reason, productive labour and love–sorrow from ignorance, alienated work and indifference. When we willfully abrogate our responsibilities to self and other via non-participational mediated forms, we cede away our potential for growth and development. This leads to the emotional breakdowns of guilt, boredom, anxiety and melancholia. Viktor Frankl’s logo-therapeutic perspective is discussed as a counterbalance to the social effects wrought by our overheated technological environment. Frankl’s stress on phenomenological meaning as the cornerstone of existence provides a lens to understanding the affects of an over-reliance on technological gadgetry.
First generation Frankfurt School critical theorists argued that global solidarity was possible because human beings have similar vulnerabilities to mental and physical suffering. This approach to solidarity remains significant for any discussion of the ethical aspirations of critical theory. It also has ramifications for efforts to develop a sociological approach to global moral codes which is influenced by the idea of an emancipatory social theory. Informed by certain themes which were developed by Simone Weil, this article draws on the writings of Fromm, Horkheimer, Adorno and Elias to consider how a sociology of international moral codes can be developed. One of the aims of this project is to consider how far global moralities have developed forms of solidarity around the recognition of shared vulnerabilities to mental and physical suffering which are part of the species’ biological legacy.
The only way in our opinion to account for this striving for justice and truth is by the analysis of the whole history of man, socially and individually. We find then that for everybody who is powerless, justice and truth are the most important weapons in the fight for his freedom and growth (Fromm, 1942/2002, p. 248).
弗洛姆作为法兰克福学派的重要成员,在思想上继承法兰克福学派的重要观点,认为批判性是马克思主义的灵魂,而同时,其推崇弗洛伊德的相关学说,也由此具有较为浓厚的人道主义色彩。他在对社会现实的考察当中继承了马克思的一系列思想,特别是在对资本主义社会的批判上,多次采用马克思对于异化的批判,逐步构建自己的理论体系。随着资本主义社会的发展,异化现象开始走出经济领域,迈向了更广阔的空间,弗洛姆也注意到了这一点,从多个角度入手进行了一定的批判。同时,弗洛姆也非常欣赏弗洛伊德,在分析的过程中也融入了弗洛伊德的精神分析学说,提出了社会性格学说。本文将重点分析其对资本主义文化现象的一系列批判,从中汲取一定的宝贵经验。
Carson McCullers is an important female writer in the history of American Southern literature, and her works are full of description of Southern society. >Clock Without Hands<, her last novel, describes the Southern people and events in the mid-twentieth century. Most research outcomes focus on characters and mental description in the novel, a few are concerned with its social discourse, but few literary critics probe the alienation and its connection with society and history. This thesis explores the characters’ alienation condition in the South from the perspective of the alienation theory, which Fromm also emphasizes the individual experience and social elements, so as to reveal the panorama of Southern American society in >Clock Without Hands<. This thesis concludes that McCullers’ description on social alienation and social changes of the novel presents Southern advancement in the twentieth century, and it provides a new way to understand Southern society in >Clock Without Hands<, with the analysis of its theme of alienation. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 7/2023]
This paper takes Erich Fromm’s exposition on faith crisis as the research object, and places the background of worldwide faith crisis as the entry point, trying to discuss the negative effect of faith crisis. As a psychologist and psychoanalyst, Fromm studied the formation and development of the belief crisis theory from the perspective of >human<, fully explained the theoretical core of Fromm’s faith crisis theory, and conducted a dialectical analysis and discussion of Fromm’s faith crisis theory.– First of all, the article analyzes the formation background of Fromm’s faith crisis theory and introduces the historical background and current status of development from a historical macro perspective and a micro personal perspective, by analyzing the changes in Fromm’s personal faith patterns, we can have a holistic overview of his faith crisis theory. Fromm’s faith crisis theory inherited and developed Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis and Karl Heinrich Marx’s theory, especially inherited Freud’s character theory, and then it created social character theory, and provided research for the crisis of faith. The connection between Fromm’s faith crisis theory, Marx’s alienation theory, and historical materialism theory lay a solid basis of this paper.– The second is to sort out the content of Fromm’s faith crisis theory and analyze the concepts related to faith, including the definition of faith, religion, and faith crisis. By analyzing the subject of faith crisis, Fromm carefully sorted out Fromm’s exposition of >the birth of man<, reflecting Fromm’s principle of paying attention to the subject status of man. By analyzing the social character structure and spiritual structure in Fromm’s faith crisis theory, it is found that the theory of human spiritual structure and character structure is not only a standard for dividing faith types, but also an important basis for solving the crisis of human faith.– Thirdly, it makes a dialectical evaluation of Fromm’s faith crisis theory. On the one hand, it explains the rationality of inheriting and applying Marxist theory in Fromm’s faith crisis theory, On the other hand, it explains the limitations of the theory.– Finally, it discusses the practical enlightenment of Fromm’s faith crisis theory, and mainly explains how to play the role of social personality theory in the process of cultivation and shaping of creative personality as well as rational faith. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
Fromm divided the value orientation of human beings into two kinds: emphasis on >having< and emphasis on >being<, and distinguished the essence of the two. He pointed out that alienated consumption is a way of existence of emphasis on having, which leads to the alienation of human beings and nature, between people and people as well as individual human beings, so that people are more and more far away from the >being<. He believes that only by changing the value orientation of people can we abandon the alienated consumption and return to the nature of human existence. Under the influence of western consumer society, alienated consumption is also spreading in our country. At this critical time, Fromm’s criticism of alienated consumption is of great significance for us to cultivate the correct consumption concept, imple¬ment the correct consumption behavior, and realize the sustainable utilization of resources, social harmony and the all-round development of human beings [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
Alienation is a social phenomenon that runs through the process of human social development. Alienation refers to the change of nature, society and the relationship between people and human nature. With the development of science and technology and productivity, people’s quality of life is getting better and better. However, people are controlled by technology and material desire more and more deeply, alienation as a kind of pathological existence of human is more and more serious. >Modern< means the era of modern life, each generation has its own life, so every era has its >modernity<. Today, we refer to >modern< mainly refers to a certain period in the process of human history evolution, which marks the transformation of social form, mainly refers to the social form since the Renaissance and enlightenment, and indicates that human society has entered capitalist society from feudal society modernity is the alienation of capitalist society. The modernity criticized by Fromm is instrumental rationality in the enlightenment modernity. In terms of his thought itself, it is not only a criticism of modernity, but also a side of modernity prism. Fromm combines the social criticism theory of Frankfurt school and becomes a pole of modern aesthetics. This paper focuses on the analysis of Fromm’s alienation of human nature and his criticism of modernity. First, this paper combs the concrete connotation of Fromm’s alienation of human nature: Fromm absorbs the essence of Freud and Marx’s thought. On the one hand, he points out the close relationship between alienation and empathy from the perspective of psychopathology, and reveals the alienation of individual psychological mechanism, from the alienation of needs, alienation of emotion. The alienation of will shows the psychological symptoms of individuals. On the other hand, Fromm draws on Marx’s thought of humanism and studies on labor alienation in the dynamic level of social communication, and introduces it into the social psychological level. Through the analysis of the alienation of hope and religion in the consumer society, the morbid of his time is revealed. In Fromm’s view, in modern society, personality alienation, self-loss, escape freedom and authority worship, and survive under illusion, we must reveal and criticize the sick condition of individual and society, get rid of illusion and establish a sound personality and a sound society. Secondly, this paper studies the scheme of the way to perfection put forward by Fromm, and discusses the contemporary Enlightenment of the criticism of modernity in Fromm’s alienation of human nature. Fromm’s alienation of human nature reveals the disadvantages of capitalist society, criticizes the alienation brought by modernity, which makes human nature changed and the mentality of pursuing his subjective will deviates. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 11/2022]
Erich Fromm is an American psychologist and psychoanalyst. In his system of doctrine, the existence concept occupies an important position. In Fromm’s view, existence mode not only reflects the individual’s living conditions, but also reflects the status and level of social development. Existence mode is not only an issue of values, but also an issue of ethics and psychology. Fromm’s concept is deeply influenced by Marx and Freud. Marx’s alienated labor theory and Freud’s psychoanalytic theory constitute important theoretical sources of his existence concept. Fromm divides existence mode into two types: the mode of having and the mode of being. Fromm profoundly reveals the social psychology and character characteristics of having, as well as the negative effects of having on all levels of society. On this basis, Fromm believes that it is necessary to shape a proactive mode of existence with >freedom<, >creativity< and >love< as the core demands, and to promote the construction of a new society through reforms at the political, economic and cultural levels, and to cultivate the new person with ideas of existence mode. By doing so, it is effective to eliminate the negative effects caused by alienation, reification and fetishism, and to transcend the existence mode of having. Fromm’s denial and criticism of the existence mode of having and the advocacy and assumption of the existence mode of being have positive enlightenment significance for the spiritual civilization construction of our society and the all-round development of human beings. However, Fromm’s existence thought also has obvious limitations. He lacks historical materialism. Although he recognizes that the generalization of the existence mode of having is the result of the development of private ownership, he ignores and downplays the decisive role of the economic foundation in social change. The social reform plan he proposes is out of touch with reality and has a strong utopian color, making it difficult to become a reality. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2022]
The subject of this work is the state of human nature as a result of the impact of technology. Technology is significant for human nature, human freedom and human liberation. Based on an examination of the state of man's nature as a result of the impact of technology, this paper argues that in the process of technology development, on the one hand, reason and wisdom develop man's nature, and on the other hand, this nature is hindered, even destroyed; technology and man's nature are restricted from within. Technology development is not the final goal, but human development is the goal of technology development. In this work, we have dealt with modern technology philosophy and technology-critical ideas in the Western countries and technology alienation according to Marx on the level of human nature, taking human nature as the basis. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 6/2023]
[Chinese abstract not available.] With the gradual enrichment of material resources, the phenomenon of consumption alienation in western developed capitalist countries has also appeared in contemporary China. Consumption alienation has brought many specific problems and harms to contemporary China, and college students’ Campus loan is one of them. Some college students’ consumption psychology is affected by the phenomenon of consumption alienation and have a fanatical pursuit of goods and commodities. Because they have no economic income and limited economic ability, they choose to borrow and consume in the way of >campus loan< to meet their material desire, which leads to a series of >campus loan< problems. Fromm’s consumption alienation theory has a very important reference significance to solve the problem of College Students’ >campus loan<, so this paper systematically combs the main contents of Fromm’s consumption alienation theory. Firstly, it explains the core concept of Fromm’s consumption alienation theory and consumption alienation; Secondly, it points out that the performance and harm of consumption alienation are mainly reflected in three aspects: consumption alienation makes people lose their subjectivity and creativity, makes people have a false sense of happiness and psychological emptiness, and brings about the survival crisis of modern people; Thirdly, it analyzes the causes of consumption alienation, which has human and social roots; Finally, Fromm pointed out that in order to get rid of consumption alienation, we must establish a productive personality and humane consumption mode and realize the comprehensive reform of the transformation from a sick society to a sound society. Based on Fromm’s consumption alienation theory, this paper analyzes the current situation, harm and solution of College Students’ Campus loan by using the methods of literature research and integrating theory with practice. Firstly, this paper combs the current situation and classification of College students’ >campus loan<, mainly including consumer loan products, routine loan products and campus network loan. At present, consumer loan products and routine loan products are more in contact with college students, and campus network loan seriously endangers the physical and mental health of College students. At present, due to national supervision, it has stopped operation one after another; Secondly, it deeply analyzes the harm of College students’ campus loan to college students themselves, their families and all aspects of the school; Finally, from the perspective of Fromm’s consumption alienation theory, the paper puts forward that to solve the problem of College Students’ >campus loan<, we should cultivate college students’ sound personality and advocate correct consumption patterns, and puts forward specific solutions from these two aspects. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 9/2022]
弗洛姆(Erich Fromm)愛的理論中認為,愛包括一些元素:照顧、責任、尊重及瞭解,其中母親與小孩的關係最密切,她代表著溫暖和安全的狀態,兒童從胚胎起便與母親相互依戀著,縱使日後脫離母體向世界探索,也是相當緊密的。值得注意的是,父親之愛與母愛最大的差別在於,母親是無條件的,而父愛是有條件的。《三國演義》對於劉禪親情的書寫,從三十四回出生到四十一回趙子龍單騎救主、四十二回摔阿斗、六十一回截江奪阿斗、甚至到後來八十五回的託孤事件、及後主登基之後劉禪與諸葛亮的關係等,在在都是於親情的軌跡上書寫。是故,本文欲從現代西方心裡學家弗洛姆(Erich Fromm)《愛的藝術 The Art of Loving》中對於親情剖析的觀點析論《三國演義》中劉禪為中心的敘述,期以重新理解作者在情節段落中的安排和更貼近真實人心的心理狀態,重要的是期盼能梳理出後主人格缺陷部分始是造成蜀國敗亡的真正原因,再從弗洛姆的父親之愛、母親之愛再推而影響人類成年後的父性良知和母性良知,以釐清日後造就出後主如此懦弱無能的主因,竟和童年的親情脈絡有著密不可分的關係。
As one of the most prominent and prolific writers in contemporary Canada, Margaret Atwood has won the Booker Prize twice. >Oryx and Crake< is Margaret Atwood’s eleventh novel, which mainly describes the clear recollections of sole human survivor Jimmy-Snowman before the crack of doom. His best friend Crake has destroyed humanity by creating a deadly virus that quickly spreads to the whole world and causes the destruction of human beings. By depicting the alienation phenomenon in the novel, Atwood reveals the predicament of modern people in a modern society and shows her humanistic concern. Based on Fromm's alienation theory, this thesis analyses the phenomenon of alienation from three aspects: the self-alienation, the relationship alienation and the social alienation. Firstly, the self-alienation means that man loses his creativity and subjectivity. Through creative activities and self-love, man can achieve his spiritual development and subjectivity. Secondly, this thesis also explores the relationship alienation. In modern society, people tend to make use of each other to safeguard their interests, which leads to the love that between family members and lovers is not pure. Through mature motherly love and erotic love, children will establish a more harmonious relationship with their parents and lovers will have a deeper understanding of each other. Thirdly, it comes to the social alienation. Technology alienation and consumption alienation are embodied in the social alienation. The misuse of technology and the possession of material things cause the alienation between man and society. In order to establish a humane society, humans can establish a harmonious relationship with society by having a humanistic planning and humanized consumption. By discussing the alienation phenomenon and the methods to eliminate alienation, this thesis attempts to provide a salutary lesson. In order to eliminate alienation, people should establish a harmonious relationship with themselves, others and society with the creativity, love and humanistic spirit. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
As one of the most famous contemporary female writers in America, Donna Tartt is a newly rising star in American literary circles. It is Tartt’s merit to describe the loss and confusion of teenagers and her work is characterized by its graceful language, compact plot and great readability. As a masterpiece that has taken Tartt’s nearly eleven years to get completed, >The Goldfinch< tells a story of a miserable boy and a famous painting which has escaped a disaster. Since its publication in 2013, >The Goldfinch< has been interpreted by scholars at home and abroad from different perspectives, whose research results are mainly concentrated on its theme and narrative skills. However, there have been no scholars so far who have interpreted the alienation phenomenon of the protagonist in the work from the perspective of alienation. Therefore, the author attempts to give a brand-new analysis and interpretation of Theodore’s alienation phenomenon in the novel with the guidance of famous psychologist Fromm’s theory of alienation, which aims to provide readers with more abundant angle to understand this masterpiece. This thesis consists of three parts: introduction, main body and conclusion. In the part of introduction, Donna Tartt and her masterpiece >The Goldfinch< are briefly arranged. Besides, this part summarizes the current research status of this topic at home and abroad and gives a brief introduction of the alienation theory of Fromm. The research significance of this paper is also clarified in this part. The body part is the main body of this thesis, which consists of three chapters. The first chapter explores the manifestations of Theodore’s alienation, which is embodied in his alienation from society, from others and from himself. Alienation is an extremely adverse phenomenon that will do harm to one’s mental health. However, it is unavoidable for Theodore to suffer from alienation due to his miserable sufferings and living environment. The second chapter analyzes the roots of Theodore’s alienation, which is carefully clarified from the perspective of society, family and Theodore’s psychology.– The first section discusses the social roots of Theodore’s alienation: the unstable social environment and the general absence of family ethics have caused individuals’ general estrangement and alienation.– The second section shows the family roots of Theodore’s alienation: the early death of his mother and the absence of his family affection lead to the cultivation of his closed and timid character.– The third section explores the psychological roots of Theodore’s alienation: his inner emptiness and loneliness are the fundamental reasons for his alienation. The third chapter analyzes the process of how Theodore constructively eliminates his alienation and finally obtains a sound psychology. The acquisition of fatherly affection and the nourishment of friendship make him feel be loved and help him gain a sense of security and the courage to move forward. Besides, the re-establishment of relationships with the outside world gives him a sense of accomplishment and helps him realize his own value. Moreover, the painting >The Goldfinch< provides him with a broad artistic space, in which he can find some comfort and courage. All of these factors have contributed to the elimination of Theodore’s alienation.– The conclusion part is the summary of the above analysis. By analyzing the manifestations and roots of Theodore’s alienation, and his efforts to eliminate alienation under the guidance of Fromm’s alienation theory, the author constructively gives the advice of solving the spiritual crisis and eliminating the alienation phenomenon of modern people. Besides, the significance and shortcomings of this thesis are also clarified in this part. With the rapid progress of society, people’s material life has been greatly improved. However, people’s spiritual world has not kept pace with their increasing material wealth. The relationships among people become aloof and isolated, which is harmful to one’s healthy development and the progress of society. Therefore, this paper aims to provide some constructive suggestions for modern people to properly handle their anxiety and eliminate their alienation phenomenon through the detailed analysis of Theodore’s alienation. It also aims to achieve the healthy development of individuals and help them establish a harmonious relationship full of love. [www.cnki.net, 11/2022]
Toni Morrison(1931 – 2019), a renowned and influential African-American literary giant who enjoys univer¬sal acclaim, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993, making her the first black woman who ever receives this distinction ever since the award started. Throughout her literary career, her novel achievement has undoubtedly become a monument in the history of African-American literature. Morrison’s novels are deeply concerned about the destiny of African-Americans and the survival of their cultural identity in the white mainstream society. >God Help the Child< is Morrison’s 11th novel which officially came out to public in 2015. Contrary to her previous works that are based on the American histories, >God Help the Child< is her first novel that is set in contemporary American life in the 1990s. Main characters of the novel are Bride, Sweetness and Booker. The novel mainly reveals the various injuries and crises encountered by different characters in society, and reveals the complex relationship between family, couples, and friends. The society is developing rapidly nowadays, whereas, people can’t feel the existence of love and the value of self-existence, only to find themselves deeply shrouded in the cage of loneliness. As a result, people are eager to find a way to re-establish connections with others and to rediscover the meaning of life. Social theorist and psychoanalyst Fromm once lamented the fact of people’s spiritual crises and the collapse of traditional values. In response to this phenomenon, by making love the core of his study, Fromm puts forward his love theory to help human beings get rid of the plight of loneliness. In Fromm’s eyes, love is the only answer to solve human beings’ existential problems. Combined with Fromm’s theory of love, this thesis intends to analyze Bride’s predicament of loneliness in >God Help the Child<, and how she successfully escapes from loneliness by connecting love with other people.– This thesis consists of five parts. The first part is the introduction to Toni Morrison, >God Help the Child<, Fromm and his theory of love. In the second part, combined with Fromm’s theory of motherly love, erotic Love and brotherly love, this thesis points out Bride’s dilemma of loneliness by analyzing Bride’s relationship with her mother, her ex-boyfriends, and her friends. The third and the fourth parts deeply analyze the reasons that have engendered Bride’s plight of loneliness by thoroughly demonstrating the social as well as Bride’s personal causes. The fifth part demonstrates how Bride succeeds in getting rid of the shackles of loneliness and successfully regaining the value of her self-existence and the meaning of life by nurturing love to other people. The last part is the conclusion part, which points out that in the contemporary society where spiritual crises are widespread, only by proactively looking for effective solutions and establishing healthy love connections with other people, can human beings eliminate loneliness and regain the meaning of life. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
Fromm’s Critique of the Having-oriented Culture and Its Contemporary Value [弗洛姆对“重占有”文化的批判及其时代价值]
(2023)
Fromm points out in his theory of living mode that the having-oriented culture is caused by the market-oriented social character and it manifests itself as the abstraction of social culture, the unhindered desire and the utilitarianism of education. Fromm’s Critique of the having-oriented culture has offered us great inspiration with respect to the construction of socialist culture in China in the new era that we must uphold the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field, build cultural confidence and strength, and promote the development of socialist spiritual civilization. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 8/2023]
On the basis of Freud’s character theory, Fromm introduced Marx’s historical materialism and creatively put forward the social character theory, which not only broke through the limitations of Freud’s character theory, but also improved Marx’s historical materialism. With the help of social character theory, Fromm elaborated the concrete operation mechanism between social existence and social consciousness. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 11/2022]
In the theory of living mode, Fromm points out that bartering with money provides the preconditions for the emergence of the having-oriented consumption, building an external sense of self is the essence of the having consumption, and never being satisfied is the consequence of the having-oriented consumption. Fromm’s critique of the having-oriented consumption has important enlightenment significance for China to prevent and resolve the adverse effects of consumerism in the new era. We should vigorously cultivate and practice the core socialist values, strengthen the construction of socialist spiritual civilization, and guide people to establish a correct concept of consumption. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 7/2023]
Diese Arbeit setzt sich mit dem Begriff der Vereitelung des Lebens auseinander, der von Erich Fromm geprägt wurde. Zu diesem Zweck wird zunächst der Lebensdiskurs im Allgemeinen aufgegriffen und zum einen in Bezug auf seine Anfänge sowie zum anderen auf seine gegenwärtige Relevanz nachgezeichnet: Denn über die Darstellung einer heutigen Gewichtung kann die Beschäftigung mit einem Thema hinreichend legitimiert werden. Anschließend erfolgt eine Hinwendung zu Erich Fromm, in der die Bezugnahme auf ihn selbst sowie auf sein Wirken, insbesondere in Form des Textes >Die Furcht vor der Freiheit,< erläutert wird. Anhand dieses Textes kann sodann Fromms Auffassung der Vereitelung des Lebens erklärt und in Bezug auf die von Fromm beschriebene sowie auf die gegenwärtige Gesellschaft gesetzt werden, sodass sich hieraus Implikationen für das eigene Leben als auch das gemeinschaftliche Zusammenleben ergeben. Die in der Arbeit gewonnenen Darstellungen werden zuletzt noch einmal konzise zusammengefasst. [Weltbild.at]
Capitalism and its offspring, neoliberalism, are omnipresent in modern and postmodern societies. Illich, Giroux, and McLaren, among others, point to the futility and inequity of current models of education that focus on standardization, vocationalism, and conformity. Running counter to these powerful hegemonic systems, critical pedagogues and educational philosophers such as hooks and Silverman follow philosophers Frankfurt and Wolf in identifying a teaching approach rooted in love. Such an ethic embodies a robust, punk confrontation to potentially damaging, dehumanizing institutional norms perpetrated by current systems of schooling (Hewitt & Smith, 2020). The authors present and discuss vignettes as a duo-ethnographic study of one teacher’s work with a high school choir in Colorado Springs, USA, through which she works to engage young people as compassionate artistic citizens (Elliott & Silverman, 2015; Hendricks 2018). By teaching with love and by modeling love, she teaches young people to love, embracing what Noddings (2005) identifies as an ethic of care. This choral community demonstrates the messy, anarchist ideal that Wright (2019) highlights as a necessary future for music education, wherein the educator diverts from teaching solely to standardized expectations to address the affiliative needs of her students through a love that desires good for her students (Fromm, 1956; Noddings, 2005)
A measure of immature love
(2005)
Based on the theoretical underpinnings of Fromm, Maslow, and Sorokin, this study described the empirical development of a measure to assess love. In its immature form, love is conceptualized as being rooted in self-other distinctions, and can be selfish and instrumental. In its mature form, love becomes autotelic and is expressed as a form of being, independent of others and relationships. Four separate studies revealed 4-6 items for an immature love scale, and were supported in confirmatory factor analyses among college students. The robustness of the scale was demonstrated in its consistent findings with other constructs (personality, other love measures, self-transcendence) regardless of assessment style (true/false, forced-choice). The scale was also found to have satisfactory validity but fairly low reliability, suggesting caution in using it. Implications and future directions are discussed.
Erich Fromm offered two key psychoanalytic concepts that bridge the psychic and the social: social unconscious and social character. In his view, these concepts are not only critical for understanding socio-historical phenomena but also ought to inform psychoanalytic clinical practice such that it might resist unconsciously encouraging patients to adapt to inequitable social conditions. This essay pays tribute to Fromm’s thinking while elaborating some of the differences between Fromm’s understanding of social unconscious/social character and my own. I argue that >social unconscious< does not quite capture the dynamic and conflictual nature of unconscious process, the ongoing conflict that social demands for conformity create in subject formation. To address that conflict, I propose the bridging concept of normative unconscious processes, processes that are always in conflict with counter-normative resistances. Points of both conflict and dissociation are precisely where analysts can challenge the psychic effects of oppressive social norms. Further, while agreeing with Fromm that analyzing social character ought to be central to clinical work, I argue that various and overlapping systemic oppressions – e.g. racism, heterosexism, classism – create, in any given society, multiple social characters and not just one dominant type. In agreement with Fromm’s argument that analysts themselves need to reckon with their own social character, I stress the importance for all of us to be as aware as possible of our own identity investments and social locations within unequal and overlapping power hierarchies.
While many psychosocial theorists have drawn on psychoanalysis to explore conscious and unconscious connections between the psychic and the social, most such efforts have been in the realm of >applied psychoanalysis,< that is, the exploration of unconscious process in group relations, institutions, cultures, historical eras. Few, but increasingly more psychosocial psychoanalytic writers are taking up how socially shaped unconscious processes emerge and are worked with in the clinic.– In this chapter, I review some of the psychosocial psychoanalytic theory that has informed clinical work, including the work of Fanon, Fromm, liberation psychologists, psychoanalytic feminist theorists, and critical race theorists. My focus is on how concepts that bridge the psychic and the social, without reducing one to the other, have found their way into clinical theory and practice.– The chapter surveys a few different conceptualizations of what is meant by clinical social psychoanalysis and then focuses more specifically on what I have called >normative unconscious processes,< my own attempt conceptually to bridge these domains. Extending Fromm’s concepts of social unconscious and social character, I argue that a properly psychosocial psychoanalysis must account for the ways that patients’ and therapists’ intersectional social locations (e.g., class, race, gender, sexuality), as they are lived and enacted within particular power relations and histories, unconsciously and consciously emerge in the clinic, at times reproducing, and at times countering what Fromm called the >pathology of normalcy.< Given the current conjuncture, particular attention will be paid to neoliberal subject formations as they are met with in the clinic. The chapter concludes with a review of recent clinical papers that offer ways to counter the reproduction of normative unconscious processes.
Context: Propaganda seems to be around us all the time, yet many people would find it difficult to provide a definition of propaganda. It becomes one of those words that are easy to use, but hard to define. Scholars have been writing on propaganda for centuries, yet the definition still remains illusive. Lay people simply call propaganda all communications they disagree with. Propaganda becomes brainwashing or, even worse, psychological warfare. Objectives: The article seeks to address this problem of identifying propaganda. Method: The article develops a theoretical argument by bringing a psychological and psychoanalytic work of Fromm into the real of communication sciences. Results: The author argues that propaganda is more than just a profanity for communication activities we disagree with. In fact, this essay suggests that propaganda is best understood through a psychoanalytical research on sadism and masochism by Fromm. Fromm using a biological concept of symbiosis explained sadism and masochism as a way of building symbiotic relations making an individual bigger than just oneself. Applying this theory to a society makes propagandist and propagandee not that different from a sadist and masochist, both gaining meaning for their lives through propaganda and becoming parts of something bigger. Propaganda's symbiotic relations rely on groupthink and participatory rhetoric focusing on building group cohesion and establishing >us versus them< mentality. Conclusion: The article concludes that propaganda's symbiotic relations work through groupthink and participatory rhetoric focusing on building group cohesion and establishing >us versus them< mentality. Propaganda removes an individual, focusing instead on many; propaganda eradicates individual's desires focusing instead on needs of the group; and propaganda draws sharp boundaries where own group ends and the enemy territory begins. Propaganda becomes an aggressive symbiosis aimed at its own survival and protection from the others. The study, building on this explicating of propaganda through symbiotic relations, proposes several areas for future research on propaganda to better understand its connection to psychology and psychoanalysis.
Propaganda is a centuries-old term, and yet scholars and practitioners are still having a hard time defining it and pinpointing what makes propaganda unique. Many existing definitions fail to distinguish between propaganda and marketing, public relations, advertising, or even mass communications, in general. This essay proposes to define propaganda through psychoanalytical research pioneered by Erich Fromm on symbiotic relations. Symbiotic relations, when transferred from biology to psychology and sociology, describe a process of allowing a person to merge with something big and important, therefore creating meaning beyond an individual’s life. As a result, following its religious roots, propaganda acts similar to religion – asking for a sacrifice of individualism in the name of something bigger – god, country, society, or political party. In the end, people willingly engage in propaganda because, although sacrificing something, they receive unity with the bigger powers of other people, organizations, political parties, countries, and so on. As a result, such persons are not alone against the world; they are now a part of a bigger and stronger union.
The author analyzed the history of the social institution – family. The author underlined that there were various approaches to that social and cultural matter and discussed S. Freud’s, A. Adler’s and E. Fromm’s conceptions.
Following Max Horkheimer, I will first attempt to reconstruct an anthropology that essentially wants to be understood as critical social research. I will then pursue the question of humanism in critical theory. In doing so, I want to show that a reference to a normatively substantive humanism does actually exist in critical theory. On the other hand, I want to show that this humanism is anything but unambiguously and systematically formulated but has been reflected and articulated differently by different representatives of critical theory. The two examples I will refer to here are Theodor W. Adorno and Erich Fromm. I will define Adorno’s humanism as ‘dialectical humanism’, whereas Fromm’s humanism could be described as ‘emphatic humanism’. My reading, however, attempts to interrogate the two positions as to their complementarity. Not ‘Adorno or Fromm’, but ‘Adorno and Fromm’ is the motto that guides me. Finally, I will relate this complementary reading of both approaches in such a way that the possibility of a ‘Critical Humanism’ can be derived from it, which above all also wants to be understood as a sociological research program.
[Chinese abstract not available.] Monica Ali is a British Bengali female writer. She was listed as the best young British novelist by Granta, a famous English literary magazine. >Brick Lane<>Brick Lane<>Brick Lane< is a representative work of Ali, whose other notable works include >Alentejo Blue< and >In the Kitchen<. >Brick Lane< tells the story of Nazneen, a Bangladeshi girl who immigrates to Great Britain with her husband. The heroine of the novel, Nazneen, is a traditional and conservative woman at first. After the baptism of immigrant life and the change of her own thinking, she eventually grows into an independent and confident woman. Her husband Chanu is always looking forward to a bright future in Britain, but he is ostracised. In the end, they make different choices about their immigrant lives. In Ali’s work, she describes the intense and difficult life of Bengali immigrants incisively and vividly, but also profoundly reveals the alienation of the relationship among the characters in the novel. This thesis uses Fromm’s alienation theory from three aspects: alienation of human’s self relationship, man’s alienation from others and man’s alienation from society to interpret the alienation of characters in >Brick Lane<, and it further discusses the ways to eliminate alienation through the elaboration of alienation phenomenon.– First of all, this thesis gives a brief description of the author Monica Ali’s life and introduces the plot of the novel >Brick Lane< and the research status of scholars at home and abroad on >Brick Lane<.– Secondly, this thesis introduces the evolution of Fromm’s alienation theory and three main aspects of alienation. In the background of immigrant life, the characters in the novel blindly pursue high status in the western society. And under the influence of traditional ideas, women blindly follow men’s arrangements, lose their self-consciousness and produce self-alienation. In addition, the abnormal relationship between husband and wife also leads to the alienation between people.– Thirdly, immigrants are a special group and they have conflicts with the local social culture. Therefore, this thesis focuses on the analysis of the alienation between man and society and how to eliminate this alienation, so that people can be able to live in an equal and harmonious social environment.– Finally, it is the conclusion of the thesis. This thesis aims to explore how to effectively eliminate alienation when people are in an alienated environment by analyzing the alienation state and redemption methods of characters in >Brick Lane<. At the same time, it reminds us to fully realize our own values and give play to our subjectivity to eliminate alienation. And we should learn to get along with others in a loving way to build a healthy and equal society. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 9/2022]
>The Children Act< (2014) is a novel published by Ian McEwan, one of the most influential contemporary British writers. The novel explores the tensions and conflicts between slave mentality and master mentality, law and religion, emotion and rationality, unfolds the aftermath caused by those conflicts and eventually ends up with the failed salvation. Taking Max Weber’s instrumental rationality and value rationality as the theoretical framework, this thesis draws on Nietzsche’s philosophy of the will to power and love of one’s fate, as well as Erich Fromm’s interpretation of freedom, etc. Through meticulous textual analysis, this thesis exposes the crisis of modernity caused by the unilateral emphasis on instrumental rationality in society at the expense of value rationality and explores the gradual degeneration of modern man into a one-dimensional man in the general environment of utilitarian supremacy and negative freedom. This thesis consists of five parts. The first part introduces McEwan and >The Children Act<, and the literature review and the structure of this thesis are also included. The second part discusses the tensions and conflicts in >The Children Act<, such as the conflicts between slave mentality and master mentality, the irreconcilable conflict between religion and law, and the imbalance between emotion and rationality. The third part is the aftermath of tensions and conflicts in modern society, such as fear of freedom, one-dimensional man and utilitarianism. This part mainly discusses the paradox of freedom and the typical escape mechanism of negative freedom through the spiritual exploration and destruction of the character Adam. The fourth part explores the importance of value rationality using Adam’s resentment and self-destruction and analyzes the essential roles of literature and art in modern society. The fifth part is the conclusion of this thesis. It is fully elucidated in McEwan’s novel that the balance between instrumental rationality and value rationality is indispensable, and the aesthetic experience brought by poetry and music in modern fast-paced life is the possible way to restore the harmonious relationship. [www.cnki.net, 11/2022]
This paper provides a historical overview of the reception of the superego concept in sociology and psychoanalytic social psychology. Central to the discussion are the ways in which classical and contemporary approaches (e.g. Parsons, Elias, Bourdieu) have responded to Freud’s theories concerning the genesis of the superego and its changes in the course of psychic development, to his suppositions concerning anthropology and psychopathology, and to later psychoanalytic extensions of the concept (e.g. Klein, Erikson and Loewald). With reference to Freud’s works of cultural critique, special emphasis is given to conceptions of the superego in studies on authoritarianism, adaptation and morality, notably by the Frankfurt School (Fromm, Horkheimer, Adorno). The authors also discuss the historical changes undergone by the superego concept and examine by way of examples the benefits of concept for achieving a clearer understanding of recent societal trends associated with contemporary phenomena such as digitization and optimization.
[…] Erich Fromm's latest work is an ambitious attempt to synthesize psychoanalysis and ethics by grounding the norms of the latter in the integrated personality. The ethical agent is characterized by a >productive orientation< which permits him to realize his constructive potentialities in thought, work, and love. Virtue consists in recognizing his obligation to his mature self; vice, in denying his obligation and therefore >mutilating< his thwarted self. The good life finds itself validated not by authoritarian dogma or supernatural sanction but by man's constructive needs and aspirations as disclosed in the findings of psychology and anthropology. Fromm's position, therefore, allies him not only with those rationalists and humanists whose ethical orientation is anthropocentric in the best sense of the word but also with the modern naturalists who maintain that ethical judgments can be the subject matter of a scientific morality. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
Comments on the book >Man for Himself< by Erich Fromm […] Hose, who enjoyed the provocative manipulation of psychological concepts in >Escape from Freedom< no doubt will be further rewarded by Fromm's continued exploration of contemporary character-structure, but they will find little, to enlighten them on ethical theory and practice. Fromm's book is an ambitious attempt to synthesize psychoanalysis and ethics by grounding the norms of the latter in the integrated personality. The ethical agent is characterized by a >productive orientation< which permits him to realize his constructive potentialities in thought, work, and love. One of the defects of the book is the absence of any specific societal program which can affect the integrated personality. Another defect lies in a dereliction which the author shares, with all other humanists and naturalists who have dealt with ethics; i.e., the lack of emphasis upon the implicit moral character of the sciences themselves. (APA PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)
본 연구는 노년기 자살에서 자살의 원인이 되는 소외에 관한 연구이다. 소외가 노인자살의 주요한 원인이 되는 것에 착안하여 노인자살의 원인으로서의 소외에 관한 연구를 시도하게 되었다. 아울러 소외에 관하여는 Irvin Yalom의 실존주의 심리학적 관점과 Erich Fromm의 사회심리학적 관점, Paul Tillich 실존신학적 관점에서 연구를 하였다. 그리고 이들의 소외 개념을 통합하여 노인자살 문제에 적용했으며 또한 양적 연구와 질적 연구를 통하여 임상적으로 입증하고자 시도하였다. 연구의 결과로 드러난 노인자살의 원인으로 소외현상은 네 가지로 나타났는데, 자기소외, 대인관계의 소외, 사회심리적 소외, 신과의 소외로 나타났다. 이러한 문제의 소외 극복을 위한 상담 방법적 결론은 상담자와의 참 만남을 통하여 소외에 직면할 힘을 가지게 됨의 중요성과, 죽음을 피하는 것이 아니라 오히려 죽음에 직면함으로 죽음 불안을 극복하는 방법임을 알 수 있었다. 노인자살의 원인으로 소외를 극복하기 위해 기독교 상담학적인 고찰을 통하여 얻어진 결론은 소외 극복을 위한 새로운 존재의 가능성을 제시하였고 노년기 자살의 수동적인 유형으로 죽음에 대해 소망하는 것을 궁극적 관심에 대한 소망으로의 전환과 전인적인 기독교 상담을 통한 소외 극복 방안의 필요성을 알 수 있었다.
자아 상실은 현대인의 내적 공허감이나 쉴새없이 무엇인가를 소유해야만 하는 욕구 등에서 잘 나타났다. 아무 것도 시작할 수 없게 만드는 고통스러운 권태, 내적인 무기력, 자기 추진력의 상실과 그에 따른 의기소침 등이 그런 현상에 속한다. 또 자기 자신과 홀로 대면하는 것을 몹시 꺼려하는 현대인의 두려움도 마찬가지로 존재 상실의 결과라 하겠다. 어떤 형태로 표출되든지 간에 존재의 결핍은 창조능력의 부재를 의미한다. 이 글의 목표는 프롬의 저서 『소유냐 존재냐』를 중심으로 소유와 존재의 개념을 밝히고, ‘소유적 실존 양식’과 ‘존재적 실존 양식’의 이해를 위해 두 실존양식을 비교하여 프롬이 말하는 ‘실존적 욕구’가 왜 교육의 기준점이 되어야 하는가를 이해하는 것이다. 이 글은 프롬의 저서 『소유냐 존재냐』를 교육적으로 해석하는 방법을 취할 것이다. 이 글에서 이용한 텍스트는 차경화(2015) 옮김, 『소유냐 존재냐』 임을 밝혀 둔다.
Filozofia jest bogatym źródłem alternatywnych narracji opisujących, w jaki sposób powinniśmy chronić prawa człowieka; narracji, które rozwinęły się w czasach istnienia XX-wiecznych rządów totalitarnych. Niniejsza książka skupia się na myśli dwóch filozofów tego okresu – Ericha Fromma i Isaiaha Berlina. Analiza ich przemyśleń pozwala na ukazanie nowej filozoficznej koncepcji państwa i prawa opartej na wartościach godności ludzkiej i solidarności, uzasadnianych za pomocą argumentów odmiennych od >tradycyjnie uniwersalistycznych<. W koncepcji tej, zakorzenionej w ludzkim doświadczeniu, prawo musi uwzględniać zmieniające się okoliczności, być nakierowane na utrzymanie chwiejnej równowagi między różnymi i czasami przeciwstawnymi wartościami. Rozważania filozofów są zaskakująco aktualne i ukazują, że zagrożenia, które wystąpiły w XX wieku, czyhają na nas także dziś.
Erich Fromm, the Mentor
(2021)
In the previous chapter, we examined numerous aspects of postwar American society that came into play in Riesman’s formulation of autonomy. Many factors carry weight when we consider what inspired him to write >The Lonely Crowd< and to offer his insightful analysis of conformity’s malaise. Among those who influenced Riesman intellectually, there can be little doubt that Erich Fromm played a major role. Although Riesman never accepted Fromm’s pessimistic view and radical approach to modernity in the West, we clearly see the impact of Fromm on Riesman’s ideas about social character, conformity, and especially autonomy. Thus, in order to better understand Riesman we must take a look at Fromm’s theories especially in some of his early books. Here we find several core ideas that heavily impacted Riesman’s theory of autonomy.
Ist das Verhalten der gehorsamsbereiten Teilnehmenden des Milgram-Experiments unter dem Begriff des autoritären Charakters nach Erich Fromm zu subsumieren? Um diese These bestätigen beziehungsweise widerlegen zu können, wird als erstes ein allgemeiner Überblick über den Aufbau und Ablauf des besagten Experiments gegeben. Anschließend erfolgt eine Betrachtung der im Buch aufgeführten, gehorsamswilligen Versuchspersonen. Milgram veröffentlichte einige Aufzeichnungen zu den Nachgesprächen, um herauszufinden, wie sich die Funktion des Gehorsamsprozesses zusammensetzt. Daran schließt sich eine Schilderung dessen nach seinem Verständnis an. Im nächsten Kapitel folgt ein Umbruch und der autoritäre Charakter nach Erich Fromm wird typisiert. Nach getaner Vorarbeit findet ein Vergleich der beiden Konzepte und somit die Prüfung der These statt. Letzen Endes werden im Fazit die zentralen Ergebnisse zusammengefasst und durch meine eigene Meinung ergänzt. [Amazon.de]
Coetzee’s novel >Disgrace< addresses the question of dysfunctional inter-human relationships and explores the themes of domination, subjection, and character distortion in the context of the post-apartheid South Africa. In fact, this paper holds, >Disgrace< fictionalizes Coetzee’s concerns about the social deformation that springs from distorted relationality. According to Erich Fromm’s social thought, the apartheid regime represented an insane society based on sadistic domination and masochistic submission. It systematized sadomasochistic patterns of interpersonal relatedness and excluded horizontal relationships based on love and mutual care. Disgrace shows that how the same dynamics of intersubjective relationships still feature in the >new< South Africa. A parallel is, therefore, drawn between Coetzean ideas about deformed relationality and social deformation and Frommian symbiotic relatedness and sociocultural insanity. The apartheid’s spirit of insanity lingers in the post-apartheid period since its modes of human interactions persist. The transition from the earlier racist system to a genuine democracy, the novel suggests, sounds impossible unless love replaces sadomasochistic relationality.
This study was designed to investigate certain aspects of the concept of >alienation< as employed by Fromm. Using Fromm's framework and suggestions offered by Schachtel concerning inherent autocentrism and allocentrism in various sensory modalities, it was hypothesized that: (a) dogmatism as measured by Rokeach's scale and adequacy on sensory discrimination tasks would vary negatively with each other and (b) differences between dogmatic and nondogmatic individuals would be more pronounced in their performances utilizing predominantly autocentric modes than on tasks involving essentially allocentric modalities. Sensory discrimination was assessed by requiring Ss to match and/or differentiate between stimuli in 5 areas. 13 dogmatic and 13 nondogmatic Ss (controlling other relevant variables) served as populations. Data obtained supported the hypotheses at least at the 5% level.
Background: In elderly care registered nurses (RNs) and nurse assistants (NAs) face ethical challenges which may trouble their conscience. Objective: This study aimed to illuminate meanings of RNs’ and NAs’ lived experience of troubled conscience in their work in municipal residential elderly care. Design: Interviews with six RNs and six NAs were interpreted separately using a phenomenological hermeneutic method. Settings: Data was collected in 2005 among RNs and NAs working in special types of housings for the elderly in a municipality in Sweden. Participants: The RNs and NAs were selected for participation had previously participated in a questionnaire study and their ratings in the questionnaire study constituted the selection criteria for the interview study. Results: The RNs’ lived experience of troubled conscience was formulated in two themes. The first theme is ‘being trapped in powerlessness’ which includes three sub-themes: being restrained by others’ omission, being trapped in ethically demanding situations and failing to live up to others’ expectations. The second theme is ‘being inadequate’ which includes two sub-themes: lacking courage to maintain one's opinion and feeling incompetent. The NAs’ lived experience of troubled conscience was formulated in the two themes. The first is ‘being hindered by pre-determined conditions’ which includes two sub-themes: suffering from lack of focus in one's work and being restrained by the organisation. The second theme is ‘being inadequate’ which includes two sub-themes: lacking the courage to object and being negligent. Conclusions: The RNs’ lived experience of troubled conscience were feelings of being trapped in a state of powerlessness, caught in a struggle between responsibility and authority and a sense of inadequacy fuelled by feelings of incompetence, a lack of courage and a fear of revealing themselves and endangering residents’ well-being. The NAs’ lived experience of troubled conscience was feelings of being hindered by pre-determined conditions, facing a fragmented work situation hovering between norms and rules and convictions of their conscience. To not endangering the atmosphere in the work-team they are submissive to the norms of their co-workers. They felt inadequate as they should be model care providers. The findings were interpreted in the light of Fromm's authoritarian and humanistic conscience.