Refine
Language
- English (11614) (remove)
Document Type
- Articles (8312)
- Books (1888)
- Reviews (783)
- Collections (313)
- Ebooks (110)
- Dissertations (103)
- Forewords (51)
- Journals (31)
- Interviews (17)
- eBook (3)
Has Fulltext
- no (11614) (remove)
Erich Fromm is not generally associated with policy positions and politics. Yet, Fromm was an early proponent of guaranteed income as an important practical entitlement necessary if greater human freedoms were to be realized. The article traces the development of the idea of basic (or guaranteed income) in US social movement history going back to the 1960s and including the writings of Erich Fromm on this topic. It argues that the concept of guaranteed income flows easily from, and is consonant with, Fromm’s humanistic philosophy overall. Four reasons are offered, including those that are politically, ethically and pragmatically oriented, as to why providing basic income to all citizens has major advantages over the kind of economic precarity and anxieties that many people currently experience. Lastly, after making a multi-dimensional case for guaranteed income, the article responds to a common objection – namely, if basic income became universally available, people would not wish to work. Quite to the contrary, and as empirical experiments have shown, Fromm’s ideas suggest that guaranteed income would encourage people to work with increased commitment and passion and that more positive than negative consequences would ensue from the concept becoming a widespread and much more generally accepted public policy.
Erich Fromm’s book >The Sane Society< was published in 1955, the second year of President’s Eisenhower’s administration, but had a profound impact on the ideas and agendas of social activists during the 60s and 70s, including this author. Its central theses were that the middle-class prosperity characteristic of that era masked a >pathology of normalcy,< and that capitalism transforms active citizens into passive consumers by compelling people to fill their material needs in ways that are at variance with their existential or human needs. The result is a dramatic diminution of their critical faculties, an atrophy of conscience, and the proliferation of a >marketing character,< a kind of alienated, hedonistic lifestyle whose emptiness is palliated by the consumption of ever larger quantities of consumer goods. Fromm’s analysis still rings true in some respects, but the middle-class prosperity and bland uniformity of opinion he critiqued began to wane in the late 1970s, gradually giving way to sharp extremes of poverty and wealth. The resulting political polarization has now reached a critical point, where the future of American democracy – or what little is left of it – is now in peril. So, as we approach 2025, Fromm’s analysis of America in the mid-20th century must be updated and modified to fit the contours of contemporary social realities. In so doing, however, we discover that American society is even more alienated, more atomized and fragile than it was in Fromm’s day.
In this passionate volume, Sandra Buechler introduces Erich Fromm's groundbreaking contributions to psychoanalysis, sociology, philosophy, political action, and social criticism. Buechler explores how Fromm's thinking and interdisciplinary vision are able to frame discussions of dilemmas in contemporary society. She offers a comprehensive biography of Fromm, before delving into his role as analyst, author, activist, sociologist and philosopher. From her own experience as a psychoanalyst, and from the testimony of Fromm's many ardent followers, Buechler illuminates Fromm's capacity to inspire. She considers how Fromm's writing equips students, beginning clinicians and more experienced professionals to understand what can give meaning to their efforts on behalf of troubled individuals, their riven communities, and the wider world. Assuming no prior knowledge of Fromm's work, this books offers students in clinical and social psychology, sociology, and philosophy a vital insight into his theoretical contributions. It will also be of interest to psychoanalysts, psychologists and social workers.
The Psychology of Collective Narcissism is a ground-breaking text that presents a new theory of collective narcissism, a belief that exaggerated greatness of one’s own group should be but is not sufficiently appreciated by others. The book presents this concept against the background of social identity theory and research. It explores antecedent as well as social and political consequences of collective narcissism. The author discusses how this burgeoning theory and research can help to elucidate a wide range of psychological dynamics involved in pressing societal issues, such as the declining appeal of democracy, increasing populism, decreasing social solidarity, increasing societal polarization and prejudice, intergroup hostility and political violence, social inequality, and fake news and belief in conspiracy theories. Also referring to societal problems exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this highly topical work explores socially shared beliefs as risk factors when predicting responses to crises and highlights conditions in which collective narcissism can be expected. The author also reviews research on interventions reducing the link between collective narcissism, prejudice, and retaliatory intergroup hostility focusing on her recent research on mindfulness. This is a valuable read for academics and students in psychology and the social sciences, those interested in societal processes as well as professionals dealing with the impact of collective narcissism.
Today, a plague of certitude is spreading within American psychoanalysis. This socially constructed virus is increasingly dominating our unmoderated list serves, appearing in our journals, and slowly seeping into our institutes. Having transcended the objectivism of traditional Freudian analysis, we seem to be revivifying its spirit. Rigorous claims to truth, superior knowledge, and contempt for those not in agreement abound. The life and work of psychoanalyst and sociologist Erich Fromm is offered as an antidote and model for resistance to this plague. He consistently objected to all forms of authoritarianism, from the Right and the Left. As a radical humanist he viewed us all as responsible selves, not mere vessels for instinctual drives or victims of unbearable circumstances. As Paul Roazan said about Fromm: >It still seems to me remarkable how he was willing to stand up for what he believed in. He should be a model of independence and autonomy for us all.<
>I shall not hate.< This sentence ends the production at the Staatsschauspiel Dresden about Izzeldin Abuelaish’s biography, who lost three of his daughters in the violent conflict between Israel and Palestine. This particular attitude within a crisis situation becomes the starting point and framework of a teaching unit in which the students deal with the following questions: What is hate? Is it possible not to hate? How can hate be classified in the field of tension between the instinctual nature of human beings and a conscious attitude? How are crises and loss of orientation related to hate? Can a society be sick? How are Izzeldin’s attitude and Fromm’s theory of a productive character orientation connected and how is Izzeldin’s or Fromm’s offer of orientation to be judged against the background of crises and conflicts in the students’ lifeworld? Through a visit to a performance as well as theatre pedagogical forms of work, an access to this complex thematic field will be created.
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.
The current political climate is marked by polarization, which presents new difficulties for psychoanalysis. Erich Fromm, as a Freudian theorist and clinician, is uniquely positioned to address these issues. Fromm is a politically radical thinker who can help psychoanalysis think about society and social injustice beyond the clinical context while avoiding the dangers of excessively orthodox left-wing thinking that risks taking the field away from its core mission. Fromm can help psychoanalysis avoid what we are calling the >Peterson problem,< which is partly the result of provocative and extreme ideas in institutions and psychoanalytic publications that create reputational problems for the field. The >Peterson problem< brings new attention to the political bias of left-liberal authoritarians inside the profession, who focus on changing society rather than healing individuals and neglect audiences outside the liberal university and highly educated classes and thus create space for polarizing figures like psychologist Jordan Peterson to fill the gap. Peterson’s fame and influence serves as a lightning rod for the wider critique of left leaning political and cultural currents in psychoanalysis. Fromm can act as a role model as well as provide the intellectual resources for responding to these challenges.
Humanism has been criticized as a philosophical and political stance from different points of view in recent decades. The paper summarizes four common types of criticism, stemming from political, ethical, technological, and ecological concerns. These criticisms relate back to a preoccupation with the respect for otherness or difference, either toward human or non-human beings. The paper tries to demonstrate that these concerns are also to be found as essential elements in the development of humanism itself, not only among its political and theoretical opponents. It does so with reference to Erich Fromm’s works, where a life-oriented ethics is coupled with a demand for sustained political relatedness to difference, without giving up notions of a radical humanism and the anthropology that accompanies it.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt am Main, in 1923, this book aims at shedding light on the archives of some of the key thinkers of Critical Theory of Society, also well known as >Frankfurt School<. To pay homage to this current of thought, this contributed volume aims to make the archives speak for themselves, to show the public the quantity of unpublished material still existing by the authors of the Critical Theory which are now in funds in different parts of the world (in Germany, in Italy, or in the United States), and to show that Critical Theory remains alive 100 years after its inception.– The volume starts by presenting the archives of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the thinkers who inspired Critical Theory, and the archives of the Institute for Social Research itself. Then it dedicates separate sections to the archives of Walter Benjamin, Max Horkheimer, Theodor W. Adorno, Friedrich Pollock, Herbert Marcuse, Leo Löwenthal and Jürgen Habermas. The book is composed of chapters written by researchers and editors who worked in the different fonds, as well as chapters written by or interviews with researchers who were or are in charge of some of the archives, or who are especially familiar with the material.– The Archives of Critical Theory will be an invaluable tool for researchers in many disciplines working with Critical Theory of Society, such as Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science, Philosophy, History, Education, Law and Cultural Studies, among others. Readers will find information about the content of each archive and the history of its constitution. The various contributions present many ways in which the materials may be explored and explain how such explorations affected or may yet affect the state of the research.
Learning >in the Hive<: >Social Character< and Student Wellbeing in the Age of Psychometric Data
(2023)
Growing societal concern about a crisis in the wellbeing of young people has prompted a range of responses from governments and corporations, predicated on an ideal of the resilient, self-reliant individual. Behavioural economists, data scientists and educational technology companies now offer a variety of psychological interventions based on psychometric data, aimed at ‘equipping’ individual students with the necessary skills and character to enable them to withstand the pressures of contemporary life. As a consequence, the critical importance of mutually supportive interpersonal relationships continues to be neglected in mainstream approaches to Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). This article draws on Fromm’s theory of social character and Zuboff’s analysis of >life in the hive< to challenge the assumptions about human behaviour underpinning data science and its application in digital tools for social and emotional learning and self-managed wellbeing. To improve students’ wellbeing, we need to begin with an understanding of why they are more likely to thrive within a network of mutually supportive social relationships than a digital >hive<.
This chapter introduces a psychosocial strand of thinking that offers a way to conceive of creative relations between the psyche and the world. Whereas much current psychosocial theory stresses how anxieties are managed by defending the self against the world or fuel subjection to oppressive social norms, the theories we engage with here point to ways in which anxieties can be employed in the urge to bridge inner longings and external realities. These ideas took form in the early Frankfurt School, which despite their comprehensive integration of psychoanalytic and social theory until recently has been comparatively marginalized in Anglophone Psychosocial Theory.– The chapter presents and discusses three notions: Erich Fromm’s Freedom, Hans Loewald’s Resonance, and Alfred Lorenzer’s Interaction. Even though different in emphasis and outlook, these notions contribute to a shared intellectual project, namely, to point to potentially productive and non-antagonist interactions between the psyche and society. They do so not by virtue of some resistant part of unspoiled nature residing in the body or in the mind, but by virtue of being able to point to the more or less life-enhancing and life-impeding forms this interaction of psychic energies and societal needs may take.– We argue that these theorists and their notions of freedom, resonance and interaction, contribute to further developing the materialist conception of the psychosocial in ways that appear specifically urgent today. They enable us to theorize tensions within current society, between dynamics that drive instrumentalization and reification on the one hand, and more life-enhancing and mutually enriching interactions between human beings, social structures, and natural environments on the other.
The Courage of Disobedience
(2023)
Albert Camus, Emmanuel Levinas, Erich Fromm, Paulo Freire, and Mahatma Gandhi take issue, each in their own way, with the individualism and pessimism of Existentialist philosophy. They also question the ideological complacency and oversimplifications of social evolutionism. While these thinkers disagree on the role of God and rational thought in human affairs, they see courage as an important lever for resisting oppressive systems that undermine people’s freedom, their capacity for self-affirmation, their hopes for lasting peace, and their sense of humanity and ethical responsibility. The critical and progressive stance they take on the ravages of modern-day authoritarianism, colonialism, and imperialism is a world away from Hitler’s heinous call for the >courage of aggression< and the horrors that ensued.
Historians, including intellectual historians such as myself, rely more on primary source research than philosophers. During the period 1992–2001, I conducted extensive research on both the Herbert Marcuse and Max Horkheimer Archives in Frankfurt, Germany. This essay describes my experiences working in these archives. I highlight, in particular, some of the most important discoveries I made in the archives and how the primary source documents shaped my understanding of Herbert Marcuse and Max Horkheimer’s crucial contributions to the development of Critical Theory. The essay also emphasizes the value of primary source research, especially for those working in the materialist tradition of the early Frankfurt School, which emphasizes the >Zeitkern der Wahrheit<, that is, the impossibility of separating ideas from a historically specific social context.
The societal changes of the last century, especially in the aftermath of World War II, have led thinkers to imagine philosophical anthropology centered on the concept of hope. From very different perspectives, authors such as Ernst Bloch, Erich Fromm, and Hannah Arendt understood that hope is deeply connected with the condition and destiny of humanity. Various sociologists have developed concepts closely linked with hope: action, social change, utopia, revolution, emancipation, innovation, and trust. However, a coherent and systematic analysis is yet to emerge. Taking up the threads of this rich but fragmented reflection, this paper intends to outline the traits of a >sociology of hope< as a tool for critically interpreting today’s society and the processes of change crisscrossing it, starting from some crucial questions: Who are the actors and historical bearers of hope? What are the main socio-historical forms of hope? What social, political, and cultural conditions favors the emergence and strengthening of this disposition? What are the effects and consequences on personal and social life?
This article explores the relevance of the life and works of Kiyoshi Miki (1897 – 1945), a Japanese philosopher, to Maslovian humanistic psychology. Although Miki and Maslow differ in many respects, they shared a few common points that are important to examine. In his early articles, Miki equated philosophy with confessions of the soul and argued that individuality was impossible within the traditional framework of logic. His first main work on Pascal’s anthropology was an attempt to assimilate and synthesize the German existential/hermeneutic and the French moralist traditions he had learned in Europe in the early 1920s. Despite pioneering works by Wilhelm Reich and Erich Fromm, humanistic psychology has not exhausted the potentialities of Marxism. Maslow and other intellectuals sympathetic to this materialist philosophy were mutually disappointed. However, Maslow’s enlightened or eupsychian management may be an important step toward social revolution, compensating for a missing psychological viewpoint in traditional Marxism. Miki’s hermeneutic approach to this ideology offers two important points relevant to humanistic psychology: his concept of basic experience – later called Pathos – as the basis of any ideology, and the distinction between dialectic and organicism. His last years, during the War and fascism, raise important questions regarding what talented, self-actualizing intellectuals can do without freedom of speech and expression under a totalitarian and authoritarian regime. Finally, this article addresses how well Miki’s concept of utopia – on which he wrote an essay in the context of a dark age—corresponds to Maslow’s idea of eupsychia.
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.
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)
Tibor Scitovsky’s >The Joyless Economy< (1976) is now regarded as a landmark publication in the combined fields of economics and psychology, with standard accounts of Scitovsky’s ideas emphasizing the influence of 1960s motivational psychology literature. While this encounter is all-important, Scitovsky’s ideas must at the same time be read in the context of the evolution of his critique of twentieth-century mass society. The present paper presents that critique and demonstrates its fundamental importance for Scitovsky’s diagnosis of an economy he termed >joyless<. Drawing upon his >Memoirs<, we show how Scitovsky’s ideas were initially shaped by the culture/aesthetics of his early years in Budapest, followed by his experiences of rising totalitarianism in interwar Europe, and further affected by his move to the consumption society of postwar America. The way he engaged with the writings of influential contemporary cultural commentators, including André Gide, Erich Fromm, Bertrand de Jouvenel, Lewis Mumford, and Bernard Rudofsky, was incisive. Close scrutiny also reveals resonances between Scitovsky’s cultural concerns and those of some of the Bloomsbury Group.
Psychoanalysis in the shadow of fascism and genocide: Erich Fromm and the interpersonal tradition
(2022)
The Pathology of Normalcy and Consensual Validation: Thinking Beyond Neoliberalism with Erich Fromm
(2022)
Think of the ease in which one can acquire food and clothing today. Consider the ubiquitous availability of machines that save us hours of boring labour. For the average person in the global core, it is obvious: the material standard of living has increased exponentially since the industrial-capitalist revolution. Although we may celebrate these achievements it is also clear that such rampant capitalist development has created many horrific ‘negative externalities’.
Critical Theory has traditionally been interested in engaging classical psychoanalysis rather than addressing postclassical thought. For the first time, this volume brings Critical Theory into proper dialogue with modern developments in the psychoanalytic movement and covers a broad range of topics in contemporary society that revisit the Frankfurt School and its contributions to psychoanalytic social critique. Theoretical, clinical, and applied investigations in social pathology are explored in relation to new directions in critical cultural discourse from a variety of psychoanalytic perspectives. In this volume, internationally acclaimed social political theorists, philosophers, psychoanalysts, cultural critics, and scholars of humanities examine contemporary issues in social critique that address a myriad of topics.
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]
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]
One of the challenges of modern business ethics is to deal with the limitations of the existing model of man in economics and business – the image of homo economicus as a rational selfish being – and search for alternative visions of criteria of success for business entrepreneurs and leaders. Business ethics needs the concept of genuine love. Otherwise, business ethics is reduced to an instrumental endeavor and cannot play the ultimate role it should in a world dominated by big corporations which compete fiercely on a global market. The so-called >the Ethics Management Paradox< is an important warning against the problems with a rational and technocratic conception of ethics. The paper applies Erich Fromm’s concept of >productive love< in business education. To contextualize Fromm’s concept of love, the paper draws on the author’s personal experiences with the course >Ethical action< that has been offered for more than two decades at NHH Norwegian School of Economics in Bergen. The central question is: Can Fromm’s conception of love be applied in a business school setting with the purpose to develop the students’ empathy, to enrich their personal development and their understanding of what a good manager looks like?
In this chapter, we argue that Frankfurt School Critical Theory is in crisis and we offer three potential remedies drawn from the work of Erich Fromm (1900–1980). Juxtaposing a critical analysis of the state of ‘domesticated’ contemporary Critical Theory with a sympathetic reconstruction of Fromm’s work, we identified crucial insights which have been neglected by many of those who work within the ambit of Frankfurt School Critical Theory today. In this endeavour, we seek to build upon and extend the work of Michael J. Thompson, Stathis Kouvelakis, and Nancy Fraser.
More simply human than otherwise: interpersonal psychoanalysis and the field of the >negro problem<
(2022)
This paper explores Erich Fromm’s contribution to Deweyan democratic education by referring to his psychoanalytic interpretation of John Dewey’s pragmatic theory. First, it employs the work by Gert Biesta to secure a space between critical pedagogy and Deweyan democratic education, from which Fromm’s theory can be discussed. Furthermore, it argues that Biesta’s perspective offers a valuable theoretical ground to extend the emancipatory potential of Deweyan democratic education, while avoiding some pitfalls of critical pedagogy. Subsequently, the paper contrasts Marcuse’s and Fromm’s views on Dewey to show how Fromm’s understanding of Dewey was more effective than that of Marcuse for developing the potential of Dewey’s philosophy. Next, the paper clarifies key similarities and differences between Fromm’s psychoanalysis and Dewey’s pragmatism, as it is applicable specifically to emancipatory education. Finally, the paper argues that despite the differences between these two thinkers, Fromm’s theory further radicalizes Deweyan democratic education by adding new elements to the list of preconditions on the role of the emancipatory teacher.
Direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising (DTCPA) is pervasive in the United States. Beyond its effect on consumer behavior, DTCPA changes the relationship between individuals and physicians. The author provides a brief history of pharmaceutical advertising in the United States. The author then analyzes the current commonly used marketing techniques of pharmaceutical companies and argues that pharmaceutical companies are >irrational authorities< in Erich Fromm’s sense of the term since they seek to exploit persons. Using concepts from various philosophers from the Continental tradition, with a particular emphasis on the work of Michel Foucault, the author analyzes the power relations involved in DTCPA and ultimately argues that DTCPA subtly undermines the contemporary paradigm of patient autonomy while simultaneously depending upon it by treating health consumers as >dividuals<, that is, as porous entities to be manipulated.
Obedience
(2022)
This is a phenomenological description of existential obedience, which draws out a contrast between it and ressentiment and existential envy, and compares it with pedagogical obedience. The discussion is developed with reference especially to the work of Erich Fromm, Emerson, and Nietzsche. Eds.: This paper forms part of a special issue titled >Beyond Virtue and Vice: Education for a Darker Age<, in which the editors invited authors to engage in exercises of >transvaluation<. Certain apparently settled educational concepts (from agency and fulfilment to alienation and ignorance) can be reinterpreted and transvaluated (in a Nietzschean vein) such that virtues become vices, and vices, virtues. The editors encouraged authors to employ polemics and some occasional exaggeration to reimagine educational values that are all too readily accepted within contemporary educational discourses.
This chapter presents several different conceptualizations of the ambivalence which, it argues, is a central feature of the psyche of the modern individual. It is produced by two basic but potentially contradictory needs – for the assertion of individuality, and for membership of a collectivity. The understanding of this ambivalence is an important contribution of psychoanalysis to psychosocial theory. It bridges between sociohistorical and clinical perspectives and throws light on many aspects of the contemporary world.– The starting point is Fromm’s >Fear of Freedom< (1942). Fromm describes the depth of fearful aloneness and vulnerability felt by the modern individual who has emerged from the very limited individuation of pre-modern societies. This leads to the dangers of a regressive escape from that fear, and into identification with an idealized collective, which is the basis of popular support for authoritarianism.– This remains a highly relevant analysis, though another, complementary dynamic must now also be considered. This involves a fear of the collective, a libertarian denial of the pains of separation, and an idealization of the unfettered individual. A deficit of confidence in the core, individuated self produces vulnerability to both of these anxieties, trapping us in an ambivalence between freedom and belonging, unable to feel fully secure with either.– Developments in post-Freudian theory have offered clinically-based elaborations and variations on this idea of a basic ambivalence. Here the focus is on Guntrip’s account of the schizoid dilemma, and on descriptions of a >core complex< (Glasser) involving agoraphobic and claustrophobic impulses and oscillations between them. These different formulations converge in their picture of a self unable to live either with or without human relationships.– A number of key topics in politics today are then considered in the light of this analysis: attitudes toward the state, national identity and nationalism, terrorism, and populism. In each area, the expression and interplay of these complementary anxieties and defences against them are seen to contribute to the present difficulties of democracy.
The philosophical foundations of interpersonal psychoanalysis: Albert Dunham Jr. and racial politics
(2022)
Nowadays, the society is in the rapid development stage of scientific and technological innovation. However, to some extent, the traditional extensive concept of development has led to increasingly tense conflicts, resulting in increasingly serious conflicts between man and nature, man and man, man and society, and man and himself, seriously affecting the sound development of human society. In China, people-oriented is the starting point and the driving force of social development. >People-centered< is an important principle for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. In this regard, the importance of human beings is self-evident. In the field of foreign humanistic thought, Fromm is one of the most representative scholars. This thesis examines Fromm’s anthropological thought from three aspects: the formation, logical composition, and evaluation of his anthropological thought. The formation of Fromm’s humanistic thought is inseparable from three aspects: personal experience, social background, and its theoretical origin. In the logical composition of Fromm’s humanistic thought, human nature is the core element of Fromm’s humanistic thought. He carried out research and analysis on human nature from four aspects. First, the dualistic definition of human nature. Specifically discussed from the following angles: one was based on the original living conditions, insurmountable survival ambiguities and non-inevitable history to explain the contradiction of human nature; the other was to analyze the relationship between human nature and human nature and the relationship between human nature and survival needs to interpret human consciousness. Secondly, Fromm regarded the concept of social character as the intermediary link between individuals and society. Thirdly, Fromm analyzed the concept of alienation from the perspective of psychology and sociology, and exposed the alienation of people in modern Western society in the unconscious level and the reality level through criticizing the alienation of capitalism. Finally, Fromm put forward a set of strategies for solving alienation problems based on psychological revolution and social revolution, which provides a relatively complete solution strategy for the problem of social change. Specifically, it takes >moral renewal< as a prerequisite, and at the same time takes into account the reform work in the political, economic and cultural fields, so as to create a better environment for the all-round development of individuals. Fromm’s anthropological thought has the characteristics of value presupposition and utopia. From the standpoint of Marxism, although Fromm’s humanistic thought has certain limitations, the humanistic criticism of his humanistic thought on society has promoted the happiness and development of human beings, which has certain practical significance. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
In the process of the continuous development of capitalism, the ecological crisis and a series of environmental problems have been caused by the incorrect understanding of the relationship between man and nature. In this context, William Leiss, who has long been concerned about ecological issues, criticized the capitalist society on the basis of inheriting and developing Marxism’s theory of need and Herbert Marcuse’s theory of >True or false need<, with a new perspective to explain the needs of the capitalist system of human needs, the formation of their own ideological characteristics of the needs of the theory. Specifically, William Leiss is mainly concerned with the complexity of human desires, which is an important reason for the formation of the capitalist high consumption society, and the need to be oriented toward the commodity world, which is the root cause of the formation of the capitalist high consumption society, and the thought of human conquering nature is the important foundation of the formation of the capitalist high-consumption society. On this basis, Leiss pays attention to the quality of commodities, pays attention to the multi-dimension and relevance of human needs, and understands the close relationship between human needs and natural environment, familiar with the estimated characteristics of commodities in four aspects of the future human needs to express and meet the concept, and the future human needs to express and meet the way to explore, namely the following four aspects, advocating a general orientation of human needs towards a non-single field of goods, and an open minded self-interest to replace anthropocentrism ideology in an easily viable society, it is suggested that natural entities have the same legal rights as human beings. William Leiss’s theory of needs, while providing a new perspective on the mode of production of capitalism, enriches ecological Marxism and provides a useful reference for the establishment of a correct concept of consumption, but there is also a certain degree of misunderstanding of Marxism’s concept of goods, the lack of a certain global vision, its proposed solution is utopian. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
Joan Didion is an outstanding female writer who has achieved a distinctive position in contemporary literature. Her second novel, >Play It as It Lays<, is nominated for a National Book Award. Set in Hollywood and Las Vegas, it presents the alienated world through exquisite description of its protagonist Maria. Based on Erich Fromm’s Alienation Theory, this essay attempts to analyze the alienation in the novel from two aspects: first, the novel’s materialistic environment in the 1960s; second, the alienated relationship between spouses as well as between parents and children. [English translation: www.cnki.net, 5/2021]
Over every and each sport event, a dark veil spreads and obfuscates the celebration: doping. Although anti-doping policies have been widely applied, controlling and diminishing this phenomenon has not been achieved yet and the use of doping is commonplace. In this article, I propose the concept of narcissistic civilization as a tool to interpret this phenomenon. I seek for a parallel reading between the Freudian idea of narcissism and its extension to social narcissism by Fromm, together with Heidegger’s analysis of technology, keeping in mind that doping is a technological application. In this way I point out that both theories share a common view in that humans tend to fail in the distinction between the external reality as an object and their own self as the interpreter that is between the >I< and the >not I<. By making this fusion of the two theories that originate from different intellectual traditions, I aspire to provide an interpretation tool for the broad use of doping: I conclude that doping can be understood with the assumption of a narcissistic civilization, focused on technology that calls for the use of PEDs.
In 1939, Erich Fromm argued that capitalist culture imbues the pursuit of economic advantage with moral tensions that harm self and psyche. Since this time, the inner implications of such tensions have been somewhat overlooked by theorists, and not without seemingly good reasons. By many accounts, social and technological developments in the later decades of the 20th century have ostensibly reduced the cultural tensions surrounding profit making and mitigated their inner effects. This article, however, presents a different account. Drawing from literature on culture, self, and subjectivity in the neoliberal era, it argues that the tensions Fromm identified have actually been recreated in new, sometimes more elusive ways that bear substantial inner costs. Moreover, focusing on economic elites, this article analytically explores the agentic implications of these inner costs. It argues that the moral tensions that haunt profit making ironically stand at the basis of capitalist agency, shaping its materialistic default through processes rooted in self.
Chapter III: Culture
(2021)
The third chapter deals with the cultural environment of humanity. It exposes its nature and stresses its fundamental historicity. It elaborates particularly on the location of cultures, stressing that culture not only constitutes our environment but it also inhabits us. The chapter underlines the crucial role played by mediations in the incessant transformations taking place between individuals and society. The role played by class position and the problem of predictability of individual actions and social development is touched upon in this context. The chapter outlines also the driving lines of evolution resulting in the society/individual couple as we know it. Finally this chapter offers a Marxist appreciation of some very important authors: George H. Mead, Karen Horney, Harry S. Sullivan, John Bowlby, Erich Fromm, Pierre Bourdieu, and the cultural psychology approach.
As social theorists seek to understand the contemporary challenges of radical populism, we would do well to reconsider the febrile insights of the psychoanalytic social theorist Erich Fromm. It was Fromm who, at the beginning of the 1930s, conceptualized the emotional and sociological roots of a new ‘authoritarian character’ who was meek in the face of great power above and ruthless to the powerless below. It was Fromm, in the 1950s, who argued that societies, not only individuals, could be sick. This essay traces the intertwining of psychoanalytic and sociological methods that allowed Fromm to create such new ideas. At the same time, it highlights how Fromm’s sociology was hampered by an economistic Marxist approach to the institutions and culture of democratic capitalist societies. Such theoretical restriction prevented Fromm from conceptualizing how institutions like democracy, science, and psychotherapy can provide resources for widespread emotional recuperation and civil repair.
Since the 1990s, urban literature has risen and become the most important literary landscape. As an important part of urban literature, urban poetry has been gradually developing in the middle and late 1980s. With its constantly spring-up, the research on urban poetry has gradually increased. In the early days, most of the research and discussion of related concepts. After the 1990s, along with the introduction of Western urban poetry theories, urban poetry research showed a diversified research trend as well as achieved a fruitful result. The Chinese cities after the 1990 s have striking similarities with Baudelaire’s Paris described by Benjamin. Therefore, based on the texts of Chinese urban poetry after the 1990s and took reference of Western multidisciplinary urban studies, this thesis analyzes the writing of urban poetry in this period and its modern urban consciousness in a comparative perspective, and demonstrates the urban development and human spiritual dilemma of universal significance in the process of urbanization. The first chapter of the thesis mainly analyzes the urban landscape as imagery. Based on the research ideas of Roland Bart’s semiotics and Kevin Lynch’s urban planning, it draws and studies the formal characteristics and semantic structure in Chinese urban poetry after the 1990 s, which applied the related concepts and methods of urban space theory and architectural phenomenology, using basic units such as city streets, nodes, landmarks to combine urban architecture and the space. Dense streets are a typical feature of urban space, which also present the most authentic people’s life. In poetry, abstract and conceptual streets often symbol the urban space, representing fastness or congestion. The specific streets with clear directivity become the memory carrier or the emotional projection in the poet’s narration. The constantly demolished old streets are regarded as the epitome of urban culture. Typical urban nodes are like squares with the nature of gathering points as well as railways and stations with the nature of connecting points. The connotation of city squares in poetry has gone from a space with rich political accommodation or ideal accommodation to a huge public entertainment function. The urban railway is not only a symbol of modern civilization, but also a metaphor of time, and a symbol of the ideal love of urban people. The station with a strong spirit is not only a place for strangers and nostalgia, but also the maternal symbol of the initiator of era and nurturing new life. As the symbol and unique characteristic of a city, tall buildings transcend reality and enters the imaginary level in poets’ writing from symbolizing power and rebirth to squeezing, siege and becoming an ancient behemoth. To get rid of the invisible majesty and pressure brought by the shape of tall buildings, poets choose to take the top or glass windows, curtain walls of tall buildings to determine their position and perceive the shape of the city. The second chapter shows the modern crowds wandering in the city. It divides into three types, i. e. wanderers, aliens and margins, defined by Benjamin, Simmel, and Robert Parker on the role of urban people combining the poet’s subjective life experience, urban vision, and self-identity. Wanders are further divided into wandering meditators, lonely garbage pickers, and angry critics. Wandering meditators walk through the streets to achieve a complex relationship among the city and urban people; lonely garbage pickers observe the people and objects in the city as a >garbage picker< in Baudelaire’s pen to collect his own poetry; angry critics take the angle to stand on the opposite side of the city, revealing the deformed development of the city in a manner that is incompatible with the city, and the ecological crisis and human survival crisis. There are two types of aliens. Some of them can >dwells on this earth poetically< in the city. They eagerly present and examine the city’s unique mundane feelings with their own original vision and take a proactive attitude toward the city. Another part are people ran back and forth between the countryside and the city. They were >dual-aliens< between the countryside and the city. Marginal people mainly include those who have a real-world marginal situation and those who have a >self-marginal< mentality. The marginalized people with realistic marginal situations often have rural growth backgrounds, and most of them still live in small towns. By showing the urban life and living conditions of urban fringe people, they express the filth and greatness, lofty and despicableness of the city on the one hand, and on the other hand the aspect also completed the identification of the marginal identity of the self, and realized the comfort and salvation of the self. Although marginalized people with a self-marginal mentality live in cities, they all have long or short experiences in rural life. They are particularly aware of the sadness, bitterness, and heaviness of life. They express the hidden worries and sorrows in the process of urban modernization by writing about the lives of people on the periphery of the city. The third chapter presents the alienated modern urban spirit. It takes on Simmel’s sociological theory, Fromm’s theory of human nature, and Jungian personality analysis psychology to illustrate the alienated urban spirit in modern cities. Modern cities continue to throw people into new experiences, new environments, and new crowds. When these new stimuli make city people feeling the threat, they will use their rationality and then produces indifferent. Indifference makes people form reserved interpersonal relationships. Indifferent individuals are forced to enter various relationships, so personality masks are caused and lead to constant splits in personality. Finally, indifferent modern people seek psychological balance, occasionally reveals his sincere emotions, creating a stranger’s emotional penetration. The biggest impact of indifference on modern urbanites is to make individuals suffer from loneliness. The loneliness with multiple faces has become a common mental state of modern people. It originated from the poet’s attitude of self-estrangement and the decline of the physical home (country) and the nowhere to put the spiritual home in the process of urbanization. Facing loneliness, different poets have different attitudes, which reflect the different moods of the poets. In addition, the rise of a consumer society, the expansion of material desires, and the pressure of survival forced poets to change their attitude towards commodities and strive to approach poetry in the material flood. The objects of modern civilization will gradually be degenerated with the passage of time and the changing environments. The meaning and value of money will continue to collapse, and people will never be able to achieve a poetic dwelling. Finally, the expansion of body desires is a typical symptom of modern society. Cities are full of erotic desires, and sexual desire has become the >top priority< of modern society. Herein, love is no longer a pure spiritual pursuit, but a vain term tied to material needs and even equates to prostitution. He inspires individual passions and desires, and at the same time turns individuals into puppets controlled by passions and desires. [Translation: www. cnki.net, 4/2023]
Aim: Through a review of philosophical and theoretical constructs, this paper offers insight and guidance as to ways in which nurse leaders may operationalize advocacy and an adherence to nursing's core ethical values. Background: The US health care system works in opposition to core nursing values. Nurse leaders are obliged to advocate for the preservation of ethical care delivery. Evaluation: This paper draws upon the philosophies of Fromm, Foucault, and Deleuze and Guattari to critically review the functions of nurse leaders within a capitalist paradigm. Key issue: Key emergent issues in the paper include health care and capitalism and the nurse leader's obligations towards advocacy. Conclusion: The nurse leader acts as parrhèsia in viewing truth telling as a duty critical to improving the lives of patients. Ramifications of the decisions by those in power have even greater impact in institutions that serve those with little to no political agency. Implications for Nursing Management: The nurse leader has a freedom and platform that their patients do not and must take the courageous risk of choosing to speak. This paper serves as a call to action for nurse leaders to urgently address the current state of US health outcomes.
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.
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]
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.
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.
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.
Marx’s concept of class not only plays an important role in the formation of early Marxist philosophy, but also deepens it in the exploration of late Marxist philosophy. Because Marx began to construct the concept of >class< from the early stage, and constantly deepened the concept of kind in the mature and late stage, so the study of Marx’s concept of class is of great significance to understand and grasp the development process of Marxist philosophy and the Sinicization of Marxist philosophy. However, because Marx criticized Feuerbach’s abstract concept of class and didn’t directly use the terms related to the concept of class in his later period, most researchers in the academic circles think that Marx’s concept of class is an >immature< concept, and Marx later replaced the concept of class with the concept of >society<. Therefore, based on Marx’s early and late original works, this paper will deeply explore the historical evolution of Marx’s concept of category, so as to objectively refute the above >immature< view. Althusser and Fromm hold opposite views on Marx’s concept of class. The former thinks that Marx’s early >ideological stage< involves >class< thought, while the latter >scientific< stage abandons >class< thought. Fromm thinks that there is only one humanistic Marx, and Marx’s concept of class has continuity. It is undeniable that Marx did use the philosophical terms with the color of Feuerbach’s >class concept<, and also highly valued the historical achievements of Feuerbach’s philosophy, but this does not lead to the conclusion that Marx’s class concept remained in the Feuerbach stage. Through the analysis of Marx’s concept of class and its formation process, this paper finds that although Marx’s concept of class has inherited and developed the terms related to Feuerbach’s concept of class, it has fundamentally gone beyond the basic connotation of Feuerbach’s concept of class, and has continued to deepen in Marx’s mature and late works. Therefore, the basic connotation of Marxist concept is not a mature concept, but it runs through Marxist philosophy. The study of Marx’s concept of class has two dimensions of theoretical and practical value. The theoretical dimension is conducive to maintaining the integrity of Marx’s philosophical thought and opposing the >class theory< of Marx’s thought. In the practical dimension, Marx’s concept of category provides philosophical basis for the construction of contemporary Chinese philosophy, the correct handling of the relationship between man and nature, and a community with a shared future for mankind. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
As the earliest form of literary expression, myth has provided a wide range of creative ideas for later writers with its profound changeable themes and thought-provoking connotations, and the vitality of love reflected in myth has also attracted more and more attention. Since Freud, the school of psychoanalysis and its branches have absorbed a great deal of classical nutrients concerning the practice of modern psychoanalysis in the Romantic epics Metamorphoses and Love Proverbs, which were systematized by the Roman poet Ovid. Aiming at the love topic of mankind for thousands of years, there is a close dialogue between psychoanalysis and literature in different historical contexts. Based on the theories of Freud, Lacan, Fromm and other psychoanalysts about love and the predicament of human existence, this paper attempts to analyze the symptoms of love in myth romantic epic Metamorphoses written by Ovid, and to observe >Ars amatoria<, which is shining with the glory of human nature, through the study of the symptoms of myth, and then to demonstrate: Only through the guidance and transformation of real freedom, hope and creativity can love finally become social and sound love.– This article is divided into four chapters and three parts: First of all, in the introduction part, this article will briefly explain the research significance and research status at home and abroad. Secondly, the article in the second part consisted of three chapters, aims to research on Freud’s unconscious and neurosis, Lacan’s mirror stage and the >Three Realms Theory<, Fromm’s doctrine of sound love as the foundation. Taking the classic epic Metamorphoses as a case, this paper aims to probe into the successful or tragic love in the epic from the psychological perspective of psychoanalysis, and summarize the crux and root causes of various love syndromes under an objective and meticulous text interpretation method.– The first chapter focuses on the relationship between love and freedom in two steps: The first step mainly focuses on the analysis of the stories of Eco and Philomela in >Metamorphoses<, expressing the relationship between the control and anti-control of subject, language and vision, and pointing out that human beings are always facing the dilemma of becoming >the subject that cannot stand up< in the existing order; the second step mainly compares Tereus’s >love< and Daphne’s >love< with >the subject who cannot stand up<, showing that the excessive >free< love desire leads to the loss of shame of the subject, and the serious consequences of not being able to truly realize free love.– The second chapter will focus on the relationship between love and hope in the stories of Lanthe, Pygmalion and Adonis. On the one hand, it shows that the psychological archetypes of >Anima<, >Animus< and >Mana< based on primitive experience not only stipulate the hope of love in accordance with human nature, but also prove the futility of the hope of love by the existence of >the ultimate thing< and death. On the other hand, on the basis of comparing >magic< with >Thesmophoria Worship< and >Adonis cult<, this paper analyzes hopeless obsession and positive belief, and emphasizes that only the latter can perfect free love and make it full of hope.– The third chapter focuses on love and creativity, and illustrates the defects of love between Narcissus and Eco, Thisbe and Pyramus: Due to the lack of conscious emotional motivation and the ability of free love, human beings have developed the >Copying Love< without any creativity. The creation and destruction of life is the subject’s proof of the inevitability of existence, and it also confirms the powerful power of erotic instinct. In addition, Orpheus and Pygmalion provided inspiration for the free play of the subject’s erotic impulses in art, through the understanding of art, the combination of the subject and the work of art promotes the creative sublimation of love and desire. Finally, in the third part, the fourth chapter, Based on the research results of Fromm, Marcuse and others on the formation, development and perfection of the subject personality in society, this paper returns from the love myth epic Metamorphoses by the ancient Roman poet Ovid to the love proverbs poem >Ars amatoria< then specifically analyzes the medication judgment, treatment means and cure goal of love syndrome in >Ars amatoria<. In the end, my conclusion is that love is the unity of freedom, hope and creativity. Only in the process of mutual promotion and formation of love can freedom, hope and creativity transform primitive love into social love, and realize the perfection and cure of love and purification of noble sentiment. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
A Frommian perspective on the socio-psychological structure of post-fascism in liberal democracies
(2020)
My research explores Erich Fromm’s social theories of narcissism, alienation and authoritarianism for the purpose of linking those theories together, thereby analysing current populist phenomena as an extension of a fascist development in terms of Enzo Traverso’s conception of post-fascism. In my view, Fromm’s critical social theory of narcissism, which pertains to his two other theories, has great potential to unravel current political issues in liberal democracies that are generally tackled in terms of populism. Through a demonstration of the theoretical scope of Fromm’s social theory, which sheds light on pathological social and political phenomena in historical continuity, I argue that the primary tasks of Critical Theory in Frommian terms are to divulge the sources of fascist orientations in seemingly democratic practice and to offer appropriate remedies for these difficulties. In this light, I conclude that in terms of a Frommian social theory of narcissism, fascist types of politics thrive even in advanced liberal-democratic countries, taking the form of authoritarian populism, particularly where society rests on a narcissistic character structure intertwined with an authoritarian orientation.
Fromm is one of the well-known .humanistic ethicists. His whole life had focused on people. In his view, loving is an art that can guide people to better survive and promote liberation. The existing researches on the ethical thought of loving mainly revolve around his theory of love and his practice of love, while relatively few studies are conducted from the perspective of overall humanistic ethics. It would help us, investigating his ethical thought of love into a humanistic perspective of ethics, so this paper attempts to grasp the ethical thought of love and its ideological implication with comprehensively. The tradition of Judaism love planted the seeds of loving in Fromm’s heart, while the difference of Johann Jakob Bachofen’s parental love inspires him to extend love from family to society, and Zen’s enlightenment method and Freud’s psychoanalytic theory helped him cast his psychological basis, Marx’s theory of humans and the critical theory of Frankfurt School provided him with theoretical weapons to criticize the abnormal phenomena of human being and society. Thanks to these theoretical basis from the great thinkers and schools, Fromm put forward his own theory on people, setting out a logical kick-off for his discourse on ethics of love. Fromm highlighted that loving was the answer to human existence. He underwent explorations of human survival dilemma and spiritual needs, approached a >prescription< that rooted in human beings, and prescribed his medication->recipe for love< involving both theory and practice, in which >giving< is the heart of love, and >caring about oneself<, >knowing oneself<, >respecting oneself<, >taking responsibility for oneself< treated respectively as motivation, prerequisite, necessary condition and fruits, forming the basic substances of his loving. When facing different practitioners, Fromm also called their differences. The general and specific requirements of the art of loving constituted his practicing of love. Fromm believed that only a combination of the two requirements could achieve the ethical goal of self-love and of a healthy society. First of all, the people who acts >self-love< is the ideal >moral newcomer<. He must have a productive character in this way, maintain independence as well as be integrated with others in the process of >assimilation< and >socialization<. Also, he should have good interpersonal relationships, and be able to cultivate a way of survival that emphasizes existence instead of possession, so as to realize the all-round development of people. Second, a healthy society, from Fromm’s perspective, was not only the prerequisite for real love, but also the goal of love of ethics. Fromm did not only carry out ethical criticism of various fields of society, but tried to present reform plans also. He made attempts to save people and restore human nature, and love was one of his criteria and conditions for measuring and achieving goals. In addition, Fromm’s love of ethics was not only a critique of authoritarian ethics or a supplement to scientism ethics, and it’s good for us to view the development of capitalism objectively. At the same time, this Paper is based on the reality of our country, trying to explore the beneficial factors for individual liberation and social development, in order to approach its realistic value. As could be seen, these values cannot erase the limitations of Fromm’s love of ethics, his utopian nature, the bias of the individual and the fragility of the theory of human nature, etc. up to a point, all of which had blocked his ethical purpose from realizing. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
This paper criticizes the emphasis placed by contemporary social theory and political philosophy on institutionalism as the basis for the understanding, legitimation and changing of institutions, or social systems, and society as a whole. The more impactful characteristic of institutionalism is its technical-logical structuring, based on an impartial, neutral and formal proceduralism that autonomizes social systems in relation to political praxis and social normativity, depoliticizing these social systems. Here, they are no longer depoliticized, but assume political centrality as the fundamental social subjects of the legitimation and evolution of institutions and society. The paper’s central argument is that it is necessary to re-politicize the institutions and the social subjects or social classes in order to ground and streamline a direct political praxis and the civil society’s social-political subjects as the basis for framing and legitimizing the current process of Western modernization. Recovering the politicity and the carnality of institutions, of social classes and of the evolution of society, is the fundamental task for a contemporary critical social theory that faces the strong institutionalism based on systemic theory. Such politicization is the unforgettable teaching of Karl Marx and Erich Fromm: the institutions have political content and political subjects, they are the result of social struggles for hegemony between opposed social classes which are political. Now, such politicity-carnality must be unveiled and used for an emancipatory democratic political praxis as the route for social analysis and political change, in opposition to the technical-logical understanding both of the institutions and of the social subjects.
Revisiting Authoritarianism
(2020)
This article traces the roots of the Authoritarian Personality (AP) project in the neo-Freudian/phenomenological tradition of the Frankfurt School (FS). It focuses on three of its major proponents (Erich Fromm, Theodor Adorno and Herbert Marcuse) and examines the construction of the F-scale. It outlines how, according to FS-influenced scholars, the AP arose from the disciplinary measures inflicted on late 19th and early 20th century German middle-class youth, and details the sado-masochistic political style of the prototypical AP. It covers the critical reception of this characterization and explanation of authoritarianism by Bob Altemeyer and Anglo-American positivism. It concludes by arguing that in overlooking the inner life of the AP, positivism blinds us to compelling truths, about authoritarianism, and also about ourselves.
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.
Extremely important and basic category of Marx’s ideological system, the part of Marxist theories about human value, starting from the >realistic person< and aiming at realizing human value, is formed by examining the nature, alienation, liberation and all-round development of human from the perspective of human itself and its subjectivity, socially and practicality. Theoretically speaking, studying on Marxist human value thought provides theoretical support for contemporary China in the transition period on how to scientifically understand human nature and human development; practically speaking, this part is put forward on the basis of criticizing capitalist commodity economy so that studying it is of great significance to guide, further promotion of all-round development of human being.– First of all, Marx’s ideas of human value are raised under the realistic background of a series of unfairness existing in the capitalist private ownership system. They are based on such a social context, with severe class contradictions between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie, and poor workers trapped in extreme misery in the era of booming capitalism, as well as the theoretical background of the utopia socialism and the viewpoints of the German classical philosophers. These ideas derive mainly from three aspects of Hegel’s view of human nature and Feuerbach’s theory of humanism: human nature, human development and value targets. Marx admitted the significance, and content differentiation. Secondly, it analyzes the forming process of Marx’s value thought of human being, and divides the forming process into four stages. The period from the doctoral dissertation to the >German French Yearbooks< […] is the embryonic period of Marx’s value thought on human beings. Under the influence of Hegel’s self-consciousness and Hegel’s thinking on abstract human nature with Hegel’s language, Marx discussed the values of >human freedom< […]. Through the criticism of civil society and the research and >Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right<, Marx revealed the social reality of cannibalism under the capitalist private system. In the period from >Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844< to >The German Ideology<, Marx analyzed the alienation of human and its origin from the perspective of economics It is the first time to use the concept of >realistic individual< to criticize the abstract values of human beings, to discuss the >realistic person<, to make new regulations on the values of human beings, and to point out that the essence of human beings is the sum of all social relations; >The Communist Manifesto< is the rich period of Marx’s values of human beings. In this period, Marx’s Historical Materialism has been developed the basic formation, using the weapon of Historical Materialism, analyzes the process of the development of human society, and further puts forward that the ultimate goal of human values is to achieve the free and all-round development of human beings, and the future society of human beings is a communist society; the period of >Capital< and the >three Manuscripts< is the sublimation period of Marx’s human value thought, during which Marx makes in-depth analysis. The relationship between the development of >real man< and the social development, points out the three stages of the realization of man’s value, and finds out the factors that hinder man’s development.– Finally, Marx’s thought of human value has a significant impact on Western Marxism humanism, which has triggered the Western Marxism humanism thoughts. At the same time, it has important theoretical foundation significance and practical guidance significance for China, which is currently in a period of social transformation. It is still an indispensable >critical weapon< of our era. No matter the representative of Western Marxism such as Fromm and Marcuse, who start from the early manuscripts of Marx >Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844<, or those persons who start from the mature texts of Marx >The Communist Manifesto< and >Capital<, such as Lukács and Gramsci. Although there are big differences in their ideas, it can be found that an axis and the theme around them is that there is only one Marx, that is, Marxism with the highest purpose of eliminating alienation as the realization of human value, human liberation, free and all-round development. The influence of Marxist human values on the theory of western capitalism is also enlightening to China in the transition period. Under the background of faster and faster social development and accelerated economic globalization, we should draw on the attention of Western Marxists to human beings, pay attention to the development of human subjectivity, adhere to the people-oriented ideology, and strive to achieve human value and the true existence of human create sufficient social conditions for the free and all-round development and liberation of human beings. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
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]
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]
Love plays an important role in people’s daily life. Sufficient research on the theme of >love< is helpful to promote the harmonious and friendly interpersonal relationship and the improvement of social civilization. Erich Fromm as a western Marxist, after the objective analysis and observation of the capitalist society, He thinks that with the development of capitalist society, love has become a relatively rare phenomenon. Its expression is the phenomenon of dissimilation and decay of love. Fromm systematically expounded his theory of love through a series of works such as the art of love. The formation of Fromm’s thought has profound social background and theoretical source. The two world wars, the mechanization tendency of social life and other problems caused by capitalist society had a profound influence on the formation of Fromm’s theory. The theories of Marx and Freud constitute the ideological source of Fromm’s theory of love. The capitalist social environment also has a profound negative impact on relationships and love.– Based on this, Fromm explains his theory of love in detail from four aspects: the source, elements, form and how to obtain love, and points out various manifestations and problems of the alienation of love in capitalist society. Fromm’s theory of love, it can provide theoretical reference for helping people to set up correct ideas and promote harmonious and friendly interpersonal relationship and social development, but Fromm was a psychoanalytic psychologist and a Freudian Marxist, his exposition of the theory of love focuses on the aspects of psychological analysis and social culture. To some extent, it ignores the influence and restriction of objective practice, social life development level on people’s psychological consciousness and the relationship between people’s emotion-love. He advocated social reform and psychological revolution to solve the problems in capitalist society, without seeing that its essence is the reflection and expression of the inherent contradictions of a capitalist society. This is the limitation of his theory of love. The harmonious development of the society needs the harmonious and friendly interpersonal relationship and the promotion of family affection and friendship. Today, we are advancing the socialist modernization drive, Fromm’s theory of love has some reference significance in this respect. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
There are important studies that have directly focused on how, in times of conflict, it is possible for previously law abiding people to commit the most atrocious acts of cruelty and violence. The work of Erich Fromm (>Escape from Freedom<), Hannah Arendt (>Eichmann in Jerusalem<), Zygmunt Bauman (>Modernity and the Holocaust<) and Ernest Becker (>Escape from Evil<) have all contemplated the driving force of aggression and mass violence to further our understanding of how people are capable of engaging in extreme forms of cruelty and violence. This paper specifically addresses these issues by focusing on C. P. Taylor’s play >Good<. This provocative play examines how a seemingly >good< and intelligent university professor can gradually become caught up in the workings of the Third Reich. Taylor highlights the importance of appreciating how people can be steadily incorporated into an ideologically destructive system. I argue that the theatre is a powerful medium to explore these complex issues. The audience of >Good< find themselves confronted with the following question – >What would you have done?<
The current era is often referred to as the era of big data. The development of information technology makes almost everything related to data. Different fields have different data. Everyone is generating data, and everyone lives in the data. While people enjoy the convenience of life brought by big data, the spiritual confusion has not been resolved. This article analyzes and thinks about Fromm’s human thoughts, and takes this as his starting point to reflect on the spiritual dilemma of people in the era of big data.– This article first gives a brief overview of the current research situation of Fromm’s human thoughts at home and abroad, and puts forward his own research goals. The first chapter makes a brief analysis on the background and sources of Fromm’s humanistic thought. The second and third chapters make a concrete analysis of Fromm’s anthropological thoughts: the second chapter focuses on the analysis of Fromm’s theories about human existence, and the third chapter focuses on his theory of social personality and social unconsciousness A brief explanation, and pointed out that these his theories are still applicable to the analysis of the social character and unconsciousness of people in the era of big data. Chapter 4 mainly clarifies the basic concepts of big data, and the reason why Fromm’s ideas are still valuable in today’s big data era. During these forty years, the major contradictions in Western society have not fundamentally changed, the living conditions of people have not improved much, and their capabilities have not been fundamentally exerted.– Combining this reality, this article takes Fromm’s humanistic thoughts as the starting point, deeply analyzes the morbid human phenomenon in the current era, and analyzes the mental dilemma of people in the era of big data from four aspects of catering to data, interfering with data, relying on data and possessing data. These pathological phenomena are also the contemporary portrayal of Fromm's ideas about the dichotomy and unproductive society of human existence 40 years ago. Similarly, his solution has similarities with Marx’s plan, and it has some reference significance. Based on this understanding, the author affirmed that Fromm’s anthropological thinking still has its significance in this era of big data. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
This article focuses on the role that the notion of temporality can and should play in the tradition of Critical Theory. Following an overview of the critical analyses of time found in the works of Marx, Lukács, Weber, Adorno, Fromm, and Marcuse, the article analyzes Hartmut Rosa’s critique of social acceleration and argues that this critique lacks a firm normative basis. This basis is required, however, for one to claim why certain processes of social acceleration are wrong. It is shown that Rosa’s analyses of acceleration contain two suggestions for such a basis: autonomy understood as a narrative identity, and autonomy as defended by Honneth’s theory of recognition. After an exploration of both suggestions, in which the ideas of MacIntyre and Ricoeur are briefly discussed as well, it is argued that a combination of both may result in a specific, normative understanding of reification, which is defended against Honneth’s definition of this concept. Based on an interpretation of passages in Horkheimer and Adorno’s >Dialectic of Enlightenment< and Adorno’s notion of >working through the past<, the article claims that reification should be understood as a forgetting of the narratives that have shaped the self and the social structures under which this self is formed, and therefore as the inability to recognize the temporal dimensions of the autonomous self.
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.
The article explains the importance of forming identity for the psychological and spiritual development of an individual. The author notes that the role of folk culture in the formation of national identity in modern society has diminished, and it analyzes the socio-psychological conditions in which the specific role of folk culture can be restored: modern economic and socio-cultural activities of new cultural functions; acquisition by assimilation by species; creation of favorable environment, including information environment; unifying the community around the main objectives of the educational process; to look for new educational practices and to consider cultural and historical psychology. Indeed, >one of the worst forms of psychological suffering is boredom, not knowing what to do with yourself and your life<, concluded Fromm. The consequences of the state not formed by individuals or the loss of identity become a crisis of national identity, which is a prerequisite for the loss of national sovereignty (national self-consciousness). Problem researchers tell us that the >living< of our native culture, the deep emotional connection with it, and the understanding of the meanings of it, are made by the individual, the customs, values, special forms of cultural, historical, social and spiritual life of the motherland. Book publishing centers, Russian culture of all nations, etc. Their self-awareness in difficult financial conditions made people think not only about survival, but also to adopt a language and culture that was alien to them.
Erich Fromm was an internationally renowned social psychologist and philosopher of the twentieth century. In order to analyze the social phenomenon of capitalism, he spent his life trying to combine Marxism with Freudian Psychoanalysis. Fromm hopes to find the master key to realize the spiritual freedom and perfect life of human beings by repeatedly questioning the various realistic dilemmas, conflicts and cultural crises of human existence in the western society. Starting from the realistic dilemma faced by the capitalist society, he introduced Freud’s psychoanalysis theory to the micro level of alienation, formed the theory of alienation with its own characteristics, and enriched the connotation of Marx’s alienation thought. Marx has pointed out clearly that the alienation of real life and the alienation of consciousness constitute two representative areas of alienation in human life. Starting from the most basic practical activity-labor, Marx develops his theory of alienation and discusses the alienation of the external world or real life. Fromm, on the other hand, made a supplementary study on alienation from the perspective of internal concept or subjective consciousness. And through the comprehensive analysis and criticism of the capitalist society, put forward the psychological revolution theory and social reform plan to save the human being and establish a sound society. In modern society, with the continuous development of economy, science and technology, people’s ultimate goal of social development is to better meet their own needs for development, and people’s awareness of increasingly prominent social subject status has been constantly enhanced. But at the same time, human existence also faces many new problems. How to effectively solve the dilemma of human development has become the primary task of contemporary society. Fromm’s theory of alienation actively focuses on the living conditions of human beings, attaches importance to the self-realization and creative development of human beings, and tries to find a way for the sound development of human beings.– Therefore, the study of Fromm’s theory of alienation is undoubtedly of reference significance to solve the survival crisis of modern people. Based on the comprehensive analysis and interpretation of Fromm’s dissimilation theory, this paper, on the basis of clarifying its theoretical connotation, captures its theoretical characteristics and makes a scientific analysis of its achievements and shortcomings. Finally, combining with the background of globalization and the reality of the whole social development, it points out the contemporary value of its theory, especially the practical significance to the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
Mrs. Elizabeth Gaskell is considered to be one of the most influential British female writers in the 19th century, whose works are famous for reflecting the labor conflicts between the bourgeoisie and the working class, such as >Mary Barton<, >North and South<, >Ruth<, and so on. Mrs. Gaskell published her first novel >Mary Barton< in 1848. Taking the British Chartist Movement and the worker's strike as its background, the novel which has high realistic value profoundly describes the real social life and ideological situation of the workers in Manchester under the oppression of capitalists. In the 19th century, in terms of the English literature which reflects the daily life of the working class vividly and carefully, the achievements of this novel are incomparable with any other works. In recent years, with the rise of western feminism and the emergence of some criticisms of literary and cultural which focus on the social historical background, the classic novel >Mary Barton< has aroused people‘s interests and attentions again. Taking Mrs. Gaskell‘s >Mary Barton< as the research object, on the basis of Fromm‘s alienation theory, this thesis explains the theme of alienation in the novel.– The thesis consists of three parts including introduction, main body, and conclusion. The introduction part mainly presents the life of Mrs. Gaskell, the principal content of >Mary Barton<, as well as the literature review and thesis statement. The main body of this thesis is composed of five chapters. The first chapter mainly introduces the origin and development of alienation theory, especially the main contents of Fromm‘s alienation theory, including man‘s self-alienation, the alienation between man and man, and the alienation between man and nature. The second chapter analyzes the self-alienation of the characters in the novel, mostly including Mary‘s absurd view of love, John‘s twisted character, and Old Carson‘s vulgar view of interest, etc, which reveal the far-reaching impact of self-alienation on the characters, and ultimately lead to the tragic endings of these characters. The third chapter discusses the alienation between man and man from the aspects of family and work relations in the novel. The fourth chapter expounds the alienation between man and nature, that is, the opposite relationships between man and nature in the novel. On the one hand, the two metropolises of Manchester and London are gradually declining due to human activities. On the other hand, the disease outbreaks and the depletion of natural resources also have an indelible impact on people‘s lives. The fifth chapter explains the main reasons of the alienation in >Mary Barton<, which are the influence of the Chartist Movement, the rule of class consciousness and rights consciousness, the prevalence of egoism and the spread of Anthropocentrism. The conclusion part makes the summary of this thesis and briefly introduces the significance. Based on the analysis of the specific alienated images of characters in the novel, this thesis discusses the essence of alienation of human nature and estrangement of interpersonal relationship in capitalist society described by Mrs. Gaskell, and sparks thoughts about the nature of human, the relationships between man and nature and the relationships between people in contemporary society, which will further strengthen the confidence in building a healthy and harmonious society. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
This paper sets out to examine in a comparative framework Pitirim A. Sorokin and Erich Fromm's conceptions of love. The core argument is s in the complementarity between self-love and altruistic love. In conclude, altruistic love and self-love are not contradictory to each other. Those who don't love themselves cannot love others, nevertheless, those who ignore others cannot love themselves. What I try to show in this thesis is to clarify this fact.
This paper sets out to examine in a comparative framework Pitirim A. Sorokin and Erich Fromm's conceptions of love. The core argument is s in the complementarity between self-love and altruistic love. In conclude, altruistic love and self-love are not contradictory to each other. Those who don't love themselves cannot love others, nevertheless, those who ignore others cannot love themselves. What I try to show in this thesis is to clarify this fact.
Introduction
(2020)
>Jewish Exiles’ Psychological Interpretations of Nazism< examines works of four German-Jewish scholars who, in their places of exile, sought to probe the pathology of the Nazi mind: Wilhelm Reich’s >The Mass Psychology of Fascism< (1933), Erich Fromm’s >Escape from Freedom< (1941), Siegfried Kracauer’s >From Caligari to Hitler: A Psychological History of the German Film< (1947), and Erich Neumann’s >Depth Psychology and a New Ethic< (1949). While scholars have examined these authors’ individual legacies, no comparative analysis of their shared concerns has yet been undertaken, nor have the content and form of their psychological inquiry into Nazism been seriously and systematically analyzed. Yet, the sense of urgency in their works calls for attention. They all took up their pens to counter Nazi barbarism, believing, like the English jurist and Judge Sir William Blackstone, that >scribere est agree< (to write is to act).
>The Mass Psychology of Fascism< (1933) was the first psychological inquiry into Fascism. In this work the psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich (1897–1957) explores how Fascists came into power, and explain their rise as a symptom of sexual repression. It was followed by other psychological interpretations of Nazism by Jewish exiles from the Third Reich, from Erich Fromm’s >Escape from Freedom< (1942), to Siegfried Kracauer’s >From Caligari to Hitler: A Psychological History of the German Film< (1947), and Erich Neumann’s >Depth Psychology and a New Ethic< (1949).
Erich Fromm was a German social psychologist and psychoanalyst who was associated with the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory. He was known for developing the concept that freedom was a fundamental part of human nature and for challenging the theories of Sigmund Freud. In his works he presented the view that understanding of basic human needs is essential to the understanding of society and mankind. In >Escape from Freedom< Fromm explores humanity’s shifting relationship with freedom, with particular regard to the personal consequences of its absence.
Examines works of four German-Jewish scholars who, in their exile, sought to probe the pathology of the Nazi mind.– Provides an introduction, a biographical sketch, a historical discussion of the development of each individual’s thought, and an explication of each of the four major works.– Includes discussions of Wilhelm Reich, Erich Fromm, Siegfried Kracauer, and Erich Neumann.
Epilogue
(2020)
Recent decades have witnessed a surge of important studies dealing with intellectuals’ confrontation with fascism and Nazism, and the societal roles that they can play, especially during such “dark times.” This is an area that is close to my study, and it is therefore important to mark the difference between some of these studies and mine in terms of content and form and with regard to the meaning and significance intellectuals assigned to their works.
Edward Albee(1928 – 2016), one of the most outstanding avant-garde American playwrights, has acquired spectacular achievements in his life. Generally recognized as an eminent spokesman of the American theatre, Albee’s plays provide a key to understanding the capitalistic society. >At Home at the Zoo< combines Albee’s classic work, >The Zoo Story<, with its prequel, home-life, to form a complete story of Peter, Ann, and Jerry. Based on the theory of alienation, this thesis analyzes the alienation in individuals, families and society reflected in the play.– The thesis consists of three parts. The introduction reviews the achievements of Edward Albee and the style of his plays, with a particular focus on his work >At Home at the Zoo<. This part also demonstrates the development of the theory of alienation, with the focus on Erich Fromm’s theory of alienation, laying the solid foundation for the textual analysis. Erich Fromm defines alienation as a mode of experience in which the person experiences himself/herself as an alien. Due to the lack of communication resulting from over production and consumption, rampant inequality and alienation emerges in one’s relationship with another. The main body of this thesis is composed of three chapters. Chapter One analyzes the defective individuals who are alienated inside themselves. In the alienated society, everyone has an increasing sense of alienation. The three main characters in the play are without exception. While both Peter and Jerry feel powerless in their life, Ann feels anxious all the time. Chapter Two examines the dysfunctional families in which the relationships between husbands and wives as well as parents and children are alienated. As a couple, Peter and Ann are isolated from each other. Jerry’s father and mother are completely estranged. In the meantime, the relationships between parents and children are greatly worsened as in Peter’s family and Jerry’s family. Chapter Three delves into the problematic society. The confrontation between Peter and Jerry and the domination of Jerry over >the dog< reflect the alienation of the whole society.– The last part is the conclusion which points out that alienation is pervasive in the modern capitalist society after analyzing alienation reflected in the play. In the capitalistic society, people are no longer active and creative beings. They become cogs in the machine. Family is no longer a shelter for people, which is characterized by indifference and estrangement. This kind of problem can be solved by taking into account of the factors leading to alienation. Therefore, the social significance can be seen in the play based on Erich Fromm’s theory of alienation. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
Kazuo Ishiguro(1954 –) is a British-Japanese novelist and playwright. In 2017, Kazuo Ishiguro was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Most of his works focus on the universal value of human beings in contemporary society, and emphasize the trend of integration and coexistence of multiple cultures in the era of globalization. At present, Ishiguro is one of the most famous writers in the English-speaking world today. He has written 7 novels and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize four times. His work >Never Let Me Go< in 2005 was listed on Time magazine’s list of the 100 greatest English language novels since the magazine’s first publication in 1923. >Never Let Me Go< also marks the first time that he attempted to write sci-fi novels.– The novel centers on the eternal literary theme of >destiny< and >freedom< in the context of human genetic technology. Through her memory flashback, the protagonist, Kathy, recalls the story between Ruth and Tommy, who grow up in Hailsham. Adopting a temperate and sentimental tone, Ishiguro traced the cloned group’s growth from childhood to adulthood, revealing their struggle with the >destiny< of organ donation and the end of life. >Never Let Me Go< contains the science-fiction elements that has not been involved in the previous novels of Ishiguro, and touches on the topic of morality and ethics of human cloning, which is a contentious issue in contemporary society. Critics have shown strong interests in this novel. In-depth studies of surrealism, genetic engineering, reflection of science and technology, have introduced many new interpretation methods. For the >non-resistance< of the clones in the novel, many studies are limited to the reasons for its occurrence, and many readers question its rationality.– This thesis attempts to start with an understanding of Ishiguro’s consistent writing style and early life experience. Through analyzing the >constraints< and >freedom< in the novel, the thesis tries to explore the nature of the clones’ >non-resistance< with Fromm’s theory of freedom, thus, uncover Ishiguro’s reflection on human’s living condition. The first chapter explores the >constraints< in the novel. In the process of the clones’ growth, they suffer from various kind of constraints, like spatial isolation, social exclusion. This living state of the clones mirrors the condition of modern people in general. The second chapter mainly studies the >freedom< in the novel. In all kinds of >constraints<, the clones can still obtain a certain level of >freedom<. They create artworks, establish friendship and pursue love. Although they finally accept the doomed fate in the end, their short lives still triumph. The third chapter compares the clones’ choice of facing >death< with human beings’ choices and analyzes the positive meaning of the clones’ >non-resistance< approach. The thesis argues that the >non-resistance< of the clones in the novel is not >escape from freedom<. Their behavior, thoughts and destiny are circumscribed, which makes them the >others< of the society, but they have not resisted in a violent way. Through positive artistic creation and establishing emotional ties, they find a sense of belonging, value of existence, thus gaining >positive freedom<. >Never Let Me Go< is not a typical science fiction novel with the theme of >cloning<. The novel’s concern is the ordinary people’s confrontation with futility and fate. It is in this sense that Ishiguro is a humanist writer with >compassion<. In >Never Let Me Go<, Ishiguro affirmed ordinary people’s value of existence when confronting the deter¬mi¬nistic force, which shows his concern for the living condition of modern people. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]