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Although scholars from home and abroad have paid much attention to the alienation theme in O’Neill’s >Long Day’s Journey into Night<, their examinations are mainly from one perspective and seldom from multiple aspects. Therefore, in light of Erich Fromm’s analysis of man’s relation to himself, others, and society in his alienation theory, the thesis purports to argue that, by analyzing the causes of alienation in >Long Day’s Journey into Night<, the Tyrones, the main characters in the play, are in the existence of meaninglessness and hopelessness. The thesis includes an introduction, body, and conclusion, and the central part is the body, which is divided into three chapters. With the application of Fromm’s notion of escape mechanism, chapter one inquires why the Tyrones are beset by alienation from themselves and how they attempt to eliminate alienation. Authoritarianism and destructiveness are the causes why the Tyrones run up against alienation from themselves. Precisely, the Tyrones’ dependence on anonymous authorities engenders their idolatrous love for Catholicism and their parents. Meanwhile, pushed by the automaton conformity mechanism, each in the Tyrones is split into real self and pseudo self. In addition, the Tyrone family, with the mechanism of destructiveness, tries to eliminate themselves from suffering from alienation through alcohol or morphine, which are weak and unsustainable, so they cannot eliminate alienation. By analyzing the reasons and attempts, the chapter reveals people’s meaningless existence in that they fail to achieve their self-development.– Chapter two studies why the Tyrones sustain alienation from others in the conjugal, parent-child, and sisterly/brotherly relationships. To be specific, affected by egoism, human relationships, enslaved by personal benefits, are reduced to relations between commodities. Due to inhuman relationships, the Tyrones cannot gain happiness or hope in their relations with others. In chapter three, the reasons for alienation from society suffered by the Tyrones are explored from their production process, consumption activities and past experiences. The family is separately trapped in the past and cannot get rid of the agony from the past, so they become the slave of their past experiences. In the production process, the Tyrones work only for the sake of dollars, thus ceasing to be an active agent in society. In the consumer world, the Tyrone family purchases not for the use-value of commodities but the possession of them. Hence, the Tyrone family, being the object of social activities and the past, finds no way to succeed or step into the future, consequently caught in the existence of hopelessness and meaninglessness.– The conclusion part points out that, in the capitalist society, the Tyrones suffer from alienation from themselves, others, and society, leading to a meaningless and hopeless existence. Through investigating the causes of the alienation in the play, the thesis reveals the living predicament of modern people, which will arouse people to pay attention to their existence and spiritual needs. [www.cnki.net, 11/2022]
[Chinese abstract not available] >Ragtime<, published in 1975, is the fourth novel written by Jewish-American novelist E. L. Doctorow, for which he was awarded >the 1976 National Book Critics Circle Award<. Doctorow focused on the important figures in three families to explore the fate of different classes in the United States, and he didn’t try to write a grand history of the entire United States to reflect that time. He perfectly presented three very different American family freedom dilemmas in >Ragtime<: One was a wealthy middle-class white family, the other was a Jewish family from European immigrants, and the last was a black family, which genuinely reproduced the microcosm of all classes in that era. At present, some scholars have explored >Ragtime< from different angles such as feminist criticism and new historicism. Because of its unique writing style and ingenious narrative techniques, there are also many scholars studying the narrative strategy of the novel. However, there is a lack of comprehensive comments on the dilemma of freedom of the protagonists, the mechanism to negative freedom and how to realize positive freedom in the novel. From the perspective of Fromm’s freedom theory, we can find that the freedom dilemma of an individual in modern society makes people confused. So manipulation and being manipulated, a desire to destroy, automaton conformity, and other mechanisms of negative freedom come into being. As for Fromm, to be a complete human being, to be truly free must be achieved through the spontaneous love and creative labor of the individual. Based on Fromm’s view of freedom, the interpretation of >Ragtime< is of guiding significance for individuals in today’s society to move from freedom dilemma to positive freedom. Ultimately, the liberation and free and all-around development of human beings is the highest value orientation for realizing a community with a shared future for mankind, which promotes the human beings to move towards a better tomorrow.
Through hackling Herbert Marcuse’s theory of alienation criticism and liberation in the psychoanalytic context, the article aims to illustrate what influence on Marcuse the psychoanalysis theory has. Besides, by analyzing and comparing with other theorists’ alienation criticism and liberation theory in the related Schools, the article tries to find out not only the similarities and differences but also the successive relationship between each other. Meanwhile the article tries to discuss the evaluation of Marcuse’s of alienation criticism and the liberation theory in the contemporary. As a Western Marxist esthetician, Marcuse combines Marxist aesthetics with Freudian psychoanalysis. He focuses on emphasizing biological characteristics and psychological analysis of individuals of Freud’s psychoanalytic theory. Furthermore, Marcuse transforms and re-interprets Freud’s psychoanalytic concepts such as instinct, unconscious, personality structure by combining with Marx’s social and cultural critique theory, and creates his own critique concept, which contains additional depression, reality principle and erotic sublimation. More importantly, Marcuse rediscovers Freud’s brilliant exposition on imagination and fantasy, associates Freud’s theory with aesthetic and artistic liberation path, tries to regard aesthetic art as a tool to liberate individuals and reform the society. Thus Marcuse builds up a new horizon for sensibility, art and aesthetic field. From Freud to Marcuse and Erich Fromm, to Deleuze and Jameson, they all have different understandings of concepts such as unconscious. Therefore they form different civilizations and Liberation theories. Those differences reflect an academic transition. Owing to combination unconscious and artistic, the emphasis on biological foundation for psychoanalysis and establishment of aesthetic utopia, Marcuse plays an important role in the academic development. Marcuse’s alienation critique and aesthetic liberation theory can be seen as a cultural critique, in which aesthetics become an important tool for criticism and redemption. His focus on individual’s alienation reflects a strong humanistic care, and point to an utopian imagination about the future. But his analysis on human alienation in the psychoanalytic context has surmounted the specific social historical conditions and ideological barriers, and has a great significance for the contemporary China. [English: www.cnki.net, 6/2022]
[Chinese abstract not available] Erich Fromm is a Western Marxist and a major representative of the >Freudian Marxism< school. His thoughts are very rich, among which the critical theory of character structure is of great significance and is an important component of Fromm’s ideological system. This theory is an original theory formed by Fromm on the basis of combining Marx’s thought and Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, and on this basis, he deeply criticized Western capitalist society. The content of Fromm’s critical theory of character structure is mainly reflected in the trilogy of character structure theory, namely, >Escape from Freedom<, >Man for Himself<, and >The Sane Society<. Through these three books, we can see the clear thread of the construction and development of Fromm’s critical theory of character structure: from the analysis of the causes of specific social phenomena-the rise and popularity of fascism-to the theoretical framework, and finally highlight the future direction of this theory. >Escape from Freedom< is mainly a probe into the origin of the significant event of the emergence and popularity of fascism in the 1930s, revealing the universal state of modern people’s escape from freedom and the formation of psychological mechanisms for escape from freedom. Starting from the discussion of human nature issues, >Man for Himself< proposed a division and in-depth interpretation of human social personality, and initially completed the configuration of the critical theory of personality structure. >The Sane Society< is the development and extension of the themes in >Escape from Freedom< and >Man for Himself<, highlighting the ideal future pointed to by the critical theory of character structure.– The introduction first introduces the theoretical value and practical significance of the research, then combs the research status of domestic and foreign scholars on Fromm’s critical theory of character structure, summarizes the main viewpoints of the academic community on its theory and the existing problems. Finally, the research methods, research objectives, and innovations of this article are proposed. The first chapter mainly analyzes the origin of Fromm’s critical theory of character structure. The changes brought about by the two world wars and the industrial revolution are the realistic background for the emergence of this theory. Marx’s thought and Freud’s theory are the theoretical source and foundation of Fromm’s critical theory of character structure. Fromm, based on Marxist positions and methods, placed human beings in the relationship between human beings and the world and analyzed human behavior from the perspective of economic and social structures. However, he believed that Marx ignored the importance of irrational factors and did not realize the laws of human nature itself. So Fromm borrowed Freud’s psychoanalytic theory and devoted himself to theoretical elaboration of modern people’s social personality from the perspective of social psychology.– The second chapter mainly analyzes the foundation of the critical theory of character structure: the escape freedom theory. In the book >Escape from Freedom<, Fromm reveals the formation process of the psychological mechanism of escaping freedom based on the situation of people escaping freedom in modern society, and forms a systematic theory of escaping freedom. This article mainly expounds the process and reasons for people’s transition from pursuing freedom to escaping freedom, and sorts out three manifestations of the psychological mechanism of escaping freedom: authoritarianism, destructive desire, and mechanical convergence. Fromm seeks to find a positive way out of love and labor for people, enabling them to maintain individual independence, achieve positive freedom, and establish close ties with others. The third chapter mainly explains the construction of the critical theory of personality structure. >Man for Himself< is a sequel to escaping freedom. Fromm further reveals the alienation of modern personality structure in his book. The discussion of human nature is the foundation and prerequisite for the concept of social character. Fromm revealed three main contradictions faced by human beings by analyzing their survival dilemmas, which led to various needs. It is precisely because people have adopted different ways and means in the process of striving to meet these needs that they have formed different social personalities. This part systematically explores the connotation of social character, the expression of alienation of human social character, and the division of social character-productive and non-productive social character. It focuses on explaining four types of pathological non-productive social character, and initially proposes an ideal personality under sound social conditions, namely, productive social character.– The fourth chapter mainly discusses the future dimensions of the critical theory of personality structure. >The Sane Society< is the ideological extension of >Escape from Freedom< and >Man for Himself<. Since the existing society is morbid and cannot support the shaping of an ideal productive social character, it should move towards the construction of a sound society. Fromm proposed three solutions to the problems of capitalist society: totalitarianism, super capitalism, and socialism beyond both. He analyzed the reasons why the three solutions could not be implemented, and then advocated the establishment of >Humanistic socialism<. He proposed standards and theoretical ideas for a sound society, and discussed specific reform plans for moving towards a sound society. The fifth chapter evaluates the value and limitations of Fromm’s critical theory of character structure. This theory enriches Marx’s alienation theory, expands the content of Marxist social character and Freud’s character theory, and has unique theoretical contributions. At the same time, it also deepened the criticism of contemporary capitalist society. Of course, it also has the limitations of breaking away from historical materialism and not touching the fundamental contradictions of capitalist society. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 1/2024]
V. S. Naipaul is widely recognized as one of the most outstanding novelists in the history of English literature. With the multicultural background and unique writing angles, he was awarded Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001. As a representative work in his early time, >A House for Mr. Biswas< provides us with firsthand materials to understand the living dilemmas of the immigrants. In the novel, the cultural estrangement and identity displacement faced by the exiled people are vividly presented through a comical description of the protagonist, Mohun Biswas’s persistent striving for his own >house< under the duel impact of the intrusion of the suzerain culture and the bondage of the tradition. This thesis intends to explore the alienated image of Mr. Biswas and probe into the intrinsic reasons in light of Erich Fromm’s psychological alienation theory. Besides, Naipaul’s affirmative attitude to the question that whether people from the third world can establish their home and realize their identity in suzerains is discussed and revealed in the thesis. The thesis holds that Naipaul, through a detailed depiction of Mohun Biswas’s pursuit of the >house< in his life, endows his rather modest achievement with a heroic dimension, transforming himself into a self-made hero who conquers difficulties and achieves success >through failures<. Compared with escape, an excitement hidden in the engulfing and repulsive world is eventually grasped by Mr. Biswas. He confirms such possibility through his perseverance and struggles. The ending also reflects Naipaul’s own dream of a utopian society that can accommodate self-realization pursued by the immigrants. [English: www.cnki.net, 6/2022]
[Chinese abstract not available] Erich Fromm’s concern for human existence is an important part in the construction of his social critical theory. His philosophy of existence originated from his early growth experience, including the theory of social character, the thinking of human existence requirements, the examination of human’s lifestyles. And the suggestions on how persons can move towards a well existence after the categorization. Searching on Erich Fromm’s philosophy of existence from a holistic perspective will help us clarify the value orientation and theoretical vision of Erich Fromm’s social criticism, and help us to build the panorama of Erich Fromm’s philosophy. Although Erich Fromm’s theoretical construction is not perfect, his belief in our ability to achieve a better life can inspire us to move forward.– Firstly, Erich Fromm’s early growth experience exposed him to psychoanalytic and Marxist theories, and focused his perspective on human survival. After joining the Frankfurt Institute, the research on the mental and psychological conditions of Weimar German manual workers and white collar workers, which he presided over, provided empirical support for his social criticism theory, and also inspired him to propose a theory of social character, thereby promoting the birth of Escape from Freedom. He connected the thoughts of Freud and Marx with humanism, and paid more attention to human existence. He firmly believed that people can continuously develop to a good life.– Secondly, psychoanalytic theory influenced Erich Fromm’s focus on human survival needs. He found that human existence needs are divided into two categories, one is the existence needs brought about by human natural nature, and the other is the existence needs brought about by human social nature. With the constraints of the existence needs of man’s natural nature, man has also evolved a developed mind in an attempt to surpass himself. The need of human social nature also stems from this transcendence. At the same time, the development of the human brain promotes the emergence of human rationality. Rationality is both sides now, which brings human beings the ability to self-reflect, making them not satisfied with the harmonious and stable state of nature at present, and constantly changing themselves; however, it has also caused mankind to remain in an unbalanced state, resulting in a contradiction in human existence, namely, the antinomy between life and death and its historical contradiction. Based on this contradiction, people have generated the need for social existence, which can be divided into five aspects: relevance, transcendence, root-seeking, sense of identity, and orientation and dedication to alleviate the pain caused by this contradiction. In addition to the existence needs brought about by human natural and social natures, the personality generated by human beings in society also has an impact on the existence needs. This is manifested in two aspects, namely, non-productive orientation and productive orientation. The former is the personality generated by alienated people when facing society, while the latter is the personality displayed by genuine people when facing society and realizing themselves. Non-productive orientation can be divided into four categories: acceptance orientation, exploitation orientation, hoarding orientation, and market orientation. The productive orientation, or creative orientation, is centered on >love<. Compared to non-productive orientation, productive orientation can meet the needs of positive communication with the world, demonstrate one’s individuality, and achieve one’s own development.– Furthermore, after paying attention to human survival needs, the alienation thought of Marxist theory prompted Erich Fromm to pay attention to human’s lifestyle. He divided the way people live in life into two categories: having and being. The alienated lifestyle with having is aimed at possession, and the experience of re possession is constantly trying to obtain something that can be endowed with value; fear, fear oneself not having more. Due to the endless possession, they find it difficult to overcome the spiritual dilemma that possession brings to themselves. The lifestyle of being that breaks away from alienation and focuses on the development of existence is the goal. The survival exper+J35622ience of existence is to obtain what can truly enrich and develop oneself. They do not focus on what they have obtained, but on what they have obtained from it. Through the actions of obtaining, they continuously develop to achieve their own realization. Therefore, those who focus on their own re existence can actively develop themselves and move towards true happiness. On his analysis, Erich Fromm proposed an idea of how to turn to a being lifestyle of life. As long as people themselves can know that they are suffering, recognize the root causes of suffering, find ways to eliminate suffering, and change their existence lifestyle, there is hope that they will emerge from the spiritual dilemma of having. The process of individuals turning to new people needs to be accompanied by social changes and the emergence of a new society, but it is also necessary to be prepared to practice the >art of being< Erich Fromm clarified four obstacles that affect the art of practicing existence, namely, >flashiness, gossip, (believing) gain without payments, and avoiding pain<. Five methods for cultivating the art of being are proposed, namely, >unswerving, sober, conscious, focused, and thoughtful<. Individuals are ready to become new people, and with the emergence of a new society, they can move from the alienated self to the true >I am who I am<.– From Erich Fromm’s analysis of human existence needs and lifestyles, we can see his deep and humanistic concern for human existence. However, his concerns are not comprehensive. Erich Fromm focused on the generality of human personality, while ignoring the uniqueness of human beings; focusing on the individual existence of human beings, while ignoring the interactive behavior with others. Erich Fromm’s division of human existence lifestyles, limited by his proposed functional possession and possible egoistic explanations of being, is not very successful. This paper also proposes an idea to solve these two aspects of problems, in order to improve his theory of human existence. There is a view that Erich Fromm’s philosophy of existence is an interesting combination of psychoanalytic models and existential philosophy. Although the field of psychology has not developed a school of existentialism, Sartre’s >Existentialism is a Humanism< provides argument support for this view. It can be found that Erich Fromm’s philosophy of existence can meet the >existential humanism<, and naturally it is also existential. From the perspective of existentialism, Erich Fromm’s philosophy of existence recognizes that existence precedes essence, advocates the essence of time, upholds humanitarianism, recognizes human freedom and responsibility, focuses on human authenticity, and considers human morality; showing the light of existentialism. In short, Erich Fromm’s concern for human existence is profound and full of Humanism. And hopes and expectations for people also float on paper to inspire us to live better. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 1/2024]
Kurt Vonnegut (1922 – 2007) is a prominent American writer. As a soldier surviving the World War II, he is exceptionally concerned about the society in wartime and the future of human beings. This thesis takes Vonnegut’s fourth novel >Cat’s Cradle< published in 1963 as the research subject. Through the portrayal of the major characters – Dr. Felix Hoenikker and his three children, Dr. Asa Breed and Jonah, the novel exposes a series of social issues such as the misuse of science and technology, religious nihilism, and man’s alienation. Based upon Ihab Hasan’s postmodernism theory and Eric Fromm’s alienation theory, this study aims at interpreting the creative features of >Cat’s Cradle< from three aspects: alienation, indeterminacy and Fragmentation through analyzing the content and the form. Simultaneously, the research tries to dig out Vonnegut’s writing intention, which is to break the scientism and religious nihilism and arouse man’s courage and wisdom of facing up to life. Chapter One begins with a brief introduction to Kurt Vonnegut’s life and his works, pointing out that Cat’s Cradle is worth studying due to its experimental writing style and concern for the social reality. Then, the significance and the layout of the study are indicated.– Chapter Two introduces and analyzes the previous studies on >Cat’s Cradle< at home and abroad, through which the writer finds it necessary to study the textual and practical significance of >Cat’s Cradle< in postmodern context. The theoretical framework of the thesis includes Ihab Hassan’s postmodernism viewpoints and Erich Fromm’s theory of alienation.– Chapter Three draws on Fromm’s alienation view and Hasan’s self-less-ness and depth-less-ness view, pointing out that alienated people in postmodern society often lose their human nature, and nihility and absurdity are the main features of human beings. Through the analysis of the main characters in the novel such as Dr. Hoenikker, Dr. Asa Breed, Dr. Hoenikker’s children and narrator Jonah, Vonnegut’s depiction of the absurdity and indifference in human nature is exposed.– Chapter Four discusses the characteristic of indeterminacy embodied in >Cat’s Cradle< from the aspects of identity and theme. It not only analyzes the importance of indeterminacy in highlighting the author’s writing intention, but also denotes that indeterminacy has permeated into the thoughts and actions of people living in postmodern society. Vonnegut’s concerns and worries about the instability of postmodern society are also demonstrated.– Deriving from the postmodernism literary feature of Fragmentation, Chapter Five tries to dig out the significance of fragmentation in realizing the author’s writing intention and subverting the creation of traditional novels. Meanwhile, the adoption of Fragmentation insinuates the chaotic and disordered state of postmodern society.– Chapter Six summarizes the main content of this thesis, indicating the importance of Vonnegut’s excellent writing skills in exposing social reality problems, and inspiring the public to think and act positively for the survival and development of postmodern society and human beings. >Cat’s Cradle< presents a moral tragedy in a comedy way. It is novel in plot, clever in conception and rich in theme, therefore, it is popular among readers and worthy of further study by scholars. In addition, Vonnegut’s profound reflection on history and serious concern for reality greatly inspire readers all over the world. Therefore, this book is not only a classic literary work worthy of study, but also a novel with paramount practical significance. [www.cnki.net, 1/2023]
The prominent modernist writer Katherine Mansfield exhibits her innovative modernity, mixture of complex sentiments and rational interior exploration most conspicuously in her short stories. Yet despite the modernity of her thought, spontaneity and extroversion, of her expression and her other pivotal contributions to modernist literature, she is marginalized in literary arena with some of her themes, such as escape, being neglected by her readership and scholarship. However, escape as a complex and action has actually been one of the most essential themes recurring in Mansfield’s short stories and her life when she has kept struggling between idealism and realism. And escape as a shared choice of her characters trapped in predicaments or psychological dilemmas is often formulated in the contradiction between the escapists and society as well as their own intrapsychic conflict. Therefore, the thesis will engage Erich Fromm’s theories of human nature and escape to offer a socio-psychological reading of Mansfield’s escape theme accordingly. The thesis discusses the escape theme of Mansfield’s 16 short stories in three aspects of manifestations, causes and final destinations of escape. Chapter one focuses on the two major patterns of escape in terms of its manifestation: retreat and camouflage, which are respectively defined by escapists’ receptive orientation or marketing orientation. Receptive oriented Rosabel and the old lady and marketing oriented Gregory and Duquette are among the train of escapists examined here.– Chapter two unrolls the causes of the escape. The external determinants include three kinds of social forces restraining various human needs and two kinds of alienated family relations caused by authority or immature love. Miss Brill’s escape posed by social ostracism, Linda’s escape stemming from social convention and Ma Parker’s escape due to social hierarchy demonstrate how these three social forces determine their escapes. Moreover, escapes of Kezia and Matilda as results of their alienated relations with parents and the escapists including Monica and Mr. Salesby formulated in their alienated relations with spouses highlight the causality between the alienated family relations and escape. And the internal determinant refers to the identity dilemma that stems from one’s doubt over either his real self or social self. Both Bertha’s escape from her real self and Millie’s from her social self are made in a common backdrop of their identity dilemma.– As for the two opposite destinations including the positive and the negative ones, chapter three elucidates them as respectively the results of positive freedom or negative freedom procured by escapists represented by Miss Moss. Briefly, either through retreat or camouflage, most escapists perpetuate or exacerbate their predicaments after transient alleviation brought by their escapes. Only a few productive oriented ones could escape from predicaments ultimately for their escapes underpinned by their productiveness are quintessentially spontaneous negotiations with the world rather than self-deluding compromises or evasions. Hence they could realize their inherent potentiality, remain self-consciousness and external connection in the midst of escape and extricate themselves from their predicaments afterwards.– Besides, the theme of escape illustrated in the thesis is actually imbued with Mansfield’s own life experience and philosophy. Through offering a socio-psychological interpretation of Mansfield’s escape theme, the thesis hence hopefully aims to enrich the understanding of Mansfield and her characters, draw more attention to Mansfield and invoke, in particular, more reflections on the escape of her short stories, especially in the contemporary context of human existence. [English: www.cnki.net, 4/2022]
As one of the most prestigious writers in contemporary British literary circles, Kazuo Ishiguro won the 2017 Nobel Prize for Literature owing to the fact that his novel with great emotional force, >has uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world<. Kazuo Ishiguro’s works have received a high degree of attention as soon as they were published. His works emphasize self-salvation and cherish the warmth of the world, break through the limitations of the theme of immigrant writers and set his sights on the universal human nature of the world. >The Remains of the Day< is the third novel published by Kazuo Ishiguro. It is known for its simplicity, elegance and subtle narrative style and it is also his most prestigious work so far. Kazuo Ishiguro succeeded in portraying the role of Stevens, a high-level butler who dedicated his life to the career of butlers in >The Remains of the Day<. The novel unfolds with Stevens, an ordinary British butler, using a reminiscence narrative approach. Stevens, the protagonist in his twilight years, has a reputation, but he is lonely, self-abased and helpless, and his identity is severely alienated. With Miss Kenton’s letter and permission from his new employer, Stevens sets off on a six-day trip. Through the memories of the past, the people he meets and the things he sees during the journey, he explores the true meaning of life and rebuild the alienated identity. The novel leaves the reader with a hopeful open ending, which implies that Stevens will embrace a more real life on a positive way in the rest of the time.
Academia usually studies and interprets >The Remains of the Day< from the perspectives of post-colonialism, cultural studies and narrative techniques. Some critics also analyze the power mechanism embodied in the novel from the perspective of the image of the other. However, the research on Stevens’ identity cognition is not enough. Therefore, from the perspective of social psychological analysis, this thesis finds that Stevens’ identity cognition is seriously alienated. The influence of social environment, the relationship between the dominant and the dominated, and the human nature that is the fear of loneliness are the most fundamental psychological factors of Stevens’ identity alienation. From the perspective of social psychological analysis, this thesis will reveal the lonely and helpless living state of Stevens, the root of Stevens’ identity alienation under the influence of the change of the times and the people around him, and the road of redemption to rebuild his identity recognition. In the meantime, the thesis aims to explore the intention that Ishiguro Kazuo tries to achieve in depicting the living conditions of the universal individual in modern society. First, in view of the theory of >abstract< social psychological analysis, the thesis discusses the social and environmental factors which contribute to the formation and alienation of Stevens’ identity under the imperialist consciousness. Next, with the help of Fromm’s authority theory, the deep psychological causes of Stevens’ identity alienation from his treatment of father-son affection, loyalty and love are investigated. Then, from the perspectives of history and memory, love and emotion, the thesis analyzes the significance and value of Stevens’ salvation of identity alienation. >The Remains of the Day< enlightens us that we should recognize our own identities and adapt to society correctly. Even if our identities are alienated, we can be redeemed and rebuilt through our own efforts, rekindling hope in life. [www.cnki.net, 1/2023]
[Chinese abstract not available] With the continuous development and progress of science and technology, consumption occupies an increasingly important position in People’s Daily life. The >productive society< of Marx’s era was gradually replaced by the >consumer society< whose main activity was consumption. When the West first entered the consumer society, the consumption problem was more prominent. In this regard, the Western Marxists gradually turned from abstract theoretical research to positive exploration of reality. Fromm, with his unique perspective, revealed the consumption problem from the perspectives of psychology, sociology, philosophy and so on. Fromm believes that modern society is an unsound >artificial world<, where everything created by human beings is high above him. Individuals are integrated into a cultural chain woven by science and technology, mass culture and bureaucratic state, forming a cultural object lacking in criticism and self-awareness, which also causes the alienation of human nature. This alienation of human nature is especially obvious in the field of consumption.– This paper mainly discusses the consumption alienation in the developed industrial society. First of all, it combs the conditions of Fromm’s theory of consumption alienation. Fromm’s theory of consumption alienation came into being under the influence of the cultural crisis of Western society in the 20th century and the social critical theory of Frankfurt School. Secondly, it traces the influence of Marx’s labor alienation theory, Freud’s psychoanalysis theory and Lukács’ materialization theory on Fromm’s consumption alienation theory. Then, it introduces the connotation, origin, harm and solution of Fromm’s theory of consumption alienation, and compares it with those of Marcuse, Baudrillard and Ben Agger. Finally, based on Fromm’s theory of consumption alienation to reflect on the development of today’s world. The limitation lies in the fact that Fromm’s humanistic tendency lacks materialist foundation, and the utopian revolutionary road of subbing consumption alienation proposed by Fromm is bound to be unworkable. However, it is undeniable that Fromm’s consumption alienation theory provides practical reference and reflection for China to avoid the phenomena caused by this theory in the new era. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 1/2024]
Walker Percy is a well-known southern American writer in the 1950s in the literary circles. He won the National Book Award in 1962 for >The Moviegoer<. In his works, Walker Percy unfolds people’s quests for the living ways and the diagnosis of contemporary American social problems. In >The Moviegoer<, the protagonist, Binx is engaged in a quest for a new living way, which is defined by himself the >search<; however, the >search< appears pointless and ambiguous. What is the >search< has been the focus of many scholars since its publication. Taking Binx’s >search< in >The Moviegoer< as the research target, this thesis employs Erich Fromm’s theory of freedom to interpret Binx’s plight and way out in a comprehensive way, pointing out that Binx >search< is a process from positive freedom to negative freedom proposed by Fromm. The thesis is divided into three parts: introduction, Chapter 1 to Chapter 3 and conclusion. The introduction summarizes Walker Percy’s life and literary creation experience, the research background of Walker Percy’s works at home and abroad and the introduction to Erich Fromm’s theory of freedom as the theoretical base. The first chapter explores that the origin of Binx’s >search< is that he falls into a stage of negative freedom, which is manifested in the rupture of the primary ties in society and family and in the isolation from the outside world. The second chapter analyzes the mistake of Binx’s >search< lies in his intention to escape from freedom. Binx is addicted to playing movie stars’ roles, submitting to anonymous authority, and being a consumer. In the view of Fromm’s theory of freedom, he escapes from freedom by submission and conformity. The third chapter studies that the solution of Binx’s >search< is to achieve positive freedom, which can be realized through love and creative work. Binx pursues love, creative work, and the uniqueness of the individual. Finally, this thesis concludes that Binx’s >search< is the realization of man’s free development defined by Fromm. [www.cnki.net, 1/2023]
[Chinese abstract not available] Paulo Freire is regarded as the initiator of the >third revolution< in the history of educational theory since Herbart and Dewey, and the first educational philosopher who applied critical theory and its related concepts to the field of education in modern times. He proposes a kind of dialogic education as opposed to >banking education<. This study takes >how can education realize humanization< as the core issue to explore the ethics of Freire’s dialogic education, reveal the critical value of his thought, and hope to provide a reference for educational ethics. Freire’s dialogic education confronts the reality of Brazilian education, that is, educational inequality caused by colonialism and cultural invasion.– In the first chapter of this paper, it is pointed out that Freire criticized the >dehumanization< oppression of the educated in >banking education<, and pointed out that >banking education< denied the subjective value of the educated under the premise of the dichotomy between man and the world, and destroyed the educated’s reflective and critical ability by deifying knowledge or instilling mechanical content, which eventually led to the alienation of the relationship between teachers and students. Out of the ethical concern and moral response to the oppressed, Freire took education as a field to fight against the dehumanization’s situation, and proposed a kind of >dialogic education< aimed at realizing the ontological mission of >humanization<. Freire’s dialogic education is based on complex philosophy, which is characterized by eclecticism. The second chapter of this paper explains the philosophical basis of dialogic education in a systematic way, and lays a theoretical foundation for the ethical connotation of the next chapter. Specifically, this paper discusses the philosophical basis of dialogic education from three dimensions: methodology, ontology and axiology. Firstly, this paper analyzes the structural contradiction of >oppressor-oppressed< in >banking education< with reference to the psychological and pathological mechanism of Hegel’s >master-slave dialectic< and Fromm’s >sadism-masochism<, and puts forward that its methodological basis lies in dialectics. Secondly, based on Marx’s >false consciousness<, >alienated labor< and Sartre’s >presupposition of absolute human freedom<, this paper analyzes the alienation of >oppressor-oppressed< and the fear of freedom in education, and puts forward that its existential basis lies in human freedom and the possibility of dehumanization. Thirdly, this paper analyzes the eclectic attitude of dialogic education with the reference of Christian humanism and Marxist emancipation of mind, and puts forward that its axiological basis is based on the realization of the soundness of human nature. Based on the relevant theories of philosophical foundations, the third chapter of this paper explains the ethical content of dialogic education from three aspects: ethical principles, educational process, and ethical purposes. Taking Freire’s ontological mission of humanization, autonomy and motivation of love as the ethical principles of dialogic education, it urges people to reconstruct their cognition of themselves and society from a critical perspective, and returns the right to voice to the marginalized people who are drowning in the >culture of silence<. Dialogic education is a process of awakening consciousness and conscience, which aims at achieving equality, solidarity and emancipation among subjects. At the same time, the ethical purpose of dialogic education is to maintain the openness of dialogue through critical reading and writing, and to develop a specific way of being and acting for human emancipation.– The fourth chapter focuses on the two challenges faced by dialogic education, namely, the conflict between guidance and equal dialogue in the process of dialogic education, and the implicit inequality in the process of conscience awakening. This paper argues that we should distinguish between directive, permissive, and manipulative behaviors of educators in the educational process, and find a balance between directive and democratic teaching to achieve an equal ethical relationship between educators and educated people. At the same time, our interpretation of Freire’s thought should be comprehensive and objective, instead of clinging to his early works. We should face up to the ethical purpose of Freire’s dialogic education, that is, to realize human liberation in the process of facing universal human ethics. All in all, Freire’s ethical position is consistent. He always takes the realization of >humanization< as his educational vision, pays attention to the life and communication of the oppressed bottom groups, and emphasizes the rights of vulnerable groups or minorities. He affirmed the ethical connotation of >education< and strived to promote >education as a truly good cause<. Therefore, dialogic education has always sought the liberation of all people as its ultimate goal, and its purpose finally points to a kind of >universal human ethics which is indispensable to human communication life<. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 1/2024]
Margaret Drabble (1939 –) is one of the most influential and prolific women writers in contemporary British literature, who has awarded the CBE and the DBE by the Queen of England. Different from the contemporary female intellectuals’ struggle in previous works, Drabble shows great humanistic concerns after 1980s, and explores such contemporary social dilemmas as moral disorder, loss of faith, twisted relationship, and money worship. As a mature work of Drabble, >The Radiant Trilogy<, >The Radiant Way<, >A Natural Curiosity<, >The Gates of Ivory<) completely shows her reflections on ideological changing in modern society. Based on Erich Fromm’s humanistic philosophy, this thesis exposes the alienation with human distortion and moral decay, deepening the study of Drabble’s work from moral dimension. Fromm’s humanistic philosophy discussed the alienation, negative freedom and love, exposing the relation of >quantification< and >abstraction< with self-alienation, invisible authority and consumption alienation etc. Besides, he regards the reconstruction of self-identity, the reclaiming of love and the restoration of creative life as essential elements to realize the integrity of human with the self, the outside world and human activities. Chapter one explains how alienation is caused and intensified by modern social development in >The Radiant Trilogy<. It discusses the political, economic, informative and cultural crisis based on >quantification< and >abstraction< under the capitalist system and the technological revolution. The causes of alienation vary from person to person, but from macro-perspective, society was the root. Individualism and commercial liberalization of Thatcher Government in the 1980s aggravates the alienated situation in society, meanwhile, the regime of bureaucratic, the capitalization of the economy, the decreasing value of knowledge, and the distortion of information contributes to a widespread alienation.– Chapter two discusses the Internal reflections of alienation on human nature in >The Radiant Trilogy<, including the absence of self, the twisted relationships, the invisible authority, the decay of professional moral and the distortion of values. Alix and Shirley’s various results of alienation under different living environments, Liz’s loss in >party socializing<, the public’s indifference to Paul, Charles’ commercialization in work, and Miss Porntip’s money worship all embodies the results of alienation’s attack to traditional ethical standards and social customs.– Chapter three explores the approach to overcome alienation in >The Radiant Trilogy<. With Fromm’s idea of >the new human<, thesis excavates three protagonists’ efforts on transcending alienation through self-return, mature love and creative life. Once lost in unreliable social friendship, Liz rediscovers her self-identity and regains the warmth of family. Alix, with selfless love and generosity, heals Paul’s wounds left by alienation and original sin. In addition, the friendship between Liz, Alix and Esther builds a radiant way for them to pursue a removal of alienation. Alienation is aroused by social, political, economic, cultural factors, and specifically embodied as the separation of human from himself, from others, from work, and from consumption. With Margaret Drabble’s turning from feminism to humanism, >The Radiant Trilogy< expresses the radiance and hope of saving alienation in modern society with mature love and productive activities. [www.cnki.net, 1/2023]
Viet Thanh Nguyen is an outstanding contemporary American writer of Vietnamese descent. His debut work, >The Sympathizer<, has received widespread attention from the literary world since it was published and has won many literary awards. >The Sympathizer< tells the protagonist’s story serving as a double-face spy in North Vietnam and South Vietnam after the Vietnam War. He is torn not only between his covert mission and his cover identity but also between his homeland and the United States, and between his French and Vietnamese ancestries. He splits between these two worlds. Being tortured by multiple identities, coupled with a tense individual environment, his inner world is full of anxiety, and eventually alienated. In addition to this, characters in >The Sympathizer< are all alienated to some degree. Erich Fromm is a famous American psychoanalyst and an important representative of the Frankfurt School of Western Marxism. This thesis tends to apply his views on alienation to the discussion of the characters’ self-alienation, alienation in interpersonal relations and alienation from society in >The Sympathizer<, and probe into the causes of the alienation. The thesis includes an introduction, five main chapters, and a conclusion. The introductory section briefly introduces Viet Thanh Nguyen’s life experience and the main content of >The Sympathizer<, literature review, and the thesis statement.– Chapter 1 briefly describes the origins and development of the alienation theory and focuses on Fromm’s viewpoints on alienation. This chapter points that the alienation is chiefly embodied in human alienation which includes people’s self-alienation, alienation in interpersonal relations and alienation from society.– Chapter 2 analyzes the self-alienation in >The Sympathizer<. The characters’ self-alienation can be presented through changes in their identity, behavior, and psychology.– Chapter Three analyzes the alienation in interpersonal relations in >The Sympathizer< mainly from the two aspects of family relationship and gender relationship. In the alienation of family relations, the absence of the father and the contempt of relatives are discussed. In the alienation of the relationship between the sexes, the imbalance between the status of lovers’ sexual pleasure instead of love is analyzed, which indicates that there is neither love nor trust or responsibility among people, but merely hostility and indifference.– Chapter 4 analyzes the alienation from society. The scope of all human activities must be governed and manipulated by relevant rules and regulations. It is mainly reflected in the fact that people become tools in social activities. At the same time, people follow the principle of benefit-oriented behavior in actions.– Chapter 5 analyzes the factors leading to human alienation from two aspects: external factors and internal factors. The former includes wars between nations, splits within countries, and different cultural values between the white and nonwhite; the latter involves moral degradation and the strong power of Hollywood discourse.– The conclusion indicates that alienation is widespread in the society and it is a common problem or challenge faced by all human beings. The thesis applies Fromm’s alienation theory to conduct a comprehensive analysis of >The Sympathizer<, aiming to expose the alienation phenomenon in society truly and profoundly, which helps people seek the right direction on the road of self-seeking and has specific practical significance. [www.cnki.net, 9/2022]
[Chinese abstract not available.] Family affection is the emotion that can’t cut off in one’s whole life. Since ancient times, the Chinese nation has always attached great importance to family ties. Family education is never out of date. The Times call for students with both moral integrity and ability. In recent years, the rapid development of China’s economy has also brought a series of problems, the weak concept of family affection and the lack of family education has aroused people’s high attention. This paper takes the family affection unit of the unified compilation of junior high school Chinese textbooks that has been put into use nationwide as the research object, and discusses the family affection unit from five aspects, including the following contents. First of all, the paper reveals the basis and necessity of family affection education in junior high school chinese. Theories include Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Erikson’s theory of stages of personality development and Fromm’s art of loving. Then from the three aspects of moral cultivation, socialist cultural construction and carrying forward the traditional virtues of filial piety and respect for the elderly, the necessity of this research is expounded.– Secondly, it sorts out the compilation of the unified version of junior high school Chinese family unit, and analyzes it from four dimensions: text selection system, reading aid system, practice system and knowledge system. Also it excavates the hidden teaching resources in the books.– Thirdly, it investigates the current situation of the unified junior high school Chinese family unit teaching, and on the basis of analyzing the data, it finds that there are problems such as insufficient in-depth text interpretation, old-fashioned and single reading way, insufficient emotional input, and lack of guidance in extended reading.– The fourth part discusses the implementation strategy of unified junior middle school Chinese family unit teaching. This chapter is also the core of this paper. Multiple teaching strategies can be adopted in the specific teaching practice of family unit. Such as the use of knowledge, rich knowledge reserves; In-depth reading of the text, mining the emotional value; Organize reading training to arouse emotional resonance; strengthen situational teaching to stimulate learning interest; carry out dialogue between teachers and students to generate feelings of affection; Linkage inside and outside the classroom, expand learning resources and so on.– Lastly, based on junior high school Chinese family unit teaching strategy to display two teaching designs >Golden Flower< and >Lotus Leaf-Mother<. [English: www.cnki.net, 9/2022]
Ian Mc Ewan is one of the most influential novelists in the contemporary British literary world. He has won he Booker Prize, the Maugham Prize for Literature and so on. Mc Ewan’s >The Cement Garden< was published in 1978, which is one of his outstanding and representative works in his early career. On the basis of Fromm’s theory of human nature the thesis aims to analyze the growth environment of the children in >The Cement Garden< and its influence on the construction of the children’s personality in three aspects: the needs satisfaction, the love interactions and the formation of social personalities. Through the analysis of the children’s growth in the three aspects the thesis interprets the inevitability the tragedy of the children and we can deeply understand Mc Ewan’s reflection on human nature and his pursuit and exploration of the sound human nature. The thesis is divided into four chapters besides introduction and conclusion. The introduction part briefly introduces Mc Ewan’s life, creation and his important work >The Cement Garden<. On this basis it reviews the research status of the novel both at home and abroad, thus clarifying the innovation of the thesis and explaining the purpose, significance and structure of the thesis. The first chapter is the theoretical basis, which briefly reviews the origin and development of Fromm’s theory of human nature. It discusses in detail the people’s needs, the emotion interactions and the formation of social personalities in the theory of human nature.– The second chapter analyzes the unsatisfying needs of the children in the construction of human nature. The insufficient association, the deficiency of root-seeking requirements and the unfulfilling sense of identity make the children cannot satisfy their critical needs in the growth process. Mc Ewan also shows that only by establishing contact and communication, paying attention to spiritual needs and improving sense of identity can the children improve their sound human nature in a positive and active life.– The third chapter discusses the lack of love interactions in the construction of human nature. Because of the mother’s unconditional love, the father’s conditional love, the unequal emotion interactions of the siblings and the abnormal and selfish self-love the family members lack the ability of caring for others and the ability of efficient interactions. At the same time the children also show the efforts to build the sound human nature in their limited brotherhood and pursuit of beauty and emotion.– The fourth chapter discusses the formation of the social personalities of the children in the construction of human nature. With the non-productive personality and the negative behavioral representations the children cannot interact effectively with the outside world and they drift away from the society. At the same time, Mc Ewan also shows that only in the satisfaction of human instinct and the healthy family relationships can the children form the positive social personality.– The conclusion part of the thesis points out that >The Cement Garden< reveals the necessity of a healthy growth environment for the construction of the sound human nature of the children. The exploration of children’s growth environment from the perspective of human nature theory not only shows the author’s concern for the human nature problem in the children’s growth, but also provides new ideas on how to construct the sound human nature in modern society. On the basis of Fromm’s theory of human nature the thesis analyzes the construction of human nature of the children in >The Cement Garden< in three aspects: the needs satisfaction, the love interactions and the formation of social personalities. Fromm’s theory of human nature shows that the satisfaction of needs, the comfort of emotions and the positive social personality are the indispensable factors for the construction of the sound human nature. In the novel the children grow up without these factors and result in the final tragic ending. However, >The Cement Garden< is not a worthless work describing the morbid survival state. Mc Ewen shows that the sound human nature plays an important role in the growth of children. Therefore, the novel is of profound social significance in arousing the concern and reflection of contemporary people on the construction of the sound human nature and healthy society. The analysis of >The Cement Garden< through the use of Fromm’s theory of human nature can provide a new perspective for the study of McEwen’s works. [English: www.cnki.net, 9/2022]
Anne Tyler is deemed as one of the most outstanding writers and literary critics in contemporary America. Over her long career, distinguished by her vivid description of the conflicts in family life, Tyler has continually published over twenty novels, as well as over fifty short stories and numerous book reviews. Among them, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant (1982) and >The Accidental Tourist< (1985) are two typical examples. The two novels share a common theme: alienation and loneliness, and the author uses the narrative model of internal focalization in both novels. The difference is that in >Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant<, Tyler flexibly adopts three models of internal focalization: fixed internal focalization, variable internal focalization and multiple internal focalization. While in >The Accidental Tourist<, fixed internal focalization is employed throughout the story. These two novels do not have the tortuous and bizarre storyline, but only revolve around trivial matters that have occurred in family, including the contradiction and estrangement between family members and so on. Judging from the existing literature at home and abroad, there is still great potential for in-depth research on Anne Tyler and her two novels. Based on Gérard Genette’s Narrative Theories, this thesis is devoted to a comparative study of alienation in Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant and >The Accidental Tourist< by means of close reading and theoretical analysis, so as to help readers gain a deep understanding of Tyler’s writing style and alienation theme, and also render a new perspective for further interpretation of Tyler’s family novels. This thesis consists of six parts. Chapter One first gives a brief introduction to the writer Anne Tyler and her works. Then, the definition of alienation is presented, especially Fromm’s views on alienation. In the end of this chapter, the significance and structure of the thesis are pointed out.– Chapter Two is Literature Review. In this part, the study on Anne Tyler and her two representative novels at home and abroad are shown.– Chapter Three is the theoretical framework of the thesis, in which Genette’s narratology theory is explained in detail, especially the narrative focalization: zero focalization, internal focalization, external focalization.– Chapter Four and Chapter Five are the main body of the thesis. Chapter Four aims to compare and analyze the manifestation of alienation in the two novels from different internal focalization types. This chapter can be divided into two parts. The first part will analyze the self-alienation in the two novels. The second part will explore the alienation of interpersonal relationship in the two novels, including two types: the alienation among family members and the alienation with non-family members. And the environmental alienation will be taken into consideration in this part, which accelerates the alienation of characters in the two novels.– Chapter Five is expected to elaborate the external and internal reasons of the alienation in the two novels, and explore the countermeasures to overcome alienation. External reasons, such as the social and historical background, the writer’s experience, the influence of American Southern literature and the family background are analyzed. In view of the internal reasons, this thesis puts an emphasis on personal attitude and choice. In terms of countermeasures, the strength of family ties weakens the alienation in >Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant<. While in >The Accidental Tourist<, the greatness of affection helps the protagonist Macon overcome alienation partially.– Chapter Six – conclusion part, the author summaries the previous viewpoints and puts forward the suggestion for further study. [www.cnki.net, 1/2023]
The young American novelist Anthony Doerr spent ten years creating >All the Light We Cannot See<, which won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Literature for its subtle storyline and beautiful writing upon its publication. The novel tells the story of Werner, an orphan who embarks on the way of negative freedom due to his ignorance to the world and his worship of authoritarianism, and eventually breaks free from various fetters to gain true freedom. The German humanist philosopher Fromm constructs the unique theory of freedom based on psychoanalysis and Marxism. The negative freedom and positive freedom he proposed constitute the core of his theory of freedom. Fromm argues that the removal of external obstacles does not imply true freedom because it does not guarantee the realization of true development of man’s own power. Instead, positive freedom is the essence of freedom, and true freedom can be fully achieved only when man fully exerts his power of spontaneity and creativity and establishes a close connection with the world. Based on Fromm’s theory of freedom, this thesis interprets the manifestations of Werner’s descent into negative freedom in terms of authoritarianism, destructiveness, and automaton conformity. In addition, this thesis addresses three periods of Werner’s pursuit of positive freedom, namely, the beginning period of conscience awakening, the critical period of spontaneous development, and the realization period of positive freedom. True freedom can be achieved only when man lives spontaneously as a complete subject. Negative freedom brings Werner anxiety and loneliness, so he sets out to pursue positive freedom. Ultimately, Werner achieves self-identity and positive freedom through love, creative work and rational faith. The purpose of this thesis is to reveal that freedom from bondage and obstacles offers us only negative freedom, which seems to bring a sense of security but is followed by endless loneliness and nothingness. Unlike negative freedom, positive freedom provides a true sense of happiness and belonging based on self-actualization. We should acknowledge the existence of negative freedom and strive to achieve true freedom through spontaneous love and creative activity. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 9/2022]
[Chinese abstract not available] What is the unique feature of China’s model of development? Upon reviewing the >dialectics of development< that draws on both Amartya Sen and Erich Fromm, this paper argues that the China Model may have a particular strength in reconstructing its Confucian tradition towards social solidarity. In China, like other countries with a rapid development, swift social transformation has brought to fore as many positive as negative consequences, on the basis of which a mixed record of development in modern society can be pathologically diagnosed. Following the Durkheimer's premise that these social ills may be cured by a shift from mechanical solidarity (characteristic of a traditional society) to its organic counterpart, this paper, drawing on both Fisk and Confucius, proposes the idea of >civitas homini<as the core concept to anchor such transition. It defines the linking of individuals to each other in particular and to society in general via voluntary associations that are based on multiple cohesive factors, whether it be modern or traditional. It emphasises the respecting of individual rights to choice and liberties based on informed reasoning faculties. Different forms of >civitas homini<, when combined together, shall reach a stage of >res publica latium< (commonwealth) that ensures both individual liberties and social solidarity, with different communities entering into terms of intersubjective recognition, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence. Through this >civitas homini<, we can rewrite the paradigm of development as one that aims at solidarity rather than purely individualistic freedom. [Author's English]
[Chinese abstract not available] As a contemporary psychoanalyst and philosopher, Fromm devoted his life to researching how to heal the mentally ill in contemporary society and to uncovering the root causes of people’s sicknesses in capitalist society. He tried to explain, what is the nature of human beings, what are human needs and the causes of human pathological alienation, etc. Unlike the one-sided criticism of other thinkers on political and economic aspects, Fromm analyzed the causes of the sickness of Western capitalist society from the internal to the external environment, from the individual to the group, from the individual to the society, from the primitive society to the historical class change, from the aspects of man and others, man and nature, man and society, and man and himself, and built a blueprint of a sane society. He pointed out the need to make a sane society a reality through the simultaneous implementation of a political, economic, and psychological revolution.– This paper is a re-investigative analysis of Fromm’s idea of sane society, divided into four parts. The first part, to sort out the background and ideological origins of Fromm’s sane society theory. In the second part, we analyze the logical structure of Fromm’s sane society theory, analyze the nature of human beings, the dichotomy of human existence, human survival needs, and human social needs, and focus on the problem of mental alienation arising from the suppression of human survival needs, the social character as an intermediary between individuals and society, and the root cause of the alienation of social character, and make a presentation of the pathological personality and pathological society presented by the alienation. The presentation is based on this. On this basis, Fromm’s vision of economic change, political change, and cultural change and his strategies for practice are discussed. The last section analyzes the theoretical orientation of sane social thought and its practical implications for contemporary society. It is not difficult to find from Fromm’s sane social thought that his thought is very distinctly humanistic. By thinking about human nature and how to forge a healthy personality, combining Freud’s psychoanalytic doctrine with Marx’s theory of anthropology and the theory of labor alienation, he formed his unique theoretical system, the humanistic psychoanalysis. His concern for the mental health of all human beings and his pursuit of the >free development of all human beings< are in line with the core values of the comprehensive development of the state under the current conditions of socialist market economy, which are people-oriented and have great inspiration and practical guidance on how to solve social problems. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 1/2024]