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As a master of American literature and a representative writer of academic school in the 20th century, Saul Bellow revealed the spiritual crisis encountered by intellectuals and reflected the spiritual emptiness of people in the social background of moral decline and materialistic desire. >More Die of Heartbreak< is a novel written by Bellow during his latter period of creation. The novel shows the complicated contemporary love, marriage, family condition and the alienated society that is trapped by money, consumerism, and sex. In this thesis, Erich Fromm’s humanism is used to deeply interpret the embodiments, causes, and salvation of alienation in >More Die of Heartbreak<.– The thesis consists of five chapters. The first chapter is the introduction, which mainly introduces Saul Bellow, >More Die of Heartbreak<, research status at home and abroad, alienation and humanistic theory.– Chapter two interprets the embodiments of alienation in >More Die of Heartbreak<, including self-alienation, interpersonal alienation, and alienation between people and society.– Chapter three explores the causes of alienation. Firstly, self-alienation is mainly caused by receptive character, irrational need for relatedness, and alienated way to satisfy relatedness. Secondly, causes of interpersonal alienation mainly include morbidity and liberation of sex, nonproductive character orientation, the impact of pragmatism and the contradiction of different cultures. Thirdly, consumers’ morbid desire for sign value and the media with negative guidance also lead to alienation between human and society.– Chapter four explores how to overcome alienation. Firstly, it expounds that Benn and Kenneth overcome self-alienation through self-improvement. Secondly, individuals can overcome loneliness and rebuild harmonious interpersonal relationships under the salvation of love. Finally, the being mode of existence advocated by Fromm is helpful for individuals to overcome the influence of social alienation and reshape harmony between man and society.– The last chapter is the conclusion, which points out that although contemporary westerners are troubled by alienation, people can still resist alienation through self-improvement, love, and choosing the being mode of existence. It is significant to overcome alienation in a materialistic society from the perspective of humanism. While exploring the embodiments, causes, and solutions of alienation in >More Die of Heartbreak<, this thesis hopes to raise people’s concern about the elimination of alienation and provide enlightenment on how to overcome alienation. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 7/2023]
[Chinese abstract not available] Lorraine Hansberry, the first black playwright and the youngest American to win a New York Critics’ Circle award, her >A Raisin in the sun<, opens on Broadway with great success. This paper mainly adopts the Alienation Theory of Fromm to explore her consciousness of reconstructing an inclusive Black Community based on disclosing that the dreams of the black people are distorted into sublime objects constructed by the dominant ideology. Grounded on the three principles from Fromm’s Alienation theory, this paper finds that Hansberry has not only suggested that the elimination of alienation can be achieved by the strong power of family bonds but also highlighted the essential role that the Black tradition plays in the construction of an inclusive Black Community where black people can traverse the ideological fantasy and develop their racial pride. [Author's English]
[Chinese abstract not available] Fromm analyzed the spiritual predicament of modern people after the two World Wars through the combination of Marxism and Freudian psychoanalysis, and pointed out that the spontaneous individualization had to be subject to social conditions, resulting in the gap between positive freedom and negative freedom. In order to escape the burden brought by such negative freedom, people would rather lose their freedom than gain security and survival. In modern society, there is a common psychology of escape from freedom, which presents different forms of expression, and eventually results in totalitarianism and unsound society. Fromm tried to eliminate the ills of modern society by finding a way to realize positive freedom. The escape from freedom emphasized by Fromm is a prominent manifestation of modernity. At present, in the background of modernization and globalization, through the critical thinking of Fromm’s thought of escape from freedom, it is still enlightening and useful for the development of Chinese modernization to pursue and surpass this kind of modernity. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 12/2023]
[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]
[Chinese abstract not available] Jesmyn Ward’s third novel, >Sing, Unburied, Sing<, however, is Ward’s second work to have won the National Book Award for fiction. It was >Sing< that laid a solid foundation for Ward’s reception from the American literary circle as a powerful new voice. Sing focuses on a black family in the American south, which was nearly torn apart by poverty, drugs, and racial discrimination; Apart from the estranged kinship in the black family, represented by ghost Richie, the black group in the novel also shows a seemingly strong desire for identity. Based on Erich Fromm’s alienation theory and his theories of love, this paper gives an analysis of the alienation of the protagonist at the level of love and racial identity and focuses on the struggle of the black group to survive in the white mainstream society, which resulted in their dual lack and dual pursuit of love and identity. This paper aims to reveal Ward’s fierce criticism of racist ideology that has caused the double dilemma of survival and spirit of black people in the American South and demonstrate her deep understanding as well as support for the ideals and actions of African Americans in terms of their eagerness to integrate into the mainstream society. [Author's English]
Some lineages and resources of Critical and Radical Humanist Work and Organizational Psychology
(2023)
Critical work and organizational psychology is developing on an international scale. Against the background of this evolving scientific field, in this extended version of my opening speech at the first International Conference on Critical and Radical Humanist Work and Organizational Psychology, held from 11th to 13th of July 2022 at the University of Innsbruck, I aim to address the following three questions: (1) What concepts may be relevant for critical work and organizational psychology in analyzing established „mainstream“ (i.e., hegemonic) conceptualizations within work and organizational psychology? (2) Cui bono, critical work and organizational psychology? – To what ethical foundations do (or can) representatives of critical work and organizational psychology refer to when they intend to criticize theory and practice in work and organizational psychology? (3) What do we know about work and organizations beyond domination, subjectification and social alienation? – About fractals of a humanist, socially sustainable economy. Preliminary answers to these questions and implications for the future of critical work and organizational psychology will be discussed.
The article is an attempt to prove that cinema, becoming a kind of home of a mythical being – a vampire, clearly influences the change in the perception of its importance in culture. It was decided to explore the form and narrative of >The Hunger<, directed by Tony Scott and >Only Lovers Left Alive<, written by Jim Jarmusch, because both of these works are masterpieces of the romance of the vampire myth with the film medium, which are not particularly popular among researchers of the phenomenon. The research works of Roland Barthes, Vladimir Propp, Erich Fromm and Rollo May were used, as well as the concepts of successive processing of a mythical story were demonstrated.
The >Buddhist< culture itself, as a subculture, is usually characterized by the coexistence of rationality and sensibility and the coexistence of aggressiveness and anxiety. The choice of “Buddhist” life for college students is an escape to a certain extent. They leave their families and come to a relatively free university. A sense of loneliness and powerlessness is generated, which leads them to defend themselves to relieve pressure, thus the psychological phenomenon of >escape from freedom< appears. However, there is a certain pragmatism while escaping. This seemingly free and easy >Buddha system< Mentality actually has a negative impact on the subjective well-being of college students. In Fromm’s view, freedom has dual meanings. These college students who advertise as >Buddhist youth< are in the predicament of freedom. However, in reality, some college students choose to escape from negative freedom to overcome their inner loneliness. This paper analyzes this phenomenon based on Fromm’s >Escape from Freedom<, and attempts to propose a path to achieve positive freedom and help college students pursue positive freedom. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
In modern industrial society, alienation has become a general problem existing in politics, economy, culture and other fields. For this reason, based on humanism Fromm's uses Freudian psychoanalysis to expose the symptoms of alienation in modern society. And in the perspective of Marxism, he ran through the analysis of human psychological mechanism to seek a solution to eliminate the symptoms of alienation. However, in essence, Fromm exaggerated the role of psychological factors in eliminating alienation, so it has inevitable limitation. [Translation: www.cnki.net, 4/2023]
Victor Serge, Erich Fromm y Herbert Marcuse provided some of the first interpretations of Nazi and Soviet totalitarianism. A special feature of their work in early 1940 was to link Marxist and psychoanalytical concepts to understand the rationality underlying Nazism and Stalinism. At the same time, they formulated proposals to renew socialism in a democratic sense. These three authors posited that, beyond political repression and bureaucratic control, totalitarian rule was implemented through a powerful ideological apparatus that had taken root in the individual and collective subconscious. Moreover, they considered that the importance of intellectual work was linked to the psychological mechanisms that sustained the totalitarian phenomenon with the aim of eradicating it.
Because psychology lacks a comprehensive theory of subjectivity that accounts for the entanglement of the social, cultural, historical, interpersonal, and personal, relevant elements for a theory of subjectivity are identified and presented. An important dimension for a theory of subjectivity is the reality of living everyday life, which includes working, relating, as well as self-processes. However, traditional psychology, including philosophical psychology, has neglected the role of work in mental life. It is argued that it is insufficient to address interaction and relationality or internal processes in the development of a theory subjectivity. Using Hannah Arendt’s and Nancy Fraser’s distinctions, it is argued that political-philosophical reflections on work remain important for understanding subjectivity. Consequences for an approach that includes work in a theory of subjectivity are discussed.
[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]