If humanity cannot live with the dangers and responsibilities inherent in freedom, it will probably turn to authoritarianism. This is the central idea of Escape from Freedom , a landmark work by one of the most distinguished thinkers of our time, and a book that is as timely now as when first published in 1941. Few books have thrown such light upon the forces that shape modern society or penetrated so deeply into the causes of authoritarian systems. If the rise of democracy set some people free, at the same time it gave birth to a society in which the individual feels alienated and dehumanized. Using the insights of psychoanalysis as probing agents, Fromm's work analyzes the illness of contemporary civilization as witnessed by its willingness to submit to totalitarian rule.

A brilliant meditation on mental health in the modern world; alienation and mental health; ways to overcome 'the insane society'; a comprehensive analysis of prevailing concepts of mental health against Fromm’s views on overcoming destructive narcissism and social determinants of mental health; and a look at humankind’s alleged passivity in relation to dreams, child development and psychology.[Bokinfo]

How can we explain man's lust for cruelty? In a world in which violence seems to be increasing, social philosopher Erich Fromm has treated this haunting question with depth and scope in the most original and far-reaching work of his brilliant career. Fromm goes beyond the controversy between instinctivists like Lorenz, who argue that man's destructiveness has been inherited from his animal ancestors, and behaviorists like Skinner, who maintain that there are no innate human traits since everything is the result of social conditioning. Conceding that there is a kind of aggression which man shares with animals, Fromm shows that it is defensive in nature, designed to insure survival. On the other hand, malignant aggression, or destructiveness, in which man kills without biological or social purpose, is peculiarly human and not instinctive; it is one of the passions, like ambition or greed. Drawing on findings of neurophysiology, prehistory, anthropology, and animal psychology, Fromm presents a global and historical study of human destructiveness that enables readers to evaluate the data for themselves. Although deeply indebted to Freud, Fromm emphasizes social and cultural factors as well. Destructiveness is seen in terms of the dreams and associations of many patients, and of historical figures such as Stalin--an extreme example of sadism; Himmler--an example of the bureaucratic-sadistic character; and Hitler.--From publisher description.

Anyone attempting to identify the thread that runs through the writings of the late Erich Fromm (1900-1980) will soon discover an unequivocally humanistic worldview. This was Fromm's guiding principle. From the 1930s on it signified his break with the Institute for Social Research, and marked his disputes with Marcuse, Horkheimer, and Adorno. Fromm himself frequently refers in his writings to the humanistic aspect of man: humanistic science, humanistic socialism, humanistic religion, humanistic psychoanalysis. This posthumous volume includes writings from one of Fromm's most fertile periods, the 1960s, during the last twenty years of his life. They are based on lectures, works written for specific occasions, and manuscripts intended as books. Of special interest is the extended essay on two very difficult thinkers, Meister Eckhart and Karl Marx.

It was Erich Fromm's conviction that psychoanalysis needs to retain Freud's essential insight into the unconscious while replacing his mechanistic-materialistic philosophy with a humanistic one. In this book, never before published in English, Fromm presents such a revision of psychoanalysis, one that is both humanistic and dialectical. The Revision of Psychoanalysis is Fromm's long-expected account of his own personal way of understanding and practicing psychoanalysis. Of special interest to today's readers are his continuing efforts to understand the meaning of sexuality, his critique of Herbert Marcuse's vision of psychoanalysis, and the implications of a Freudian analytical social psychology for the reform of social arrangements. The book is essential reading for psychologists and for social and political theorists in many disciplines. For psychoanalysts, it provides Fromm's most provocative and unique recommendations for the revision of psychoanalysis.

Text: English (translation) Original Language: German

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