Erich Fromm Essay, Research Paper
An American psychoanalyst Erich Fromm, was born on March 23,
1900, in Frankfort, Germany. Fromm was educated at the Universities of
Heidelberg and Munich, as well as, The Psychoanalytic Institute in Berlin.
He received his Ph.D. from Heidlberg in 1922.
As a result of all the turmoil in Germany, Fromm?s immigrated to the
states in 1934. Hitler?s reign to power was strong and Fromm was aware of
his pursuit. Fromm was a very intelligent man and was extremely conscious
of the fact that his odds in the field of psychology during this time were very
slim.
When he immigrated to the United States he studied psychoanalysis
and lectured at various institutions, including Bennington College, New York
University, also teaching at Columbia, Yale, Michigan State University, and
the William Alanson White Institute of Psychiatry. Eventually Fromm
moved to Mexico in 1950.
Fromm was a psychoanalyst which is a psychologist who has received
additional specialized training in psychoanalyst theory and practice. In order
to become a psychoanalyst you must study 16 years of college in that field.
Sigmun Freud developed a technique to uncover the unconscious called
psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis is a technique which Fromm used as
therapy. This is a technique in which a patient lies on a couch and recounts
dreams and says whatever comes to mind, this helps uncover the
unconscious.
Freud developed this technique of therapy because he believed that
dreams represent our wishes and that they can reveal the motive?s guiding
our behavior, motives of which we are often unaware of. This process is also
known as free association. A psychoanalyst technique that encourages the
patient to talk with out inhibition about whatever thoughts or fantasy came to
mind.
Psychoanalysis is the belief that anxiety and other problems are
symptoms of inner conflicts dating back to childhood. Psychoanalysis is
designed to bring these hidden feelings to conscious awareness, consequently
that individual can understand them with increased clarity.
Fromm felt that personalities develops in a sequence of critical stages
during the first few years of life. If we successfully resolve the conflicts that
we encounter at each of these stages, we can avoid psychological problems in
later life. But if they become ?fixated? at anyone of these stages, we may
carry related feelings of anxiety or exaggerated fears with us into adulthood.
Fromm says that man is a product of his culture in comparison to the
Freudian theory of the biological foundation of human character. Erich
Fromm broke away from biologically oriented theories to see humans as
products of their culture harmony between the drives of the individual ands
society in which the individual lives. Leading to the belief of Heredity
Environments. A belief in which your roots and environment has a lot to do
with the way you react in certain situations.
During Fromm?s lifetime he had the opportunity to educate others,
he lectured to anyone who was willing to listen, and wrote books about his
own theory. Erich Fromm is the author of these other books; To have or to
Be?, Marx Concepts of man, The art of listening, On being human, Escape
the freedom and many more. Fromm spent his twilight years between 1974
and 1980 in Switzerland. He passed away on March 17, 1980.
Erich Fromm demonstrated his intelligence and his educational
background was certainly obvious. I believe he managed to live his life to the
fullest. Some say cleanness is next to Godliness, I believe that intelligence is
next to Godliness. What greater power is there!