Erich Fromm and his theory of humanistic psychoanalysis

For Erich Fromm, the main task of human beings in life is to give birth to themselves to become what he really is, someone nobler, stronger and freer. These and other reflections demonstrate the humanistic, as well as revolutionary, perspective of a figure of great relevance within psychology. In addition, we also talk about what some consider the philosopher of love.

When we refer to psychoanalytic theory, there are those who make the mistake of seeing it as a whole, as the same rigid and specific entity where very clear concepts, dynamics and approaches enunciated by the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, reside. Perhaps we forget that within this current there are schools and forms of thought that have enriched the bases of psychoanalysis by deviating from the words and ideas of Freud.

Erich Fromm was one of these “deviants.” It was in the 40s when this social psychologist, of Jewish-German origin, decided to break with the psychoanalytic doctrine with which they worked at the “Institute for Social Research of the University of Frankfurt” and completely renew theory and practice, bringing it closer to a much more cultural, human approach.

For example, he reformulated the idea of ​​the development of libido for another more feasible one. A new conception in which he stated and articulated the processes of assimilation and socialization of the individual.

Likewise, we could say without being mistaken that Fromm was above all a fascinating thinker, a philosopher and one of the best representatives of humanism of the 20th century..

In his 3 most important books: The fear of freedom, The art of loving and The heart of man He left us a universe of thoughts, reflections and theories where psychology goes hand in hand with anthropology and history, and where in turn the legacy of Sigmund Freud and Karen Horney were also very present.

Erich Fromm and the systemic crisis of Western society

To understand Erich Fromm’s theory of humanistic psychoanalysis it is necessary to know the author, understand his roots, his context and that drifting world that formed his most immediate reality. In this way, we will be in a position to understand what served as a guide and inspiration for his theories.

When you read his autobiography, Beyond the chains of illusionand stops above all at his childhood and adolescence he instantly perceives that they were not exactly happy times for Eric.

Fromm’s father was a rather aggressive businessman, his mother suffered from chronic depression and he was also educated in a markedly strict environment, under Orthodox Jewish standards. He says that during this time he experienced two moments that marked him.

The first was the suicide of a 25-year-old girl with whom he was in love as a child. She was a painter and was very close to her only family: her father. He died suddenly, and a few days later the young artist decided to take her own life. Her suicide made Fromm wonder...because? What makes people go to such extremes?

The second event that marked him was the outbreak of the First World War. Then came the shadow of nationalism, the radicalization of the masses, the messages full of hate and the eternal differentiation between “us” and “them”, between my identity and yours, your religion and mine, my vision. of the world and the “unacceptable” vision of yours.

The world was fragmenting, and these cracks not only opened unbridgeable distances between different powers, but also began a period of systemic crisis throughout society. All the psychological, philosophical and social theories stated so far had to be reformulated in search of answers and explanations in the face of such chaos…

A vision for understanding and hope in human beings

Reading the work of Erich Fromm is almost essential to understand this entire period of crisis of values, of principles and social policies that opened in that first half of our 20th century where the two world wars undermined, so to speak, our faith in humanity.

However, To read Fromm is to reconcile yourself precisely with humanity. Because it speaks to us about hope and, above all, it provides us with great resources from the human sciences and from psychoanalysis itself to initiate a positive and creative transformation.

Let us now look at the basic principles of his theory.

From biological-mechanistic man to biological-social man

Erich Fromm accepted many of the concepts developed by Sigmund Freud: the unconscious, repression, defense mechanisms, transference, the concept of dreams as an expression of the unconscious and of course, the relevance of childhood as the root of many psychological disorders.

However, Something that Fromm could not tune into was that vision of the human being as a biological-mechanistic entity., as a being that responds exclusively to the will of the “It”, to that entity that seeks to satisfy the basic impulses of aggressiveness, survival and reproduction. Erich Fromm spoke to us about biological-social man to praise this “psychology of the ego”, where people do not limit ourselves only to reacting or defending ourselves from our impulses or instincts. It is necessary to expand boundaries and become aware of the social, and how sometimes the most significant figures for a child can generate adverse and traumatic processes.Interpersonal relationships are now placed with Fromm as the backbone that completely replace the classic theory of the evolution of libido, as a motivational and mechanistic concept, in the figure of the human being.

The human being is free

Fromm’s theories are not only influenced by Freud and Karen Horney. Talking about Erich Fromm is also talking about Marx. We must remember once again that social context of the time, that crisis of values, those gaps in content when it comes to giving answers to the reasons for human behavior, the reasons for wars, nationalisms, hatreds, the difference of classes…

Assuming the biological-mechanistic perspective inherited from Freud, as we already know, lacked meaning and usefulness, hence The principles defended by Marx fit much better with the premises that Fromm was looking for.. For Marx, people were not only determined by society, they were first and foremost determined by their economic systems.

Thus, in many of Fromm’s texts we can even now recognize ourselves in his lines and in those messages that leave no one indifferent.

Now, something really interesting within Fromm’s theory is that although human beings are influenced by their culture and economic systems, There is an end for which we must always fight and that we can achieve: freedom.

Fromm, in fact, encouraged people to go beyond iron determinisms of Freud and Marx to develop something that is immanent to human nature itself: our freedom.

People, Fromm believes, are determined by some biological principles, just like other animals. We are born with a body, we mature, we grow old and we fight for our survival.. However, beyond this limit, anything is possible.

If we were able, for example, to advance from those traditional societies of the Middle Ages to today’s society, we cannot give up in this process in search of more freedoms, more rights and greater well-being.

Freedom is something complex to achieve, but to achieve it you must cultivate individual responsibility and social respect.. Otherwise, if we do not fight or escape from our own freedom, we run the risk of one of these scenarios emerging in our societies that are undoubtedly not unknown to us:

Authoritarianism. Destructiveness (which includes aggression, violence or suicide). Automatic conformity, where the person becomes a “social chameleon”, that is, they assume the color of their environment without protesting.

He developed these three ideas in an essential book that is worth returning to from time to time: “The fear to the freedom”.

The foundations of humanistic psychoanalysis

Something that undoubtedly draws attention about Erich Fromm’s career is that unlike the more classic psychoanalysts that we all know, He did not start in the medical or psychiatric field. In fact, he was not a doctor, his work base was sociology, hence sometimes he was not very accepted or well seen.

His relationship with Karen Horney was quite complex and many psychologists always saw him as a field theorist rather than an orthodox psychologist.

However, This is where Fromm’s true greatness is found, that of his broader and more comprehensive vision of the human being. There where not everything responds to an organic pathology, to the forces of biology, but it is culture, family and essentially society itself that often also put barbed wire fences and vetoes on our own expression of being.

Let’s see below the basic foundations of his theory of humanistic psychoanalysis.

Keys to understanding Erich Fromm’s psychological approach

Below we leave you some of the main keys to understanding Fromm’s psychology:

Fromm’s humanist imprint brings a new approach to the concept of illness, understood as alienation from oneself, as a path of non-realization.Therefore, the purpose of the professional is none other than to facilitate the person’s encounter with themselves. Expressing it in a more current language: “promote personal development to achieve happiness”. Something like this can only be achieved by promoting responsibility and self-love. When treating a patient, it is not advisable to focus exclusively on the pathological, on the symptoms of the disease or its negative conditions. It is necessary to see the qualities and positive aspects of the person to facilitate the therapeutic technique.The only objective of psychoanalysis should not be to add its grain of sand so that the person changes. In addition, strategies must be provided so that they can integrate back into society, but feeling stronger, more skilled and prepared to be aware that there is also…