Fromm - Humanistic Psychoanalysis Flashcards
Name of Fromm’s focus?
Humanistic psychoanalysis
Fromm’s foundational assumption?
Separation from the natural world lead to loneliness, isolation and thus basic anxiety.
Fromm: People have been torn away from prehistoric union with nature and each other, but they have the power of what?
Reasoning, foresight, and imagination.
Fromm: How does one escape feelings of loneliness, isolation, and homelessness?
Strive to become united with others and with nature.
To Fromm, what causes basic anxiety?
Separation from the natural world (“Fromm nature”) and resulting isolation. A sense of being alone in the world.
Includes children gaining independence from mom and security.
What’s the human dilemma, to Fromm?
The human condition of having ability to reason, but lacking powerful instincts needed to adapt to a changing world.
The human dilemma forces us to solve basic _____ ______ (Fromm)
Existential dichotomies (life and death, self-realization vs. life too short, aloneness vs. union)
What are the three existential dichotomies (Fromm)?
- Life and death – aware of death, but postulate afterlife
- Self-realization vs. life too short to reach the goal
- We’re ultimately alone, but we can’t tolerate isolation.
What are the human needs, per Fromm?
- Relatedness (drive for union)
- Transcendence
- Rootedness
- Sense of identity
- Frame of orientation
Rick tried rootbeer iced oranges.
Fromm: Only the uniquely human needs (relatedness, transcendence, rootedness, sense of identity and frame of orientation) can help with what?
Move people toward a reunion with the natural world.
Fromm: What are three basic ways to gain a sense of relatedness, to unite with another person?
- Submission (often forming symbiotic relationship)
- Power
- Love
Describe the need for transcendence (Fromm)
The urge to rise above passive existence into purposefulness and freedom. One can transcend by creating life or destroying it.
Fromm: Describe the need for rootedness.
The need for a consistent structure in one’s life.
Fromm: Describe the need for sense of identity.
Awareness of oneself as a separate identity – a feeling of “I” or “me.”
Fromm: Describe the need for a frame of orientation.
A consistent way to look at the world. A map to make sense of stimuli and events.
Fromm: Psychologically healthy people acquire the syndrome of growth. What does this include?
1) Positive freedom (spontaneous activity of a whole, integrated personality)
2) Biophilia – passionate love of life
3) Love – for fellow humans
Fromm: Humans are the only species to use ____ _____
Malignant aggression.
The final human need, per Fromm, is ______. (three words)
Frame of orientation – a map to make one’s way through the world.
Fromm: What is the burden of freedom?
As children become more independent from mothers, they also become free from security. This burden of freedom causes basic anxiety.
Fromm: Identify the three mechanisms of escape from the burden of freedom (basic anxiety)
- Authoritarianism
- Destructiveness
- Conformity
Fromm: Describe the authoritarianism escape from the burden of freedom.
Giving up independence by fusing with someone, to acquire their strength. Takes two forms: submissive or sadistic.
Fromm: Describe the destructiveness escape from the burden of freedom.
Rooted in feelings of isolation and powerlessness, this seeks to do away with other people.
Fromm: A person’s relatively permanent way to relate to people and things is his ________ (two words)
Character orientation
What’s the most important acquired quality of personality, per Fromm?
Character (a person’s relatively permanent way of relating to people and things)
Fromm: Name 4 non-productive character orientations
- Receptive
- Exploitive
- Hoarding
- Marketing
Fromm: Name three personality disorders associated with the syndrome of decay, according to Fromm
- Necrophilia
- Malignant narcissism
- Incestuous symbiosis
Fromm: Extremely sick people are motivated by the ___ ___ ___.
Syndrome of decay
Fromm: The syndrome of decay includes what?
Necrophilia, malignant narcissism, incestuous symbiosis (tendency to remain bound to mother figure)
Fromm: A narcissist’s distorted belief that their personal qualities give them superiority over others is _____ (2 words).
Neurotic claims
Fromm: List the five human needs
- Relatedness (sub/dom or love)
- Transcendence (destructive or creative)
- Rootedness (fixation or wholeness)
- Sense of identity (group or individuality)
- Frame of orientation (irrational or rational goals)
To Fromm, what’s the goal of therapy?
To establish a union with patients so they can become reunited with the world. Aim is for the patient to know him/herself.
Summarize Fromm’s Humanistic Psychoanalysis
- Separation from the natural world (“Fromm nature”) produces feelings of loneliness, isolation, basic anxiety
- Unite with others and nature via human needs of relatedness, transcendence, rootedness, sense of identity, and frame of orientation help reunite with natural world. (Rick tried rootbeer iced oranges).
- To relieve basic anxiety, ppl use mechanisms of escape: authoritarianism, destructiveness, conformity (Actually Destroy Crying)
- Psych. healthy ppl acquire syndrome of growth, including positive freedom (spontaneity), biophilia (love of life), and love for fellow humans.
- Non-productive ppl acquire things passively – receiving, exploiting, hoarding, marketing.
- Sick ppl have syndrome of decay - necrophilia, malignant narcissism, incestuous symbiosis.
Fromm: Describe the authoritarianism mechanism of escape.
Give up independence and fuse with someone, to acquire the strength that the individual lacks.
Fromm: Describe the destructiveness mechanism of escape.
Feeling isolated and powerless, one seeks to do away with other people.
Fromm: Describe the conformity mechanism of escape.
Feeling alone and isolated, one gives up one’s self and becomes whatever others desire.
Fromm: Describe the receptive character orientation.
Feels that all good lies outside oneself. The only way they can relates to the world is to receive things – love, knowledge, possessions.
Fromm: Describe the exploitive character orientation.
Believes all source of good is outside oneself, so aggressively take what they want.
Fromm: Describe the hoarding character orientation.
Seek to save that which they’ve obtained.
Fromm: Describe the marketing character orientation.
See themselves as being in constant demand – they must make others believe they are skillful and salable.
