Lecture 7. Fromm Flashcards
Majort theme of Humanistic Psychoanalytic theory
the concept of loneliness
To be human is?
To be isolated and lonely
Loneliness represents
the basic condition of human existence ghat separates human from animal nature
Self-awareness contributes to?
feelings of loneliness, isolation and homelessness
Humanity’s separation from the natural world has produced
feelings of loneliness and isolation
what kind of perspective is involved in humanistic psychoanalysis?,
involves historical and cultural perspectives
Birth Order of Fromm
Only child
Nationality of Fromm
Orthodox Jewish
Childhood years of Fromm
evolved with the religious and scholars from the circle of his parents
Father of Fromm
son and grandson of rabbi
Mother of Fromm
niece of Talmudic scholar
Fromm described his parents as?
Neurotics; father being moody and mother prone to depression
How did he became immersed with the works of Freud and Marx?
The suicide of a woman, who was a friend of the family and the outbreak of WW1 impacted his teenage years, and their works answered his questions
Adult Years of Fromm
rejected his religion and became a socialist
Contributions of Fromm in understanding Personality
Existential Dichotomies, Five Existential Dichotomies, Escape Mechanisms, Character Orientations and Personality Disorders
Dichotomy
a two-horned human dilemma (acquired facility to reason) or a problem that has no solution because none of the alternative it presents is entirely satisfactory
the existence of dichotomies that characterize human condition give rise to?
5 basic needs that stem from our existence and must be met for a person to develop fully
First Existential Dichotomy
between life and death
aspires immortality but self-awareness and reason is saying that life is inevitable
there is life after death to alter the fact that life ends with death
Second Existential Dichotomy
humans are capable of conceptualizing the goal of complete realization, but we are aware that life is too short to reach for that goal
Third Existential Dichotomy
people are ultimately alone, yet we cannot tolerate isolation
5 Existential/Basic Needs of Human Existence
Relatedness, Transcendence, Rootedness, Sense of Identity, and Frame of Reference/Orientation
Relatedness
the drive for union with another person through submission, love and power
Transcendence
the urge to rise above the passive and accidental existence and into “the realm of purposefulness and freedom”
Rootedness
the need to establish roots or to feel at home again in the world
Sense of Identity
the capacity to be aware of ourselves as separate entity
to say “I am I” or “I am the subject of my actions”
Frame of Reference/Orientation
enables people to organize the various stimula that impinge on them
Positive and Negative Components of Relatedness
N- submission or domination; P - love
Pos and Nega Components of Transcendence
N - destructiveness; P - creativeness
Pos and Nega Components of Rootedness
N - Fixation; Posi - Wholeness
Sense of Identity Pos and Nega Components
Nega - Adjustment to a group; Pos - Individuality
Frame of Reference/Orientation Pos&Nega Components
Nega- Irrational goals; Posi - Rational goals
Mechanisms of Escape
driving forces to cope with/reduce basic anxiety
Three Escape Mechanisms
Authoritarianism, Destructiveness, Conformity
Authoritarianism
tendency to give up the independence of one’s own individual self and to fuse one’s self with somebody or someone outside oneself
2 forms of Authoritarianism
Masochism and Sadism
Destructiveness
seeking to do away with other people but not in a continuous relationship
destroying people and objects to restore lost feelings of power
Conformity
giving up individuality and becoming whatever people desire them to be
reacts predictably and mechanically, seldom expresses their own opinion, and clinging to expected standards of behavior
Character Orientations
A person’s relatively permanent way of relating to people and things
Character
relatively permanent system of all non instinctual strivings through which man relates himself to the human and natural world
Fromm believed that character is?
a substitute for instincts
People related to the world in two ways:
Assimilation - acquiring and using things
Socialization - relating to self and others
4 Nonproductive Character Orientations
Receptive, Exploitative, Hoarding and Marketing Type
Receptive Type
feels that the source of all good lies outside themselves
A masochistic orientation
more concerned with receiving than giving, and what others to shower them love, ideas and gifts
Exploitative Type
a sadistic orientation - believes that all good lies outside themselves but does not expect to receive it so it should be taken forcibly
aggresively take what they desire than passively receive it
Marketing Type
sees self as a commodity, personal values are dependent on what is in demand, new or opportunity
Without past, future or no permanent principles or values
3 Dimensions of Productive Character Orientation
working, loving and reasoning
Productive character types are people who work?
toward positive freedom and continuing realization of their potential
Healthy people value work as?
not as an end in itself, but as a means of creating self-expression
productive love has?
care, respect, responsibility and knowledge
Biophilia
a passionate love of life and all that is alive
Biophilics influence people through?
love, reason and example
Productive thinking
motivated by concerned interest in another person or object
For Fromm, the development of personality is?
more of a function of the type of rs between a child and his parents
3 Types of Relationship between a Child and his parents
Symbiotic Relatedness, Withdrawal Destructiveness and Genuine Productive Love
Symbiotic Relatedness
failure to attain independence, and signified immaturity and pseudo forms of love
Withdrawal Destructiveness
negative relatedness or distance and indifference
Genuine Productive Love
entails the four essential elements of love: mutual respect, care, responsibility and knowledge
Care
active concern for the life and growth of the loved person
Responsibility
ability and readiness to respond to the needs expressed/unexpressed by the person loved
Respect
ability to see the person as he is and accept his unique individuality
Knowledge
experience of union with another person with full awareness of the total being of his loved one
Personality Disorders
unhealthy personalities marked by the problems with the 3 dimensions of productive character orientation
Three Severe Personality Disorders
Necrophilia, Malignant Narcissism and Incentuous Symbiosis
3 Syndrome of Growth
Biophilia, Love, Positive Freedom
Necrophilia
alternative character orientation to biophilia
Necrophilia happens when?
happens when social conditions stunt the natural love of life
Examples of Necrophiliacs
warmongers, bullies, racists
Destructive behavior is a reflection of
basic character
Lifestyle of Necrophiliacs revolves around
death, destruction, disease and decay
Malignant Narcissism
impedes the perception of reality so that everything belongs to the narcissistic person is highly valued and everything belong to another is devalued
Malignant Narcissistic Persons
fixated on themselves, likely to internalize experiences and to dwell both on physical health and moral virtues
Malignant Narcissistic people achieve security by?
holding on the belief that their extraordinary personal qualities give them superiority over everyone elss
Incentuous Symbiosis
an extreme dependence on the mother or mother surrogate
Incentuous Symbiosis is an exaggerated form of?
more common and more benign mother fixation
Incentuous Symbiosis personalities
distorts reasoning powers, destroys the capacity for authentic love and prevents people from achieving independence and integrity
Psychotherapy for Fromm
is more concerned on interpersonal aspects of a therapeutic encounter
Aim of therapy
for patients to know themselves
Therapy
help patients find satisfaction with their basic human needs
Therapy should be built on a?
personal relationship between therapist and patient
Fromm believed that dreams?
are expressed in symbolic language, some universal, others accidental and depend on the dreamer’s mood before going to sleep and part of analysis would be to ask individuals of associations in his life and find meaning.
therapists should not try to be?
too scientific in understanding a patient
What is crucial to help the individual develop a syndrome of growth?
Communciation and relatedness
