Erich Fromm. biography and work of Erich Fromm

• New York University
• Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt
• Heidelberg University

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  Erich Fromm was born into an Orthodox Jewish family. His mother Rosa Fromm, née Krause, was the daughter of a rabbi who emigrated from Russia. Erich's father, Naftali Fromm, was also the son and grandson of rabbis, and although he was engaged in trade, he preserved and supported the orthodox religious traditions in the family.

  In Frankfurt, Fromm attended a national school, where, along with the basics of doctrine and religious traditions, all subjects of general education were taught. After graduating in 1918, he entered the University of Heidelberg, where he studied philosophy, sociology and psychology. In 1922, under the supervision of Alfred Weber, he defended his doctoral dissertation. Fromm completed his psychoanalytic training at the Berlin Psychoanalytic Institute. Over the years they practiced and taught here Sandor Rado, Max Eitingon, Wilhelm Reich and other prominent analysts. Here Fromm became closely acquainted with Karen Horney, whose patronage later helped him obtain a professorship in Chicago.

  In 1925, Fromm completed his mandatory psychoanalytic training and opened his own private practice. Overall, Fromm was an active practicing psychoanalyst for 35 years. Extensive practice and communication with patients gave Fromm rich material for rethinking the relationship between the biological and the social in the formation of the human psyche. The analysis of empirical material was carried out by him while working at the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt am Main (1929-1932).

  In 1943, Fromm helped form the New York branch of the Washington School of Psychiatry, and in 1946 he co-founded the William Alanson White Institute of Psychiatry.

  In 1968, Fromm had his first heart attack. In 1974 he moved to Muralto (or Locarno). Soon after finishing the work “To Have or to Be”, in 1977, he suffered a second, and then a third (1978) heart attack. He died in Switzerland at his home in 1980.

  Fromm's social and philosophical ideas

  According to Fromm, classical psychoanalysis contributed to the enrichment of knowledge about man, but it did not increase knowledge about how a person should live and what he should do. In his opinion, Freud tried to present psychoanalysis as a natural science, but made the mistake of paying insufficient attention to ethical issues. Meanwhile, it is impossible to understand a person if we consider him from the angle of repression of sexual desires, and not in his entirety, including the need to find an answer to the question of the meaning of his existence and to find the norms in accordance with which he should live. Fromm sought to shift the emphasis from the biological motives of human behavior in psychoanalysis to social factors, to show that “human nature is the passions of man, and his anxieties are a product of culture.”

  ... friendliness or hostility and destructiveness, the thirst for power and the desire for submission, alienation, a tendency towards self-aggrandizement, stinginess, craving for sensual pleasures or fear of them - all these and many other aspirations and fears that can be found in a person develop as reactions to certain living conditions.<…>None of these tendencies are inherent in humans.<…>The way of life, determined by the peculiarities of the economic system, turns into a fundamental factor determining the character of a person, because the powerful need for self-preservation forces him to accept the conditions in which he has to live.

  In his book “Escape from Freedom” (), Fromm explored the difficult situation in which a person of Western culture finds himself, where the desire for individuality leads to loneliness, a feeling of insignificance and powerlessness. He analyzed the period of personality formation in the era of capitalism - the period of the formation of a new philosophy, a new view of man and the meaning of his life. He pays much attention to the period of the Reformation and the teachings of Luther and Calvin, seeing in their ideas the origins of the modern capitalist structure. Using the example of a psychological analysis of the worldviews of Luther and Calvin, Fromm tries to give a more detailed and complete picture of historical processes and their influence on man, to determine the reasons for man’s flight from himself and from his own freedom. In his second book, “Man for Himself,” which is essentially a continuation of “Escape from Freedom,” Fromm examines the problems of ethics, norms and values ​​that lead a person to self-realization and the realization of his capabilities: “ Our behavior is largely determined by value judgments, and our psychological health and well-being is based on their validity.<…>According to recent evidence, neuroses are seen as a symptom of moral failure (although "adjustment" can in no way be considered a symptom of moral well-being)» .

  For Fromm, neuroses are symptoms of a person’s moral defeat in his life, including in the struggle for freedom. Neurosis can be understood as an unsuccessful attempt to resolve the conflict between an insurmountable internal dependence and the desire for freedom, a conflict that has a moral background. In many cases, neurotic symptoms are a concrete expression of a moral conflict. This means that the success of therapeutic efforts depends primarily on understanding and addressing the person's moral problem.

  ... neuroses are the expression of moral problems, and neurotic symptoms arise as a consequence of unresolved moral conflicts.

  The main moral problem of modernity, as Fromm saw it, is man’s indifference to himself. The task of humanistic psychoanalysis is to reveal by a person the truth about himself, to identify those psychological orientations in the world, thanks to which his social character is formed (an intermediate link between the socio-economic structure and the ideas and ideals dominant in society), to comprehend moral problems that contribute to understanding that man is the only creature endowed with conscience. And that love is a creative activity, and not a blind passion leading to crazy actions.

  Discussing moral problems, Fromm draws a distinction between authoritarian conscience (the voice of the external authority of parents, the state, which is an analogue of the Freudian Super-Ego) and humanistic conscience (not the internalized voice of authority, but the person’s own voice, independent of external sanctions and rewards, expressing his personal interest and integrity, requiring one to become who one potentially is). Fromm contrasts necrophilia (love for the dead) with biophilia (love for life and the living) and identifies various forms of aggression (benign, that is, biologically adaptive, serving the cause of life, and malignant, historically acquired, associated with cruelty and aggressiveness, with a passion to torture and kill ). Erich Fromm shows the need for a change in lifestyle based on a person’s willingness to give up various forms of possession (possession) in order, first of all, to be himself.

  In the context of the problems discussed by Fromm, humanistic psychoanalysis is a therapy that is aimed not so much at adapting a person to the existing culture and social reality, but at the optimal development of his abilities and inclinations, the realization of his individuality. The psychoanalyst does not act as a mentor for adaptation, but as a “healer of the soul.”

  To be means to give expression to all the inclinations, talents and gifts that each of us is endowed with. This means overcoming the narrow boundaries of one’s own “I”, developing and renewing oneself and at the same time showing interest and love for others, a desire not to take, but to give.<…>Perhaps the mode of being can best be described symbolically, as Max Hunziger suggested to me. A blue glass appears blue when light passes through it because it absorbs all other colors and thus does not allow them to pass through. This means that we call the glass “blue” precisely because it does not retain blue waves (waves with a length of ~ 440-485 nm, which we perceive as blue), that is, not on the basis of what it retains, but on the basis of the fact that what he lets through himself.

  Oedipus complex

  Many psychoanalysts have revised Freud's fundamental idea about the nature of the Oedipus complex. From Fromm's point of view, the founder of psychoanalysis misinterpreted the myth of Oedipus. Freud relied on Sophocles' tragedy Oedipus Rex, while it is necessary to take into account the entire Sophocles trilogy, including such parts as Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone. In Fromm’s understanding, the myth of Oedipus can be seen not as a symbol of incestuous love between mother and son, but as “a child’s reaction to the pressure of parental authority, which is an integral feature of the patriarchal organization of society.”

  Family

  • In I. A. Efremov’s novel “The Hour of the Bull,” the characters often refer to the “philosopher and historian of the fifth period of the Era of the Disunited World” Erf Rom, whose name is a thinly veiled initial and surname of Fromm.

  List of works

  • Fromm E. Jewish Law. Toward the sociology of Diaspora Jewry = Das jüdische Gesetz. Ein Beitrag zur Soziologie des Diaspora-Judentums. - Dissertation in Sociology. - . - 202 s.
  • Fromm E. On the method and task of analytical social psychology. Notes on psychoanalysis and historical materialism (German) = Über Methode und Aufgaben einer analytischen Sozialpsychologie. Bemerkungen über Psychoanalyse und historischen Materialismus // Zeitschrift für Sozialforschung: magazine. - Frankfurt am Main: Institut für Sozialforschung, . - No. 1 . - S. 28-54.
  • Fromm E. Psychoanalytic characterology and its significance for social psychology (German) = Die psychoanalytische Charakterologie und ihre Bedeutung für die Sozialpsychologie // Zeitschrift für Sozialforschung: magazine. - Frankfurt am Main: Institut für Sozialforschung, . - No. 1 . - S. 253-277.
  • Fromm E. Social-psychological part = Sozialpsychologischer Teil M. Horkheimer. - Paris, . - P. 77-135.
  • Fromm E. Second section: survey = Zweite Abteilung: Erhebungen// Studies of authority and family. Research report of the Institute for Social Research = Studien über Autorität und Familie. Forschungsberichte aus dem Institut für Sozialforschung / Edited by M. Horkheimer. - Paris, . - P. 229-469.
  • Fromm E."Dianetics": seekers of fabricated happiness. Review of the book Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard (1950). Translation from English and afterword by A. M. Rutkevich // Man: magazine. - 1996. - No. 2. - pp. 54-59.
  • Fromm E. Escape from freedom = Die Furcht vor der Freiheit () / Translation by G. F. Shveinik. - Moscow: Ast, . - 288 p. - (Philosophy). - 2000 copies.
  • Fromm E. Flight from freedom Trans. from English and notes by A. I. Fet. - Philosophical arkiv, Nyköping (Sweden), 2016. – 231 pp. ISBN 978-91-983073-5-1
  • Fromm E. Revolutionary character In the book “Flight from Freedom,” pp. 217–231. Translation from English by A. I. Fet. - Philosophical arkiv, Nyköping (Sweden), 2016. ISBN 978-91-983073-5-1
  • Fromm E. Psychoanalysis and ethics = Psychoanalyse & Ethik () / Compiled by S. Ya. Levit. - Moscow: Ast, . - 568 p. - (Classics of foreign psychology). - 10,000 copies.
  • Fromm E.- ISBN 5-15-000776-5.
  • Fromm E. A man for himself. 
  • Fromm E. Study of psychological problems of ethics = Man for Himself: An Inquiry Into the Psychology of Ethics () / Translation by E. M. Spirova. - Moscow: Ast, . - 352 s. - (Psychology). - 3000 copies.
  • Fromm E.- ISBN 978-5-17-059152-7, ISBN 978-5-403-02471-6.
  • Fromm E. Psychoanalysis and religion = Psychoanalyse & Religion () / Translation by A. Dvanov. - Moscow: Ast, . - 160 s. - (Philosophy. Psychology). - 3000 copies.
  • Fromm E.- ISBN 978-5-17-056717-1, ISBN 978-5-403-03207-0.
  • Fromm E. Man and woman = Man-Woman () / Compiled by S.Ya.Leviticus. - Moscow: Ast, . - 512 s. - (Classics of foreign psychology). - 10,000 copies.
  • Fromm E. - ISBN 5-237-00060-6. Forgotten language. 
  • Fromm E. Introduction to the Science of Understanding Dreams, Fairy Tales, and Myths = The Forgotten Language: An Introduction to the Understanding of Dreams, Fairy Tales, and Myths (). - Moscow: Ast, Astrel, . - 320 s. - (Philosophy). - 2000 copies.// For the love of life. - Moscow: Ast, . - pp. 189-399. - 400 s. - (Classics of foreign psychology). - 5000 copies.

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  German-American philosopher, psychologist and sociologist, leading representative

  neo-Freudianism Based on the ideas of psychoanalysis, existentialism and Marxism,

  sought to resolve the basic contradictions of human existence. Paths

  saw the way out of the crisis of modern civilization in the creation of a “healthy society”,

  based on the principles and values ​​of humanistic ethics Main works

  "Flight from Freedom" (1941), "Psychoanalysis and Religion" (1950), "Revolution of Hope"

  the book "Flight from Freedom" (1941), which made his name in America, later

  these materials were used by Theodor Adorno in the book "The Authoritarian Personality"

  They then create their own periodical, the Journal of Social Research.

  However, due to confrontation with Adorno and Marcuse, Fromm was forced to leave the institute and

  say goodbye to the Frankfurt school forever

  Having been torn away from his “German roots”, he finds himself completely in the American

  surrounded; works in many educational institutions, participates in various unions and

  Associations of American Psychoanalysts, and when in 1946 in Washington

  The Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis is being created, Fromm is actively

  included in the systematic training of specialists in the field of psychoanalysis

  Erich Fromm was never an ordinary professor of any department; he read

  his course at the “interdisciplinary” level, he was always able to not only connect

  data from anthropology, political science and social psychology, but also to illustrate

  their facts from his clinical practice, he was truly a brilliant lecturer and

  favorite of youth

  But this is not his main merit, but that he was a great thinker and

  a great humanist, the subject of his lifelong scientific interest was man

  Fromm constantly returned to his “spiritual ancestors” - Karl Marx and Sigmund

  Freud Taking every opportunity to present them to the American reader, he

  wrote prefaces and comments to English editions of Marx, articles and

  individual books about the life and work of 3 Freud. Fromm later explained his

  Freud's teachings, and refute those provisions that needed revision

  tried to do the same with regard to Marx's theory. Finally, I tried to come

  to the synthesis that follows from the understanding and criticism of both thinkers"

  the rapid development of science, especially social psychology and sociology. This

  the shock that Fromm himself suffered due to the rise to power of fascism,

  forced emigration and the need to switch

  targeting a completely new clientele. It is the practice of psychotherapy in the American

  continent led him to the conclusion that the neuroses of the 20th century cannot be explained

  exclusively biological factors

  Fromm comes to create his own concept of "new man and new

  society." Despite all the differences in the views of radical humanists, their

  fundamental positions coincide on the following points, production should

  serve people, not the economy; the relationship between man and nature must

  be built not on exploitation, but on cooperation;

  the highest goal of all social activities should be human welfare and

  preventing human suffering;

  not maximum consumption, but only reasonable consumption serves health and

  human well-being.

  It is impossible to list all the radical humanists, says Fromm, but if

  try to name the most important ones, they would be G.D. Thoreau, R.W. Emerson, A.

  Schweitzer, E. Bloch, I. Illich, Yugoslav philosophers from the Praxis group,

  politician E. Eppler, as well as numerous representatives of religious

  and other radical humanist unions in Europe and America.

  The Second World War ended. But Fromm did not return to Germany. All of him

  scientific interests focused on the substantiation of the “new humanism” and on the study

  relationship between man and society He settled on the seashore in Guernavaco

  (Mexico), worked as a professor of psychoanalysis at the National University,

  collaborated with progressive Latin American scientists, periodically traveled with

  lectures in the USA. Here he married the "charming Annis", who made

  his happiness for many years. According to Annis's design, they built their own house on

  beach, studied Spanish together and traveled together. In the middle

  In the 1970s, they left Mexico forever and moved to Switzerland, where they

  remained until the end of his days.

  The 1950s are notable for their special attention to socio-theoretical and social

  political problems Among the works of these years are the lectures “Psychoanalysis and Religion”,

  analysis of the epic - "Fairy tales, myths and dreams" (1951), philosophical work "Healthy

  society" (1956).

  He participated in political activities, in the development of the Social

  Democratic Federation (SDF), which he joined briefly until he was convinced

  that Social Democracy has greatly improved.

  In the early 1960s, that is, long before any of the politicians

  spoke about the possibility of detente in international relations, in particular between

  two superpowers - the USSR and the USA, Fromm wrote about the need for a "healthy

  rational thinking for the sake of security throughout the world" In the fall of 1962, Fromm

  came to Moscow, taking part as an observer in a conference on

  disarmament.

  The thinker organized a conference on the problems of humanism, where humanists of different

  countries and peoples were given the opportunity to formulate the main goal

  humanistic socialism: creating conditions for self-realization of free,

  a reasonable and loving person. Erich Fromm believed that humanism

  socialism is incompatible with the bureaucratic system, with consumerism,

  materialism and lack of spirituality. From this platform, together with E Fromm, spoke

  philosophers E. Bloch and B. Russell, G. Marcuse and I. Fetcher and many others..

  In the 1960s, Fromm wrote a scientific autobiography entitled “On the Other Side of

  illusions" (1962), as well as the most important "works of your soul" - "Psychoanalysis and Zen

  Buddhism" (1960) and "The Soul of Man" (1964) In the late 1960s - early 1970s, he

  deals mainly with the study of the roots and types of human aggressiveness.

  The result of 5 years of work were two works: “Revolution of Hope”

  (1968) and “The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness” (1973).

  In the latter, based on an analysis of the characters of Hitler, Himmler, Stalin, it is given

  a comprehensive study of various personal and social factors that

  cultivate sadistic and destructive tendencies in people In the work “Forgotten

  language" analyzes symbolism in dreams, fairy tales and myths and criticizes theories

  dreams of Freud and Jung as one-sided. In this work he makes a point

  view that symbolic language is a "universal language, through

  which the human race develops."

  Fromm's popularity in Europe reached its peak after the publication of his last

  large book "To Have or to Be?" (1976).

  The theme of love for a person turned out to be at the center of Fromm’s social and philosophical

  concepts, and the book “The Arts of Love” (1956) became a bestseller for many years,

  has been translated into 25 languages, including Chinese, Korean, Indonesian,

  Icelandic. In English, the book sold several editions (in

  number of 5 million copies).

  What is Erich Fromm's attitude to the problem of love? In the early 1920s Fromm

  formulated the difference between maternal and paternal love for a child, which

  is that the mother loves the children regardless of their merits, while

  how a father loves children for obedience and for discovering his own in them

  own traits.

  The ability to love is not given to everyone - it is a rare gift and the most valuable of arts.

  Fromm believes that this gift opens a person’s path to freedom, that is, to a goal

  existence.

  Love is the unity of one person with another, subject to the preservation of their

  originality. Love is action, not rest, activity, not perception.

  Loving means giving, not taking. A person gives to another what

  seems to him the most valuable - part of his life" feelings, knowledge,

  experiences. And he does this not at all in order to get something in return: he

  "giving" is the most refined pleasure Love (in all its forms)

  is based on the elements of caring, responsibility, respect and knowledge.

  Love, according to Fromm, is an active comprehension of another being, such knowledge,

  in which there is a kind of merging with it. In love, in self-giving, a person

  opens and finds himself, and with himself - another personality “I recognize

  person." According to Fromm, love is conditioned by a certain personal gift. Great

  to everyone else. Love is all-encompassing

  total spiritual activity. If I truly love someone, I love the whole world, I

  I love life.

  Based on his experience, Fromm comes to the conclusion that truly loving friends

  the spouse's friend is an exception. In marriage, even the illusion of love is destroyed

  (falling in love). And this happens precisely at the moment when a person feels himself

  "owner" of the miracle bird of love. When partners, having concluded a marriage contract,

  lose the need to “conquer”, to be interesting, active,

  inventive, that is, direct their efforts to “be” (express

  yourself brighter, give more to others, cause a response).

  To the loss of love

  (falling in love) most often leads to the erroneous idea that love can

  have. Therefore, a marriage that began with love often turns into a community of two

  owners, in which two egoists united.

  All attempts to change the structures of living together (group marriage, collective

  sex, etc.) is just a desire to circumvent the difficulties of true love. When

  a person has the happiness of meeting “his other half” and the gift of love, he does not

  needs to find new partners, but gives all his best in true love

  In the structure of personality, according to Fromm, love occupies a central place next to

  religious feeling and worldview.

  Erich Fromm became famous as a representative of neo-Freudianism, who tried to connect ideas

  Freud with Marxism. Recognizing the basic concepts of psychoanalysis, Fromm makes

  main emphasis on social factors. He believes that it is they who determine

  communism turns man into a robot Society based on accumulation

  wealth, like a society characterized by totalitarianism, cannot be

  a satisfactory model of social development. In his opinion, the original

  Marx's humanistic views were completely distorted by modern reality

  socialism and turned into a “vulgar counterfeit”. Fromm found a "remarkable

  kinship in the ideas of Buddha, Eckhart, Marx and Schweitzer."

  According to Fromm, society should be such that a person in it is connected with

  a man of love, ties of brotherhood and solidarity, and not blood and dirt, such as

  "which gives him the opportunity to overcome his nature through creativity, and

  not through destruction, in which everyone feels his own "I", perceiving

  yourself as a subject of your own forces, and not of subordination, in which the system of orientation and

  commitment exists without forcing a person to destroy reality and

  idol worship."

  Erich Fromm is one of the most famous sociologists and philosophers of the twentieth century. Fromm is also considered one of the founders of two psychological movements - neo-Freudianism and Fredo-Marxism.

  Childhood, adolescence and young adulthood

  The future psychologist and philosopher was born on March 23, 1900, into a family of Orthodox Jews in the German city of Frankfurt am Main. Erich's father was a merchant, and his mother was an ordinary housewife. Erich went to a regular national school in his hometown.

  In addition to the religious teachings of his people, he studied all other general educational subjects. He was good at all subjects - he was one of the best students in the class, which allowed him to easily enter the University of Heidelberg in 1918, which is considered the most prestigious institution of higher education in Germany.

  There he studied subjects in his field: sociology, psychology and philosophy. Erich's scientific advisor was the famous German philosopher and sociologist Alfred Weber. Under his leadership, Fromm defended his doctorate.

  He then entered the Berlin Psychoanalytic Institute, where he completed his psychoanalytic training. While studying in Berlin, Fromm met one of the key figures in the direction of neo-Freudianism - the American Karen Horney.

  Teaching activity, flight to the USA and death

  After graduating from the institute, Fromm opens his own psychological practice, which he conducts throughout almost his entire life. It was his rich experience of communicating with patients that helped him collect a rich material base for future discoveries.

  In 1933, Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany and began exterminating Jews in Germany. In order not to become a victim of the Third Reich regime, Fromm first escapes to Switzerland, and next year he moves to the USA, where he buys a home in New York. Then the psychologist begins teaching at the prestigious Columbia University in America.

  Fifteen years later, Fromm moved to Mexico City, where he began teaching at the National Autonomous University of the city of the same name. There Fromm delves into research and publishes the book “A Healthy Society,” in which he severely criticizes the capitalist system. In the 1960s, Erich decides to engage in political activities and joins the Socialist Party.

  In the last years of his life, Erich Fromm worked at the University of Michigan and New York University. In 1968, the professor suffered his first heart attack. In 1974, Fromm returned to Switzerland - to the city of Locarno. In 1977 and 1978 he had repeated heart attacks. Erich Fromm dies in 1980 at his home in Locarno.

  Scientific views and works

  The most famous works of the professor are:

  • The art of hearing
  • The art of being
  • The Greatness and Limitations of Freud's Theory
  • To have or to be
  • Human nature
  • The human soul and its capacity for good and evil
  • Escape from freedom
  • Revolutionary character
  • Psychoanalysis and religion
  • Healthy society.

  Fromm tried in many ways to refine Freud's theories. He believed that he paid too much attention to the psychological aspects, while he practically lost sight of the social ones. He considered man's indifference to himself to be the deepest problem of our time. A person must first understand his own problems and only then begin to solve world-class problems.

  According to Fromm's theory, Freud incorrectly considered the Oedipus complex. He believed that the issue was not the son’s sexual attraction to his mother, but the pressure the parents put on their children.

  Fromm E., 1900-1980). Philosopher and sociologist, author of the concept of humanistic psychoanalysis.

  F. received a philosophical education at the Universities of Heidelberg and Munich in Germany, specializing in social psychology. He graduated from the Berlin Psychoanalytic Institute and since 1925 worked as a practicing psychoanalyst. In 1925-1932 - employee of the Institute of Social Research named after. W. Goethe in Frankfurt am Main. He was strongly influenced by the Frankfurt school with its left-radical social and philosophical orientation. F. sought to synthesize Marxist ideas with psychoanalysis and existentialism, showed interest in religious issues, and in 1930 he published the article “Christian Dogma,” in which he tried to combine Marxist sociology with psychoanalysis. In 1933, after the Nazis came to power, he emigrated to the United States and taught at Columbia, New York and Michigan universities. Since 1951 he lived in Mexico; died in Muralto (Switzerland).

  F. viewed man as a social being, analyzed the influence on the human psyche of sociocultural factors dominant in society, and acted as a critic of capitalist society. In 1941, F.’s book “Escape from Freedom” was published, in which he outlined the main provisions of his social philosophy, analyzing the existence of man within the framework of Western civilization. These ideas were further developed in the works “Man for Himself” (1947), “Healthy Society” (1955), “Modern Man and His Future: A Social-Psychological Study” (1960), “The Art of Love” (1962), “ Marx's picture of man: from the most important part of the early letters of Karl Marx" (1963), "The Heart of Man" (1964), "Revolution of Hope" (1968), etc. In recent works - "The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness" (1973) and "To Have or be?" (1976) - F.’s social philosophy and concept of humanistic psychoanalysis acquired their final form. He proposed a theory of reformation of society and the achievement of socialism based on psychoanalysis. F. assessed human actions and mass socio-political movements as “mechanisms of escape from reality, which are the driving forces of normal human behavior.” Unconscious "escape mechanisms" located in the deeper layers of the personality include masochistic and sadistic aspirations, withdrawal from the world, destruction and automatic submission.

  F., did not make any distinction between a patient with neurosis and a healthy person: “The phenomena that we observe in patients with neuroses do not, in principle, differ from those in healthy people.”

  Since the 50s In F.'s work, a second theme arose - humanistic religion. Its main provisions are set out in the work “Psychoanalysis and Religion” (1950), and were further developed in the books “Zen Buddhism and Psychoanalysis” (1960) and “You Will Be Like Gods: A Radical Interpretation of the Old Testament and Its Traditions” (1966).

  FROM Erich

  1900–1980) - German-American psychoanalyst, psychologist and philosopher, who critically rethought the psychoanalytic teaching of S. Freud about man and culture, criticized the conformist tendency in the psychoanalytic movement of the second half of the twentieth century and advocated for the creative revival of psychoanalysis - for the development of what he called humanistic psychoanalysis.

  Erich Fromm was born on March 23, 1900 in Frankfurt am Main (Germany). He was the only child in an Orthodox Jewish family. His great-grandfather was a scholar of the sacred books and a Talmud researcher, his father was the son of a rabbi, and his mother was the niece of the famous Talmudist L. Krause, under whose influence he wanted to become a Talmudist. His mother dreamed of him becoming a famous pianist, and before the outbreak of the First World War the boy studied music.

  At the age of twelve, the boy was shocked by the suicide of a young artist who took her own life shortly after the death of her father and in her will asked that her last will be carried out so that she would be buried next to her father. Young E. Fromm could not understand how this could happen when the love of a young beautiful woman for her father turned out to be so strong that she preferred death and being in a coffin next to him to the joys of life and painting. Only later, having become acquainted with S. Freud’s ideas about the Oedipus complex, did he come to understand the reasons for the suicide of a young artist that shocked him in childhood.

  Subsequent events associated with the First World War also made young E. Fromm think about how and why people succumb to hatred and national self-deification, what are the causes of wars and how is it possible that people begin to kill each other. Later, recalling his youthful experiences, he wrote: “I was tormented by questions about the phenomena of individual and social life, and I longed to get answers to them.”

  During his school years, E. Fromm studied Latin, English and French, and was interested in the texts of the Old Testament. After graduating in 1918, he studied law in Frankfurt and philosophy, sociology and psychology in Heidelberg. In 1922, he graduated from the University of Heidelberg, received a doctorate in sociology, and, under the guidance of the German sociologist A. Weber, prepared a dissertation “On the Jewish Law. Toward the sociology of the Jewish Diaspora." In 1926, E. Fromm completed his postgraduate studies at the University of Munich.

  In 1924, he met F. Reichmann, who had undergone psychoanalytic training with G. Sachs, practiced psychoanalysis, became his first analyst, and two years later, his wife. Subsequently, he was analyzed by three psychoanalysts, including W. Wittenberg and G. Sachs. Like F. Reichmann, he moved away from Jewish orthodoxy, and later broke with Zionism, which cultivated nationalism. The marriage with F. Reichmann, who was ten years older than E. Fromm, turned out to be short-lived. After more than three years of marriage, they separated, but maintained friendly relations both until the official divorce in 1940, and over the following years, when F. Fromm-Reichmann gained worldwide fame as a psychoanalyst who achieved significant results when working with patients suffering from mental disorders , including schizophrenia.

  In 1927–1928, E. Fromm established contacts with the Berlin Institute of Psychoanalysis, where he made such reports as “Treatment of a case of pulmonary tuberculosis using psychoanalysis” (1927) and “Psychoanalysis of the petty bourgeois” (1928). The last report caused a lively discussion, in which famous psychoanalysts of the time participated, including F. Alexander, Z. Bernfeld, S. Rado, G. Sachs, M. Eitingon. In 1929–1930, E. Fromm completed a course of study at the Berlin Psychoanalytic Institute and opened his office for private psychoanalytic practice. In early 1929, at the opening ceremony of the Frankfurt Psychoanalytic Institute, he gave a lecture on the application of psychoanalysis in sociology and the science of religion. In 1930, E. Fromm was elected as a freelance member of the German Psychoanalytic Society.

  In the late 20s and early 30s, he met psychoanalysts such as K. Horney and W. Reich, and also participated in discussions of their reports in the psychoanalytic community. Under the influence of T. Raik, in 1930 he published a discussion article “The Development of the Dogma of Christ. Psychoanalytic study of the socio-psychological function of religion” and a report “On the question of belief in the omnipotence of thoughts” was made. In 1931, he fell ill with pulmonary tuberculosis and was treated in Davos by G. Groddeck, who at different times treated such psychoanalysts as G. Sachs, W. Reich, K. Horney, S. Ferenczi and who told E. Fromm about that his illness was the result of a reluctance to admit to an unsuccessful marriage with F. Fromm-Reichmann.

  In 1929, E. Fromm worked at the Frankfurt Psychoanalytic Institute, which received shelter at the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt am Main, headed by M. Horkheimer, who took a course of psychoanalysis with K. Landauer. From 1930 to 1933, he worked at the Institute for Social Research, where he headed the department of social psychology and conducted empirical research, based on which it was concluded that workers and employees in Germany would not resist the rise of Nazism to power. It was during this period that he became acquainted with the ideas of K. Marx and J. Bakhoven, who published works on the theory of maternal law. In 1932, his article “Psychoanalytic characterology and its significance for social psychology” was published, which contained ideas about social character.

  In 1933, at the invitation of F. Alexander, E. Fromm came to the USA to lecture at the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute, where K. Horney had settled by that time. A year later he moved to New York, where he worked for several years at the Institute for Social Research, which operated in Geneva until 1934, and then joined Columbia University. Within the framework of the institute, he prepared a socio-psychological section, which included ideas about the authoritarian character. This section was included in the collection “Studies on Authority and the Family” published by M. Horkheimer (1936), which predetermined the subsequent study of this issue, which was reflected, in particular, in the widely known work of T. Adorno “Authoritarian Character” (1950).

  In the 30s, E. Fromm taught at New York, Columbia and Yale universities, and also collaborated with G.S. Sullivan, K. Horney, F. Fromm-Reichmann and K. Thompson, who, having undergone analysis from S. Ferenczi, subsequently continued it from E. Fromm. Founded in 1938 by G.S. Sullivan journal "Psychiatry" for the first time published his articles in English. Due to ideological differences with colleagues (in particular, T. Adorno and M. Horkheimer), who did not share his critical attitude towards some of Freud's concepts, in 1938 he refused to cooperate with the Institute for Social Research.

  In 1941–1943, E. Fromm taught at the American Institute of Psychoanalysis, created by a number of psychoanalysts who left the New York Psychoanalytic Society due to the disqualification of K. Horney as a training analyst (in fact, for her criticism of classical psychoanalysis). In 1943, the commission of this institute did not satisfy the students’ demand to grant E. Fromm, who did not have a medical education, the right to conduct a clinical and technical seminar and, in response to his disagreement with such a decision, deprived him of his teaching privileges. The conflict was predetermined not only by the position of American colleagues who shared the official point of view, according to which psychoanalysts should have a medical education, but also by the deterioration of relations with K. Horney, one of whose daughters was analyzed by E. Fromm, as a result of which her protest against mother.

  Some psychoanalysts, including G.S. Sullivan and K. Thompson, left with E. Fromm from the American Institute of Psychoanalysis and, teaming up with colleagues from the Washington-Baltimore Psychoanalytic Society, created a branch of the Washington School of Psychiatry, founded by G.S. Sullivan in 1936. Over the years, starting in 1946, when a branch of the Washington School of Psychiatry was renamed the New York Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis. W. White, E. Fromm took an active part in the work of this Institute and the training of specialists in the field of psychoanalysis. Before moving to Mexico City, he supervised the academic department and teaching staff, and after his departure from the United States, he periodically came to New York to give lectures and conduct seminars at the institute.

  From 1949 to 1967, E. Fromm lived and worked in Mexico, where he had to move on the advice of doctors who recommended that his second sick wife, whom he married in 1940, change the climate and try treatment with radioactive sources in San Jose Purna. In 1951 he became a visiting professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the National University of Mexico City. As a training and supervising analyst, he trained a group of Mexican psychoanalysts. In 1953, after the death of his second wife, E. Fromm married again and moved to the suburbs of Mexico City.

  In 1956, on his initiative, the Mexican Psychoanalytic Society was founded. In order to disseminate psychoanalytic knowledge in the Spanish-speaking region, E. Fromm organized the publication of the “Psychological Library” series, founded the “Journal of Psychoanalysis, Psychiatry and Psychology,” and also organized a series of lectures in which prominent scientists took part. In 1957, on his initiative, a seminar on psychoanalysis and Zen Buddhism was held, in which, along with the then famous representative of Zen Buddhism D. Suzuki, about forty psychoanalysts and psychiatrists took part. For several years, E. Fromm trained psychoanalysts at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Mexico City, and since 1963 at the Mexican Institute of Psychoanalysis. In 1957, together with M. Maccoby and other collaborators, he began to explore the character of a Mexican village. The results of this field research are reflected in the publication “Psychoanalytic characterology in theory and practice. Social Character of the Mexican Village" (1970).

  Not being a member of the International Psychoanalytic Association, E. Fromm initiated the creation of the International Forum of Psychoanalysis, which allowed like-minded people to exchange opinions on current issues in the theory and practice of psychoanalysis. This forum was held in Amsterdam (1962), Zurich (1965), Mexico City (1969), New York (1972), Zurich (1974), Berlin (1977).

  In the 1960s, E. Fromm took an active part in political events in the United States and the world as a whole. He became a member of the Socialist Party of the USA, prepared a new program, but after it was not accepted by the leadership of this party, he left it. E. Fromm became involved in the political movement in defense of peace, and in 1962 he took part as an observer in the disarmament conference held in Moscow. He was a member of the national committee of the American Civil Liberties Union, supported the campaign for nuclear disarmament, collaborated with the Washington Peace Research Institute, and took an active part in the 1968 election campaign for the nomination of Democratic Senator Yu. McCarthy as a candidate for US President. .

  From 1960 to 1973, E. Fromm spent his summer time in Locarno (Switzerland). In 1974, he decided not to return to Mexico, and in 1976 he finally moved to Switzerland. Having suffered three heart attacks, in old age E. Fromm continued to engage in daily meditation exercises, following the teachings of one of the Buddhist monks from Sri Lanka. He died on March 18, 1980 in Muralto, of which he became an honorary citizen shortly before his death. In Frankfurt, where he was born, a posthumous honor took place, accompanied by the awarding of the Goethe Memorial Medal.

  E. Fromm is the author of numerous articles and books. His first fundamental work was “Escape from Freedom” (1941), which brought him fame, was repeatedly republished in various countries around the world and contained basic ideas, the creative development of which was reflected in his subsequent publications. Some of his most significant works include “Man for Himself” (1947), “Psychoanalysis and Religion” (1950), “The Forgotten Language” (1951), “A Healthy Society” (1955), “The Art of Loving” (1956). ), “Zen Buddhism and Psychoanalysis” (1960, co-authored with D. Suzuki), “Marx’s Concept of Man” (1961), “Beyond the Chains of Illusion” (1962), “The Soul of Man” (1964), “You Will like gods. A Radical Interpretation of the Old Testament and Its Traditions" (1966), "Revolution of Hope" (1968), "The Mission of Sigmund Freud" (1969), "The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness" (1973), "To Have or to Be" (1976), "The Psychoanalysis of Sigmund Freud - greatness and boundaries" (1979) and others.

  A psychoanalytic essay about Hitler, the Russian translation of which is offered to the reader, sums up the author's many years of reflection on this problem. Relying on a variety of biographical materials, documents and testimonies of contemporaries, the author tries to find the hidden springs of Hitler's personality.
  One of Erich Fromm's seminal works, “Escape from Freedom,” is devoted to the psychological aspects of power, dependence and personal independence.
  “Can freedom become a burden that is unbearable for a person, something that he is trying to get rid of? Why is freedom a cherished goal for some, while for others it is a threat.”
  Erich Fromm unconditionally broke with Judaism at the age of 26 and from then on considered himself a Christian. However, the Christianity of the great philosopher, his understanding of God and the divine, the role of Christ in world history, the interpretation of the evolution of the image of the Savior to this day surprises with its courage and unorthodoxy.
  The proposed anthology presents the best works of the famous German-American psychoanalyst, psychologist and philosopher Erich Fromm (1900-1980), who rethought Freud's psychoanalytic teaching about man and culture, criticized his conformist views and advocated the development of so-called humanistic psychoanalysis.
  The works of Erich Fromm included in this collection provide insight into the evolution of the views of the famous humanist philosopher and social psychologist. Being a follower of the theory of S. Freud, E. Fromm over time critically revised some of the provisions of psychoanalysis.
  Erich Fromm is the greatest thinker of the 20th century, one of the great cohort of “philosophers from psychology” and the spiritual leader of the Frankfurt School of Sociology.
  The works of Erich Fromm are always relevant, because the main theme of his research was the disclosure of human essence as the realization of a productive, life-creative principle.
  "In the past, the danger was that people became slaves. The danger in the future is that people could become robots."
  One of Erich Fromm’s most famous works, “The Art of Loving,” is dedicated to the complex psychological aspects of the emergence and preservation by a person of such a seemingly simple feeling as love.
  Is love really an art? If yes, then it requires work and knowledge. Or is it just a pleasant feeling?..
  For most, the problem of love is primarily a problem of how to be loved, and not of how to love yourself...
  “The Crisis of Psychoanalysis” is one of the landmark works of the great German humanist philosopher and social psychologist Erich Fromm, a scientist who revolutionized psychoanalysis and created a new theory opposite to the Freudian one.
  In this work, which had a huge influence on the development of modern philosophy, pedagogy and even literature, the author analyzes the “sexualization” of psychology by Freud and his many followers - and...

  Erich Fromm - Can man prevail?

  Almost all responsible political leaders agree that the United States and the entire Western world have entered a dangerous period. Although statements on this subject vary somewhat in determining the extent of these dangers, there is still a widespread opinion that we have a clear and realistic picture of the situation, understood as adequately as possible, and that there is no substantially different way than the one that now exists. carried out.
  “Beyond the illusions that enslave us” is a work in which the great scientist explores the genesis, mythology and basic philosophical aspects of two teachings that most influenced the formation of the thinking of the 20th century intelligentsia - Marxism and Freudianism. Previously published in Russian under the title “From Captivity of Illusions.”