Eric Fromm's Typology

[Lark]

I've found a website which I think condenses and summarises the theory of one of my favourite psychologists pretty well, there's also a typology of sorts based upon his theories about society, family and escapism contained on it.

Tell me what you think, I'm really keen to discuss this.

Erich Fromm

It falls into the trappings of all systems building and conceptualisation, although perhaps particularly confusions between description and prescription since there is a suggestion that a certain personality type can be predicted in a humanistic communitarian socialism which Fromm could only really cite theoretical references in support of but which he clearly did not equate with a command economy or the USSR.

 

[human101]

Im a massive fromm fan aswell have you read sane society ?

 

[durentu]

I recently discovered that Fromm learned a lot from DT Suzuki and from zen buddhism.

 

[Lark]

I recently discovered that Fromm learned a lot from DT Suzuki and from zen buddhism.

Yeah, he wrote one of the best books considering that topic from the stand point of a western mind and psychology, I read it very quickly and its one of the few books I actually reread.

Fromm's prescriptions for over coming "modern character neurosis" and advice to therapists is in many ways a distilation of zen buddhist practices combined with the active listening of a therapist.

 

[durentu]

what's interesting is that thomas szasz, fromm, dt suzuki, alan watts, carl jung all pollenated each other's works. very interesting in that these people are considered "alternative"

 

[Loliz]

I enjoyed reading this. I have read a lot of theory, but not enough psychology or psychoanalysis to have a strong handle on it. Here are some rambling thoughts I had:

One thing I found interesting was the way it talked about the development of our conception of freedom, and how what it means now is an extreme, existential form that came about alongside humanism. I was trying to think about the difference between a Christian (Biblical) notion of freedom, which is fundamental in Christianity, and this modern sense of freedom. Maybe it is more a "freedom light?" where we are responsible for action and behavior but not our own meaning...I also thought about how Naranjo, an Enneagram guy, talks about how the 3 is "the market orientation," which is also supposed to be the predominant type...The ending account of neurosis is interesting, too. Not really sure how to think of some common "conditions" according to it, say bipolar disorder, but it is something to try to think about. It seems especially crazy that we have a society where it very is difficult to have even three of the basic needs met at once. As society itself is entirely uprooted, isolating, repressive...(and that is where postmodern and existential theory come to help out)

Not sure about the family models leading to the personality types either, mostly because I don't feel like families I have been around really fit these categories very neatly, and it seems different to talk about family dynamics in such a neat way, as there are so many relations between all the members that it would be hard to pin down a family as being this of kind so then the kids will be this kind. This seems to be the sketchiest part of all of it to me.

Thanks for the reading!
(You might be right about there being some confusion concerning what the lines are between description vs. prescription. There is some ideal personality, who had a loving and reasonable family, and who grew up in some communitarian socialistic society, which isn't what is present and who knows if it can be achieved, but all personalities/families/societies are necessarily- implicitly- being compared to it.?)

 

[Lark]

what's interesting is that thomas szasz, fromm, dt suzuki, alan watts, carl jung all pollenated each other's works. very interesting in that these people are considered "alternative"

I've read most of them, I've got to say that I found Alan Watts really, really disappointing and a waste of time, regretted buying most of the books of his I got, despite them being cheap, Suzuki is good, Jung is real good, better than all the others and Szasz I'm ambivalent about.