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breenmachine's review against another edition
4.0
Fromm has so many ideas that I have thought about but have never been able to put into words or understand. His explanations and thoughts amaze me. I highlighted a lot of the book, I especially loved the part on behavior vs character.
"But not only medicine, engineering, and painting are arts; living itself is an art- in fact, the most important and at the same time the most difficult and complex art to be practiced by man. Its object is not this or that specialized performance, but the performance of living, the process of developing into that which one is potentially. "
"But not only medicine, engineering, and painting are arts; living itself is an art- in fact, the most important and at the same time the most difficult and complex art to be practiced by man. Its object is not this or that specialized performance, but the performance of living, the process of developing into that which one is potentially. "
esuem's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
morgan_blackledge's review against another edition
5.0
Excuse me for gushing but....
I feel like I just discovered a charming, brilliant, wise old talking tree in the forest, who’s every word is as clear and valuable to me as a polished precious stone.
His name is Eric Fromm, and he speaks to me via books, originally written on paper made from industrial scale deforestation, but now delivered electronically, powered by the bones and blood of long extinct beings i.e. coal and oil.
Fromm speaks from the grave (he died in 1980). But he speaks to certain aspects of here (America) and now (2020) as well or better than anyone that I am currently aware.
Man For Himself stands alone, but also functions as a compliment to his third eye poking Escape From Freedom (read first).
Fromm was a psychoanalyst, and was as such, a huge admirer of Freud, but was also one of Freud’s shrewdest critics.
One of Fromm’s major critiques was focused on Freud’s failure to address the issue of secular ethics.
Man For Himself represents Fromm’s formulation of ‘Humanistic Ethics’ grounded in psychology, science and secular humanism (as opposed to religion and culturally bound traditions).
Ethics, for Fromm, are normative cultural and psycho-philosophical standards, important to everyones process of individuation and self-actualization.
Fromm argues that the absence of a modern rational ethics drives people to religious dogma, nihilistic forms of consumerism and totalitarian ideologies that offer toxic respite from the anxiety of uncertainty.
Fromm developed his ethics by integrating Freud’s psychology (specifically Freud’s system of psychosexual development), Marxist humanistic sociology, and Nietzsche’s existential philosophy of personal discovery and meaning making.
I know all of that sounds so ‘last century’, and it is, but Fromm snatches the jewel from each of those ideological dung heaps, and synthesis them into a clear, beautiful and useful vision.
Freud’s Psychosexual Development:
Freud posited that humans progress through distinct stages of psychological, social and sexual development, typified by (adaptive) focus and (maladaptive) fixation, centered in different bodily loci.
Oral Stage (Birth to 1 year) refers to the time in life when babies explore the world by putting things in their mouth. Oral fixation later in adult life is typified by nail biting, smoking and use of other oral incorporations for soothing anxiety.
Anal Stage (1 to 3 years) refers to the libidinal focus on the anus, poop and pooping. It coincides with potty training and represents the child’s first experiences of autonomy. According to Freud, adult fixation in this stage is typified by over sharing and poor boundaries.
Phallic Stage (3 to 6 years) refers to libidinal focus in the genitals (in both sexes). Adult fixation in this stage is typified by “gender role confusion”.
Latency Stage (6 years to puberty) refers to the adoption of repression and concealment of sexual impulses, where by they are (ideally) channeled into psycho-social skill development.
Genital Stage (puberty to adult) refers to final stage of Freud's psychosexual theory and begins in puberty. It is typified by adolescent sexual experimentation, preparing the individual for loving one-to-one relationship with another person in adulthood.
Fromm argues that Freud’s psychosexual stages e.g. oral, anal, and genital were usefully descriptive of human development, but were far too focused on the immature, maladaptive “consuming” phases, and incomplete in their descriptions of the adaptive or “productive” stages.
From posits the following “character types” in an attempt to ‘flesh out’ and ‘fill in the gaps’ in Freud’s model.
Fromm’s Character Types:
Fromm uses the outmoded term character (as opposed to personality), to refer to the ways we enact our values, and use our personage in relationship to and with others.
Fromm distinguishes between passive, unproductive consumer stages (1-4), and the more mature and adaptive productive stage (5).
1. The Receptive “taker” Type: characterized by low self-efficacy, contingent self-esteem, and a pervasive hunger for external reassurance, approval and validation.
2. The “user” Exploiter Type: refers to those who establish relationships with others out of pure selfish interest, and who are typically focused on exploiting the afore mentioned receptive types.
3. The Hoarder Type: characterized by a pervasive sense of emptiness, refers to those whose sense of self worth is all but entirely derived by their ability to accumulate material goods.
4. The Marketing Type: characterized by a sense of self as commodity, these “symbol pushers” sell their ideas and personalities to other consumer types, and have a sense of self value based on their marketability.
This (in my opinion) is the real golden nugget of the book.
Fromm is referring to “sales” type people, who’s product is them selves, and who connect with others for a living.
This type includes artists, celebrities, politicians, intellectuals and dare I say it.....most therapists.
This observation is particularly shrewd the age of me-marketing and self-branding.
Who among us can’t relate to ‘The Marketing Type’ in 2020.
Who doesn’t feel like a commodity in the age of social media and surveillance capitalism.
The obvious problem is, what happens to your sense of self when you’re only valued for your most superficial qualities, and/or, what if no one‘s buying the personality that you’re selling?
Fromm posits the following as the pathway out of the afore mentioned consumerist, self commodification hall of mirrors hell described in stages (1-4).
5. The productive type: characterized by the ability to construct meaning, nurture loving relationships and by the commitment to being of genuine service to the greater good.
Fromm argues that consumer capitalism constrains our growth to stages (1-4) and argues for a society that fosters stage (5) via valuing free time, education, personal exploration and growth, meaning making, and the creation of enriching culture, relationships and community.
For Fromm, if we fail to transition from a society that only values work, consumption, and reproduction as an end, rather than as a means to genuine appreciation, discovery and connection (i.e. happiness), than the golden opportunity of American prosperity and freedom, that untold millions worked and died for, will all be destined for the landfill and nothing more.
I hope that on some level, there is at least something in all of this that at least some of us can agree upon.
Lastly, incase it isn’t clear, I really enjoyed this book.
Five Stars ⭐️
I feel like I just discovered a charming, brilliant, wise old talking tree in the forest, who’s every word is as clear and valuable to me as a polished precious stone.
His name is Eric Fromm, and he speaks to me via books, originally written on paper made from industrial scale deforestation, but now delivered electronically, powered by the bones and blood of long extinct beings i.e. coal and oil.
Fromm speaks from the grave (he died in 1980). But he speaks to certain aspects of here (America) and now (2020) as well or better than anyone that I am currently aware.
Man For Himself stands alone, but also functions as a compliment to his third eye poking Escape From Freedom (read first).
Fromm was a psychoanalyst, and was as such, a huge admirer of Freud, but was also one of Freud’s shrewdest critics.
One of Fromm’s major critiques was focused on Freud’s failure to address the issue of secular ethics.
Man For Himself represents Fromm’s formulation of ‘Humanistic Ethics’ grounded in psychology, science and secular humanism (as opposed to religion and culturally bound traditions).
Ethics, for Fromm, are normative cultural and psycho-philosophical standards, important to everyones process of individuation and self-actualization.
Fromm argues that the absence of a modern rational ethics drives people to religious dogma, nihilistic forms of consumerism and totalitarian ideologies that offer toxic respite from the anxiety of uncertainty.
Fromm developed his ethics by integrating Freud’s psychology (specifically Freud’s system of psychosexual development), Marxist humanistic sociology, and Nietzsche’s existential philosophy of personal discovery and meaning making.
I know all of that sounds so ‘last century’, and it is, but Fromm snatches the jewel from each of those ideological dung heaps, and synthesis them into a clear, beautiful and useful vision.
Freud’s Psychosexual Development:
Freud posited that humans progress through distinct stages of psychological, social and sexual development, typified by (adaptive) focus and (maladaptive) fixation, centered in different bodily loci.
Oral Stage (Birth to 1 year) refers to the time in life when babies explore the world by putting things in their mouth. Oral fixation later in adult life is typified by nail biting, smoking and use of other oral incorporations for soothing anxiety.
Anal Stage (1 to 3 years) refers to the libidinal focus on the anus, poop and pooping. It coincides with potty training and represents the child’s first experiences of autonomy. According to Freud, adult fixation in this stage is typified by over sharing and poor boundaries.
Phallic Stage (3 to 6 years) refers to libidinal focus in the genitals (in both sexes). Adult fixation in this stage is typified by “gender role confusion”.
Latency Stage (6 years to puberty) refers to the adoption of repression and concealment of sexual impulses, where by they are (ideally) channeled into psycho-social skill development.
Genital Stage (puberty to adult) refers to final stage of Freud's psychosexual theory and begins in puberty. It is typified by adolescent sexual experimentation, preparing the individual for loving one-to-one relationship with another person in adulthood.
Fromm argues that Freud’s psychosexual stages e.g. oral, anal, and genital were usefully descriptive of human development, but were far too focused on the immature, maladaptive “consuming” phases, and incomplete in their descriptions of the adaptive or “productive” stages.
From posits the following “character types” in an attempt to ‘flesh out’ and ‘fill in the gaps’ in Freud’s model.
Fromm’s Character Types:
Fromm uses the outmoded term character (as opposed to personality), to refer to the ways we enact our values, and use our personage in relationship to and with others.
Fromm distinguishes between passive, unproductive consumer stages (1-4), and the more mature and adaptive productive stage (5).
1. The Receptive “taker” Type: characterized by low self-efficacy, contingent self-esteem, and a pervasive hunger for external reassurance, approval and validation.
2. The “user” Exploiter Type: refers to those who establish relationships with others out of pure selfish interest, and who are typically focused on exploiting the afore mentioned receptive types.
3. The Hoarder Type: characterized by a pervasive sense of emptiness, refers to those whose sense of self worth is all but entirely derived by their ability to accumulate material goods.
4. The Marketing Type: characterized by a sense of self as commodity, these “symbol pushers” sell their ideas and personalities to other consumer types, and have a sense of self value based on their marketability.
This (in my opinion) is the real golden nugget of the book.
Fromm is referring to “sales” type people, who’s product is them selves, and who connect with others for a living.
This type includes artists, celebrities, politicians, intellectuals and dare I say it.....most therapists.
This observation is particularly shrewd the age of me-marketing and self-branding.
Who among us can’t relate to ‘The Marketing Type’ in 2020.
Who doesn’t feel like a commodity in the age of social media and surveillance capitalism.
The obvious problem is, what happens to your sense of self when you’re only valued for your most superficial qualities, and/or, what if no one‘s buying the personality that you’re selling?
Fromm posits the following as the pathway out of the afore mentioned consumerist, self commodification hall of mirrors hell described in stages (1-4).
5. The productive type: characterized by the ability to construct meaning, nurture loving relationships and by the commitment to being of genuine service to the greater good.
Fromm argues that consumer capitalism constrains our growth to stages (1-4) and argues for a society that fosters stage (5) via valuing free time, education, personal exploration and growth, meaning making, and the creation of enriching culture, relationships and community.
For Fromm, if we fail to transition from a society that only values work, consumption, and reproduction as an end, rather than as a means to genuine appreciation, discovery and connection (i.e. happiness), than the golden opportunity of American prosperity and freedom, that untold millions worked and died for, will all be destined for the landfill and nothing more.
I hope that on some level, there is at least something in all of this that at least some of us can agree upon.
Lastly, incase it isn’t clear, I really enjoyed this book.
Five Stars ⭐️
darlingbookie's review against another edition
4.0
Σύνοψη:
Γιατί ο άνθρωπος οδεύει προς την κατάρρευση του;
Και γιατί μπορεί να σωθεί απ' αυτή;
Γιατί ο άνθρωπος οδεύει προς την κατάρρευση του;
Και γιατί μπορεί να σωθεί απ' αυτή;
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