Erich Fromm Essay Research Paper An American

Erich Fromm Essay, Research Paper

An American psychoanalyst Erich Fromm, was born on March 23,

1900, in Frankfort, Germany. Fromm was educated at the Universities of

Heidelberg and Munich, as well as, The Psychoanalytic Institute in Berlin.

He received his Ph.D. from Heidlberg in 1922.

As a result of all the turmoil in Germany, Fromm?s immigrated to the

states in 1934. Hitler?s reign to power was strong and Fromm was aware of

his pursuit. Fromm was a very intelligent man and was extremely conscious

of the fact that his odds in the field of psychology during this time were very

slim.

When he immigrated to the United States he studied psychoanalysis

and lectured at various institutions, including Bennington College, New York

University, also teaching at Columbia, Yale, Michigan State University, and

the William Alanson White Institute of Psychiatry. Eventually Fromm

moved to Mexico in 1950.

Fromm was a psychoanalyst which is a psychologist who has received

additional specialized training in psychoanalyst theory and practice. In order

to become a psychoanalyst you must study 16 years of college in that field.

Sigmun Freud developed a technique to uncover the unconscious called

psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis is a technique which Fromm used as

therapy. This is a technique in which a patient lies on a couch and recounts

dreams and says whatever comes to mind, this helps uncover the

unconscious.

Freud developed this technique of therapy because he believed that

dreams represent our wishes and that they can reveal the motive?s guiding

our behavior, motives of which we are often unaware of. This process is also

known as free association. A psychoanalyst technique that encourages the

patient to talk with out inhibition about whatever thoughts or fantasy came to

mind.

Psychoanalysis is the belief that anxiety and other problems are

symptoms of inner conflicts dating back to childhood. Psychoanalysis is

designed to bring these hidden feelings to conscious awareness, consequently

that individual can understand them with increased clarity.

Fromm felt that personalities develops in a sequence of critical stages

during the first few years of life. If we successfully resolve the conflicts that

we encounter at each of these stages, we can avoid psychological problems in

later life. But if they become ?fixated? at anyone of these stages, we may

carry related feelings of anxiety or exaggerated fears with us into adulthood.

Fromm says that man is a product of his culture in comparison to the

Freudian theory of the biological foundation of human character. Erich

Fromm broke away from biologically oriented theories to see humans as

products of their culture harmony between the drives of the individual ands

society in which the individual lives. Leading to the belief of Heredity

Environments. A belief in which your roots and environment has a lot to do

with the way you react in certain situations.

During Fromm?s lifetime he had the opportunity to educate others,

he lectured to anyone who was willing to listen, and wrote books about his

own theory. Erich Fromm is the author of these other books; To have or to

Be?, Marx Concepts of man, The art of listening, On being human, Escape

the freedom and many more. Fromm spent his twilight years between 1974

and 1980 in Switzerland. He passed away on March 17, 1980.

Erich Fromm demonstrated his intelligence and his educational

background was certainly obvious. I believe he managed to live his life to the

fullest. Some say cleanness is next to Godliness, I believe that intelligence is

next to Godliness. What greater power is there!