Theories Of Personality Fromm
This flashcard set covers Erich Fromm’s theory of personality, focusing on the human dilemma — our awareness of being separate from nature — and how this separation leads to basic anxiety, feelings of loneliness and isolation in the modern world.
Humanity’s separation from the natural world has produced feelings of loneliness and isolation
basic anxiety
Key Terms
Humanity’s separation from the natural world has produced feelings of loneliness and isolation
basic anxiety
Become separate from nature and yet have the capacity to be aware of themselves as isolated beings
human dilemma
The human dilemma can only be solved through …
fulfilling our human needs
Is the only relatedness need that can solve our basic human dilemma.
love
Love comprises…
care, responsibility, respect and knowledge
Urge to rise above a passive and accidental existence into the realm of purposefulness and freedom
Transcendence
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
Humanity’s separation from the natural world has produced feelings of loneliness and isolation | basic anxiety |
Become separate from nature and yet have the capacity to be aware of themselves as isolated beings | human dilemma |
The human dilemma can only be solved through … | fulfilling our human needs |
Is the only relatedness need that can solve our basic human dilemma. | love |
Love comprises… | care, responsibility, respect and knowledge |
Urge to rise above a passive and accidental existence into the realm of purposefulness and freedom | Transcendence |
To kill for reasons other than survival | Malignant aggression |
The need to establish roots and to feel at home again in the world | Rootedneess |
An awareness of ourselves as a separate person | Sense of identity |
A roadmap to make way through the world | Frame of orientation |
Results from humans being torn from nature yet remaining in the world with the same physical limitations as other animals. | The Burden of Freedom |
3 Mechanisms of Escape |
|
Tendency to give up one’s independence and to unite with a powerful partner | Authoritarianism |
Aimed at doing away with other people | Destructiveness |
Surrending one’s individuality in order to meet the wishes of others | Conformity |
The human dilemma can only be solved through ___. | Positive freedom |
Relatively permanent way of relating to people and things; a substitute for instincts | Character orientations |
People relate to the world through ____ and ____. | Assimilation and socialization |
Source of all good lies outside themselves and only way to relate to the world is to receive things including love, knowledge and possessions | Receptive character |
Source of all good lies outside of themselves also but they aggressively take what they want rather than passively receiving it | Exploitative character |
Seek to save what they already obtained; live in the past | Hoarding character |
See themselves as commodities and value themselves against the criterion of their ability to sell themselves; fewer positive traits than other orientations | Marketing character |
What comprises a productive orientation? | work, love and thought |
A belief that everything belonging to one’s self is of great value and anything belonging to others is worthless | Malignant narcissism |
An extreme independence on one's mother or mother surrogate | Incestuous symbiosis |
Malignant narcissism: preoccupation with one's health | Hypochondriasis |
Malignant narcissism: preoccupation with guilt | Moral hypochondriasis |
Possession of all 3 personality disorders | Syndrome of decay |
Goal of Fromm's therapy | to work toward satisfaction of the basic human needs; shared communication in which therapist is simply a human being rather than a scientist |
Most common character orientation | Nonproductive Receptive type |
2nd most common character orientation | productive hoarding type |
3rd most common character orientation | nonproductive exploitative type |