A Comaprison of Freud and Fromm Essay Example For Students

A Comaprison of Freud and Fromm Essay Sigmund Freud was born in Monrovia on May 6,1856. He entered the University of Vienna in 1873 at the age of 17. He finished his degree in 1881. Freud died in England in 1939. He was an active therapist, theorist and writer to the very end. ( Ewen 19-20) Erich Fromm was born four years after Freud in 1900 in Frankfurt, Germany. Unlike Freud, Fromm had no medical training in his background. He received his PHD from the University of Heidelberg and later studied at Berlin Psychoanalytic Institute. Erich Fromm died March 16, 1980 in Switzerland. (Ewen 187) While Freud and Fromm were contemporaries and shared some basic beliefs, their approach to most issues varied greatly. Freuds attitude was purely scientific. Fromm desired to humanize things. Fromm accepted the importance of unconscious, biological drives, repression and defense mechanisms, but rejected Freuds theory of id, ego and superego. Fromm did not believe in specific developmental stages. He believed that the growing child slowly learns to distinguish between I and not I, through contact with the environment, notably those involving the parents. Ewen 194) Fromm contends that personality development continues into adulthood. He believes that if a child keeps up with the increasing feelings of isolation, that anxiety can be kept to a minimal and personality development proceeds normally. Freuds well-known theory is that the personality is determined during the first five years of life. He believes we proceed through a series of psychosexual stages: oral, anal, urethral, phallic, a latency period and genital. Freud contends that the genital stage is the goal of normal development and that it represents true maturity. Hansen 25-26) Fromm warns against pathogenic behavior because it can damage the childs sense of reliance. He believed healthy personality is illustrated by biophilia, love, creativity and reason. ( Ewen 195-196) These characteristics compromise the productive frame of orientation. The nonproductive frames include narcissism, necrophilia, dependence, compulsive strivings for power or wealth and the mechanisms of escape. Fromm had four other nonproductive orientations that he devoted a great deal of attention to. These were receptive, exploitative, hoarding and marketing. Three of these orientations can be loosely compared to Freuds oral-dependent, oral-sadistic and anal character without the sexual implications. Freud and Fromm both believed that dreams are the royal road to the unconscious. ( Ewen 198) Fromm agreed with Freud that dreams could serve the purpose of wish fulfillment, that the days events set them off, and that a person may conceal truths in different ways. While both men believed in dream symbols, Freud believed most dreams involved childhood sexual impulses and Fromm regarded many symbols as asexual. Fromm believed that dreams could have obvious and undisguised meanings that did not have to involve childhood conflicts. To understand Fromms approach to clinical diagnosis, his theory of character must first be understood. His theory of character development was that humans are distinguished from other animals by a larger neocortex with fewer instincts. Character shapes human instinct. Human survival is not merely a matter of physical survival, humans are social animals who must relate to others, and they are spiritual animals who must infuse their lives with meaning in order to function. Humans require a sense of hope to keep from turning off. They also require caring adults in the early years to be teachers that teach them to control their fears and passions and live in harmony with others. Religion both sacred and secular can give meaning to life and give a sense of identity and rootness. Fromm accepted Freuds definition of mental health saying that it is the capacity for love and productive work. Fromm also agreed with Freud in saying that psychopathology represents a difference in degree, rather than in kind. Fromm states that besides pathogenic behaviors that neurosis is often caused by the culture in which one lives. MGT 515 - INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS LAW EssayEwen 60) He hated religious ideas such as life continues after death and that all good is rewarded and all evil punished, that the difficulties of life serve a higher purpose so there is no reason to despair. Freud believed religion to be a collective neurosis started at a very early stage of development. People are indoctrinated with religion during childhood, before reason sets in, so they become dependent on its effects. Freud recommended children be brought up without religion so they would learn to rely on themselves. He thought people should not look to an ideal happiness in the hereafter, but face the reality and burdens of life in the present. Freud has many attacks against him, but despite these attacks he has contributed greatly to the field of psychology and psychiatry. A lot of other personality theorists have used Freuds psychoanalytic theory for the foundation of their very own work. Freud was a brilliant man, but he had a lack of tolerance for other ideas and modern innovations and placed an overemphasis on sexuality, drive reduction, and the biological determinants of personality. His contributions included the importance of unconscious, dream interpretation, psychoanalytic therapy and much more. Fromm is noted for his work in dream interpretation and totalitarianism. His works have been praised as landmarks in psychological, political, and philosophical thought. He provided us with theory and methods to understand health and illness as concepts that do not refer to the individual alone, but also the relationship of the individual to others and to social institutions. On the other hand Fromms recommendations for social reform have proved to be very controversial. He proposed radical social changes that would be hard to implement. Many observers called his ideas unscientific and excessive. I personally do not agree with a lot of Freuds Theory, however I do give credit to him for bringing important information to the field of psychology. I believe he was an extremely smart man and has laid grounds for many to follow. Some of the things I do agree with are psychoanalytic therapy, the importance of the unconscious, defense mechanisms, and that neurosis can be caused in childhood, not necessarily with sexual implications or that it is always caused in childhood. As far as Fromm I do not believe that he is as well known or that his theory is as important as a lot of the other theorist. I agree with Fromm in that our parents and our environment have a lot to do with our behaviors or causes of neurosis. I do not believe however that that is the only determinant. I believe that it is social and biological factors that we are shaped by. I did not like the fact that Fromm left so many doors open and was very vague. Although I do not agree too much with Freud he did make huge contributions and had a more thorough theory than did Fromm.