The 12 best books by Erich Fromm

A literary selection of interesting essays written by the father of humanistic psychoanalysis.

There is a wide variety of psychoanalytic theories. From Freudian psychoanalysis to divergent currents such as Adler's individual psychology or Carl Jung's depth psychology, numerous authors have studied the human psyche from the postulates that originate the psychodynamic approach.

One of the thinkers and writers who stands out the most in this respect is Erich Fromm, author of a current that blended psychoanalytic theories with humanistic philosophy. He was responsible for offering a vision of the psychodynamic current more focused on the social and on the need to motivate reflection based on inspiring ideas. In this article we will review the main books of Erich Fromm.

Who was Erich Fromm?

Fromm is considered the father of humanistic psychoanalysis. He believed that, although the patient's pain and suffering are elements of great importance, the focus of attention should be placed on the search for happiness and well-being. In other words, he considered that in order to overcome discomfort and pain it is necessary for the subject to accept himself and develop affection, giving meaning to his life and to the pain suffered.

Thus, he proposes that in order to understand the mind it is necessary to explore the positive side of the personality and its strengths, instead of concentrating on pathological aspects.

• You can read more about this author in the following article: "Erich Fromm: biography of the father of humanistic psychoanalysis".

12 of the best books by Erich Fromm

Below you can find a selection with the best books by Erich Fromm, considered among the most relevant of his work.

1. Fear of freedom

Considered one of Fromm's main and most important works, in this essay the author works on the concept of freedom and its meaning for the modern human being.In this essay the author works on the concept of freedom and its meaning for the modern human being.

Here, this thinker analyzes the concept in society and the fall of the human being in aspects that put it in crisis. The book also explains some of the aspects of freedom that are currently compromised, such as its political expression alibied by fascism or social expression, with society tending to make all individuals behave and be in a homogeneous way.

• If you are interested in this book, you can learn more about it by clicking here.

2. The art of loving

One of the concepts that Fromm often works with is love. In this work, another of the author's best known and representative works, he analyzes this concept and reflects on what it means to love.

The author delves into the various forms of expression of love, whether towards a partner, family, friends or even oneself.Whether it is towards a partner, family, friends or even oneself. Love is seen as something to be cultivated and transformed in order to understand the beloved, a work of art in which the person occupies his or her energies and which implies maturity and learning.

• To learn more about this work, access this page.

3. The Heart of Man

The third of Fromm's masterpieces is The Heart of Man. Here, the author analyzes and reflects on aspects such as the human being's capacity to seek pleasure or provoke pleasure. when it comes to seeking pleasure or causing painThe author also discusses violence and frustration, the love of life or death (referring to Freudian drives), freedom or aspects such as the Oedipus complex and narcissism.

4. Beyond the Chains of Illusion

This book was defined by Fromm himself as an intellectual autobiography of his an intellectual autobiography of his thought, recounting some of the life experiences (such as the suicide of a young girl and the experience of the First World War) thatFromm himself defined this book as an intellectual autobiography of his thinking, relating some life experiences (such as the suicide of a young girl and the experience of the First World War) that marked him and made him look for an explanation of irrationality, finding some answers in the work of Karl Marx.

Furthermore, in this book Fromm confronts the ideas of Freud and Marx, which were the origin of his thinking, working concepts such as individual and social responsibility.

5. The pathology of normality

In this book the author works on a fundamental aspect of his theory, the fact that the normal can become pathological and the pathological can be the normal.. For the author, the pathology usually develops due to the attempt to adapt to the demands of an increasingly demanding society, deteriorating the mental state of people because we are increasingly unable to link ourselves to reality.

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6. And you shall be as gods

Today's society has left aside the concept of God, leaving a certain emptiness that causes confusion between what we are and what we possess. The consumerism of our time is generated by the absence of a vital sense and a feeling of isolation and inner emptiness. The author proposes to try to find changes in the social structure that can guide the human being to feel liberated. guide the human being to feel liberated and fulfilled..

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7. The art of listening

In the texts of this work, Erich Fromm speaks of his way of understanding therapy as a process through which to understand the person and his unconscious. He proposes that the therapist listens to his patient with affection and sympathy, moving away from fraternal therapeutic relationships.and moving away from cold and theoretically based therapeutic relationships.

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8. Spirit and Society

This posthumous book includes several articles by Fromm in which it is evidenced what the author considers as the starting point of his theory, the fact that social exigency provokes states of inconsistency in people. This would be one of the factors that would separate Fromm from the psychoanalytic school.

He also talks about aspects such as the understanding of the social unconscious, the therapeutic relationship, bureaucracy or the paradoxes that society makes us face.

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9. From having to being

Fromm proposes in this book that today's society is immersed in a situation in which being is confused with having, so that he who has more is the one who is better. Therefore, people should analyze their own life and way of thinking, proposing that we live having love and reason as our main pillars. Pain and suffering are necessary to become wise.So we must forget the method of escape to focus on becoming again.

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10. On disobedience

Obedience to one's own nature and political disobedience are the theme of this work, which summarizes the author's thoughts on the subject. The author indicates that the realized human being must have covered the needs of identity, relationship, transcendence and belonging, criticizing the obstacles that society puts for us to be able to fulfill them. Falling into blind obedience and totalitarianism can damage the integrity of the person and ignore the value of people and life.

• You will find more information about the work through this link.

11. The forgotten language

This book deals with one of the aspects that have been strongly analyzed by psychoanalysis: dreams. In this book Fromm tries to participate in the analysis of the symbolic elements of dreams. the symbolic elements of dreamshelping us to understand what they mean and how they can help us to understand the unconscious according to the paradigm of psycho-codynamics.

• If you want to get this book, you can start the process here.

12. Ethics and psychoanalysis

In this work Fromm raises the necessity of to apply ethics in the world of psychology.considering that psychoanalysis has made a great mistake in trying to separate the psychological from the moral in patients, ignoring that the latter is also part of the person and his experiences (one must try to help the patient to form a positive ethic and character). Such ethics should not be authoritarian, like those of the superego and censorship, but should be humanistic and objectivist, based on self-love, self-acceptance and the unfolding of potentialities.

• To read more about the book, click here.