The 4 unproductive personality types according to Erich Fromm

An interesting review by one of the most prolix authors of psychoanalysis.

Since the beginning of psychology a multitude of proposals have appeared to classify personality types.

Some with more scientific support, others that have more creative work behind them than contrast with reality, the criteria used to find different typologies of people vary so much that personality systems can be created to cover practically any need.

An example of this is the theory of the 4 unproductive personality types devised by Erich Fromm..

We recommend: "Erich Fromm: biography of a humanist psychoanalyst".

Productivity according to Erich Fromm

As one of the pioneers of humanistic philosophy applied to psychology, Erich Fromm believed that personal development consists of striving to gain one's own autonomy while creating bonds with others and their life projects. Thus, true productivity only appears when we relate the tasks we perform with the conquest of our own freedom.. 

That is, it is born from the moment in which we adopt a sincere commitment with the objectives to be achieved, a fact that only happens when this goal has a meaning that we relate to our own growth.

This implies, for example, that productivity is for Fromm much more than the simple performance of the greatest amount of work in the minimum possible time, but rather has to do with the way in which the work is done. has more to do with the way in which we embrace certain tasks in order to incorporate them into our own philosophy of life..

The unproductive personality types

Based on this conception of productivity, Erich Fromm described some personality types, which he called unproductive.. He gave them this name because, as personality types, they place human beings in a comfortable situation in which it is very easy to avoid responsibilities and to indefinitely postpone the achievement of objectives related to personal development and the conquest of one's own autonomy.

These types of personality present characteristics that are to be valued as positive, but, nevertheless, they are not characterized simply by being indifferent to the needs of others, they are not simply characterized by being undesirable.. Erich Fromm did not shy away from expressing the contradictions embodied in the different ways of life, and that is why he also identified some positive characteristics in each of these aspects of personality.

Therefore, if these personality traits deserve to be labeled as "unproductive" it is because some of their negative characteristics make us prone to fall into undesirable work dynamics.

The unproductive personality types are as follows..

1. The mercantile

People of the mercantile type convert their philosophy of life in the sale of their own image.. They try to climb the social ladder thanks to their aesthetics and the social level that reflects their way of speaking, dressing, walking, etc. They turn themselves into a brand to be sold by means of a self-promotion campaign that lasts a lifetime.

This type of personality is unproductive because much of their work is focused simply on speculating on the value associated with their image.

However, these types of people also have desirable characteristics, such as their motivation and their ability to direct their efforts to long-term projects.

2. The exploiter

People defined by this personality type have, according to Fromm, a propensity to use for their own benefit much of the things they come across, regardless of who produced them or who is responsible for them.regardless of who produced them or to whom they belong. That is to say, they do not see too much importance in earning that which serves them to achieve their short-term goals.

Although this characteristic is negative, they also show desirable properties, such as self-confidence, self-judgment and initiative.

3. The receptive

People who show the receptive personality type would be characterized, according to Erich Fromm, as follows have a good capacity for acceptance and tend to devote themselves selflessly to their tasks.. However, they also tend to be passive and conformist, as well as preferring to avoid conflicts and confrontation of ideas.

They show ease in legitimizing the present state of things, no matter how harmful and unfair it may be, and they can also transform work teams into a sounding board in which the leader's ideas are always received with approval, even if they are tremendously bad.

4. The hoarder

Hoarders are prone to a materialistic mentality, in which even the people we like to work with in which even the people around us (friends, family, etc.) are seen as resources in themselves. That is why individuals defined by this personality type value highly the "possession" of socially and economically well-placed friends, and accumulate such assets to make their value their own.

The positive aspect of this type of people is that they are very goal-oriented and results-oriented, and avoid unnecessary expenditure of resources.

Application to business and organizations

This part of Erich Fromm's theory can be applied to a large number of organizations and work teams, as it refers to aspects of the personality that can be present in professionals in any field of work, and can be applied to a Wide range of organizations and work teams.. 

However, to fully understand the way in which Fromm understood the nature of these traits it is good to delve into the work of this author, since the philosophical and psychoanalytical background of this author makes it difficult to separate this part of his ideas from his entire theoretical legacy.