Beyond the Chains of Illusion


Book Description

First published in 1962, this is a book about Marx and Freud - the two intellectual giants of the 20th century. It introduces many of readers to unknown aspects of Marx and Freud, as it also serves as an introduction to the life and mind of Erich Fromm as well.




Beyond the Chains of Illusion


Book Description

Profound insights into Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud from the “prolific and eclectic” social theorist and bestselling author of Escape from Freedom (The Washington Post). According to renowned psychoanalyst Erich Fromm, three people shaped the essential character of the twentieth century: Albert Einstein, Karl Marx, and Sigmund Freud. While the first two figures had a great physical and political impact on the world, Fromm believes that Freud had an even deeper impact, because he changed how we think about ourselves. Beyond the Chains of Illusion is one of Fromm’s most autobiographical works, as Fromm not only comments on the ideas of Freud and Marx, but also crystallizes his own theories on social character and unconscious values. The book brilliantly summarizes Fromm’s ideas on how culture and society shape our behavior. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Erich Fromm including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s estate.




Life Itself Is an Art


Book Description

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year Erich Fromm (1900-1980) is known to most readers as the author of the international bestseller The Art of Loving (1956). What may be less widely known is that Fromm was a social psychoanalyst whose psychoanalytic theories, developed around a humanistic concept of man and society, have had a profound impact on many fields and disciplines: on social life and societal organization, on politics, on religion, on psychotherapy and, last but not least, on the practice of mindfulness. Rainer Funk was Erich Fromm's last assistant. He wrote his dissertation about Fromm, was designated by Fromm's last will to be his sole literary executor, and is the editor of Fromm's writings. From his very intimate knowledge of Fromm's life and ideas, and his access to an archive that includes 6,000 letters, Funk introduces Fromm's central concepts and examines them in relation to Fromm's lived experiences and to his idea that life itself is an art. The question of "the art of living" runs through all of the chapters, from the Introduction, in which Funk describes meeting Fromm for the first time in 1972, to the last chapter, in which Funk reflects on the impact of Fromm's social-psychoanalytic writings and his efforts to live well.




Greatness and Limitations of Freud's Thought


Book Description

DIVDIVRenowned social psychologist Erich Fromm’s classic study of Freud’s most important—and controversial—ideas/divDIV Bestselling philosopher and psychoanalyst Erich Fromm contends that the principle behind Freud’s work—the wellspring from which psychoanalysis flows—boils down to one well-known belief: “And the truth shall set you free.” The healing power of truth is what Freud used to cure depression and anxiety, cutting through repression and rationalizations, and it provided the foundation for modern psychology./divDIV /divDIVFreud’s work, however, was not without its flaws. Though he pioneered many of the practices still in use today, Freud’s perspective was imperfect. In Greatness and Limitation of Freud’s Thought, Fromm deepens the understanding of Freud by highlighting not just his remarkable insights, but also his flaws, on topics ranging from dreams to sexuality. /divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Erich Fromm including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s estate./div/div




To Have or To Be?


Book Description

To Have Or to Be? is one of the seminal books of the second half of the 20th century. Nothing less than a manifesto for a new social and psychological revolution to save our threatened planet, this book is a summary of the penetrating thought of Eric Fromm. His thesis is that two modes of existence struggle for the spirit of humankind: the having mode, which concentrates on material possessions, power, and aggression, and is the basis of the universal evils of greed, envy, and violence; and the being mode, which is based on love, the pleasure of sharing, and in productive activity. To Have Or to Be? is a brilliant program for socioeconomic change.




Marx's Concept of Man


Book Description

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.




The Art of Listening


Book Description

The renowned social psychologist and New York Times–bestselling author shares his insights on the process of psychotherapy, drawing on his own experience. Over the course of a distinguished career, Erich Fromm built a reputation as a talented speaker and gifted psychoanalyst—the first specialization of this polymath. The Art of Listening is a transcription of a seminar Fromm gave in 1974 to American students in Switzerland. It provides insight into Fromm’s therapy techniques as well as his thoughts and mindset while working. In this intimate look at his profession, Fromm dismantles psychoanalysis and then reassembles it in a clear and engaging fashion. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Erich Fromm including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s estate.




The Essential Fromm


Book Description

As Fromm points out, ours is “a life between having and being”—between mere having and healthy being, between destructiveness and creativity, between narcissism and productive self-understanding, between passivity and the joy of positive activity. The alternatives of having and being are basic orientations of our character and determine our behavior. The mostly unpublished and unknown texts featured in The Essential Fromm encapsulate Fromm’s views on the fulfilling life. To put down roots yet remain free is what the late Erich Fromm called the art of being. It is the secret of happiness.




On Being Human


Book Description

An insightful look at alienation in the modern world from the New York Times–bestselling author of The Art of Loving and Escape from Freedom. Social psychologist Erich Fromm observed the spread of alienation in the 1960s, arguing that humans who were once dynamic, creative beings were reduced to fixating on TV screens, emotionally paralyzed by anxieties over threats like nuclear war. Though we may stare at different devices and worry about other dangers today, his insights are as useful as ever, and allow us to gain perspective on the human condition. A collection of his writings on “New Humanism” and the need to reclaim our happiness and peace of mind, this is a thoughtful, fascinating overview of the past that shaped us, and the philosophies and practices that can ensure a better future, both for ourselves and for the world at large. Included are reflections on thinkers from Karl Marx to medieval Catholic mystic Meister Eckhart, as “Fromm’s large, keen mind and attractive, likable voice [strive] for heart as he asks himself the hardest questions of his day” (Kirkus Reviews). This ebook features an illustrated biography of Erich Fromm including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s estate.




Work's Intimacy


Book Description

This book provides a long-overdue account of online technology and its impact on the work and lifestyles of professional employees. It moves between the offices and homes of workers in the knew "knowledge" economy to provide intimate insight into the personal, family, and wider social tensions emerging in today’s rapidly changing work environment. Drawing on her extensive research, Gregg shows that new media technologies encourage and exacerbate an older tendency among salaried professionals to put work at the heart of daily concerns, often at the expense of other sources of intimacy and fulfillment. New media technologies from mobile phones to laptops and tablet computers, have been marketed as devices that give us the freedom to work where we want, when we want, but little attention has been paid to the consequences of this shift, which has seen work move out of the office and into cafés, trains, living rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms. This professional "presence bleed" leads to work concerns impinging on the personal lives of employees in new and unforseen ways. This groundbreaking book explores how aspiring and established professionals each try to cope with the unprecedented intimacy of technologically-mediated work, and how its seductions seem poised to triumph over the few remaining relationships that may stand in its way.