Humanist Psychoanalysis
Humanist Psychoanalysis: Lecture 4
Social psychologist Erich Fromm gives the fourth lecture in his series on humanistic psychology. In this lecture, Fromm examines Freudian and humanistic theories about the driving forces for human behavior. Sigmund Freud theorized that humans are fearful, isolated machines governed by the “pleasure principle,” which causes them to act in ways to gain satisfaction for themselves. Fromm contends that humanistic theories favor the idea that mankind’s primary need is to be connected to the world, and its frustrations and suffering arise when it is unable to achieve this connection. He describes how awareness and reason are uniquely human traits, and that these traits create a burden from which mankind tries to free itself. Fromm believes that through humanistic thought, humans will discover that a union with the world is approachable through progression, not regression.
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