Humanist Psychoanalysis
Humanist Psychoanalysis: Lecture 5
Social psychologist Erich Fromm gives the fifth lecture in his series on humanistic psychology. In this lecture, Fromm discusses sexuality in relation to the concept of Eros -- the Freudian theory of libido, also known as the life instinct that is innate in all humans. He examines Sigmund Freud’s theories about libido, which he believes Freud viewed as more masculine than feminine, as well as Freud’s theories about the polarization of the sexes. Fromm interprets that to Freud, the idea of sexual/gender equality is destructive as it means that people must be the same, which would then contradict Freud’s views about the idea of individuality. Fromm then introduces the concept of “machismo” as it relates to the sexual potency of man and discusses the differences between “maleness” and “manliness.” He also talks about the differences in the tactical approaches used by men and women when facing aggression, with men tending to use physical force, and women tending to use ridicule.
Did you know that donations cover nearly half of our costs?
As a nonprofit community and cultural center, The 92nd Street Y, New York relies on support from people like you. Your donation today helps us continue connecting you to the programs you love, no matter where in the world you are.
Sign up for access
To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it, view our
privacy policy.
© 2024 The Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Association
All Rights Reserved.
All material accessed via the 92NY website (“content”) is protected by copyright under U.S. Copyright laws and is the property of The Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Association or the party credited as the provider of the content. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, publish, display, perform, modify, create derivative works, transmit, or in any way exploit any such content, nor may you distribute any part of this content over any network, including a local area network, sell or offer it for sale, or use such content to construct any kind of database. You may not alter or remove any copyright or other notice from copies of the content accessed via 92NY’s website. Copying or storing any content except as provided above is expressly prohibited without prior written permission of 92NY or the copyright holder identified in the individual content’s copyright notice.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this collection do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.