Greatness and Limitations of Freud’s Thought by Erich Fromm | (PDF) Free Download

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Renowned social psychologist Erich Fromm’s classic study of Freud’s most important—and controversial—ideasBestselling 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. Freud’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. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Erich Fromm including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s estate.

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⭐Excellent book and prompt service

⭐Erich Seligmann Fromm (1900-1980) was a German social psychologist, psychoanalyst, sociologist, humanistic philosopher, and democratic socialist; in Europe, he was associated with the Frankfurt School. He wrote many other books such as

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⭐, etc.He wrote in the Preface to this 1979 book, “The greatness of Freud’s discovery consists in the fact that he conceived a method of arriving at the truth beyond that which an individual believes to be the truth… due to having discovered the effects of repression, and correspondingly, rationalizations… This application of the principle that truth liberates and cures is perhaps the greatest achievement of Freud, even though his application of this principle underwent many distortions and often produced new illusions. In this book I want to present the most important discoveries of Freud, in detailed form. At the same time I shall try to show where and in what way bourgeois thought, so characteristic of Freud, narrowed down and sometimes even obscured his discoveries.” (Pg. viii-ix)He states, “Since Freud… The difference between what I say and what I believe assumes a new dimension, namely that of my unconscious belief or my unconscious striving… Since Freud, the sentence ‘I meant well’ has lost its function as an excuse. Meaning well is one of the best rationalizations for acting badly, and nothing is easier than to persuade oneself of the validity of this rationalization.” (Pg. 22-23)He notes that in Freudian psychoanalysis, “The analysand lay on the couch, the analyst sat, invisible, behind him, listening most of the time and from time to time giving an interpretation. Freud once expressed his real motive for that arrangement, namely that he could not bear to be stared at by another person for many hours a day.” (Pg. 38)He suggests, “We find here one of the premises of Freud’s thinking. Those features that are considered incompatible with a respectable professional man like Freud are relegated to childhood… The assumption that all neurotic tendencies arise in childhood is in fact the protection of the adult from the suspicion of being neurotic. Freud was indeed a very neurotic man but it was impossible for him to conceive of himself as (s)uch and at the same time to feel his was a normal respectable profession. Hence everything that did not fit into the pattern of the normal man was considered to be childhood material and … [not] fully alive and present in the adult.” (Pg. 87)He observes, “[Freud] tries here almost frantically to evade the logical consequences of his own premises. If the death instinct is as powerful and fundamental as Freud claims throughout, how can it be considerably reduced by bringing Eros into play, considering that they are both contained in every cell and that they constitute an irreducible quality of living matter?” (Pg. 130) He summarizes, “Freud deprived man of his pride in his rationality. He went to the roots… and discovered that a great deal of our conscious thinking only veils our real thoughts and feelings and hides the truth; miost of our conscious thought is a sham, a mere rationalization of thoughts and desires which we prefer not to be aware of.” (Pg. 134)This is an excellent, sympathetic yet critical, study of Freud’s thought; it also provides valuable insights into Fromm’s own thought, as well.

⭐This is book about how Erich Fromm understand Freuds. It is essential for the understanding of Erich Fromm, but not for an understanding of Freud. Erich Fromm views Freund from the points of view of humanistic and social psychology. Much of his views on Freud are distorted. For a full criticism of the Erich Fromm view, read Marcuse’s Eros and Civilization.

⭐…on the theoretical thought of a man Fromm revered but didn’t idealize. Weak in object relations, but then so was Freud until Anna and Melanie came along and got to work. Best read, not from the point of view of what Fromm should have included, but as an enlightening look at some useful and useless (e.g., his theory of women) items in Freud’s arsenal.

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