This Is What The Human Condition Needs According To Erich Fromm

What the human condition needs according to Erich Fromm is a change. The German social psychoanalyst and philosopher who dared to challenge Sigmund Freud reformulated the concept of freedom and even made an effort to emphasize something that is fully topical in an increasingly technical, cold and structured society. losing our happiness.

In his essential book Being or Having , he left us timeless messages, those that continue to harbor incredibly transformative ideas. Among them, there is one that may be very familiar to us: people have become accustomed to living under a premise, that where we assume that whoever does not have, is not. When the authentic well-being and human fulfillment resides precisely in being, in defining ourselves above our belongings.

It has been thirty years since the loss of Erich Fromm and even so  his thoughts, reflections and legacy remain indispensable to us. We need a change, a reformulation to be able to work in a real freedom, that where we stop measuring ourselves for what we have and value ourselves for what we are.

What does the human condition need according to Erich Fromm?

What the human condition needs according to Erich Fromm are several aspects that we will analyze below. Thus, and to understand his approach and perspective, we must first remember that the center of his philosophy was always based on an almost radical humanism. What does this mean? It implies that this social psychologist sought, above all, to free the person from their chains.

Each of us dragged, almost without knowing it, multiple weights. The industrial, social and political structure places on us a multitude of molds and locks that veto our fulfillment, ability to choose, thoughts and wills. Now, you also limit your own happiness in different ways.

We do it by choosing conflict and violence instead of peace, we also do it by being guided by instincts and not by reason and emotion and, above all, by not loving ourselves as we deserve.

In this way, in his book The Anatomy of Human Destructivity, he indicates that the situation of humanity today is too serious and that, therefore, it is necessary to create new mental frameworks, new reflection scenarios where to generate changes.

So let’s see what the human condition needs to invest in well-being and freedom.

We must be more spontaneous

In Fear of Freedom (1941), Fromm appealed to something that may attract our attention but that, without a doubt, is inspiring. According to him, people give too much primacy to rational thought. However, the human being is in himself a perfect combination between emotion and reason, between feeling and self-control.

Therefore, when it comes to expressing our true personality freely, we need to be more spontaneous. This is how we break chains, how we let go of our entire essence to also free ourselves from those conventions that society instills in us.

A commitment to solidarity

In his book  ¿To have or to be ?, Erich Fromm contributed various ideas that, according to him, were key to preventing humanity from rushing towards a catastrophic destiny. In first person he not only had to face the darkness of the Second World War, but also witnessed the Cold War and that context where the arms competition placed the entire world in a scenario of permanent anguish.

The current times are different, but the essence, somehow, still keep a certain similarity. Hence, the suggestions that he left us in Have or Be are as valid as they are inspiring. They are as follows.

• Be more supportive, love and respect life in all its manifestations.
• It is necessary that we also feel joy for the act of giving, of sharing and not only for having and accumulating belongings.
• Greed, hatred and deceit must be reduced.

Let go of narcissism

What the human condition needs according to Erich Fromm is, above all, to put aside narcissism. In fact, this recurring premise in his work, so much so, that he introduced a term that is important to remember: malignant narcissism. For him, that constant search for self-gratification, ego reinforcement or bombast is the very essence of evil.

We must cultivate humility, respect for others and also ourselves, but from a healthier, more affectionate point of view and in harmony with our own society. Selfishness would be the worst of germs, something that must be avoided at all costs because it perpetuates ignorance and submission.

To conclude, regardless of the fact that Erich Fromm’s works have been written decades ago, they are still essential and valuable. Returning to them is an invitation to reflect on aspects that are worth working on.