Erich Fromm, The Sane Society

Daniel Burston (Duquesne University)

Ed. by Gerhard P. Knapp, University of Utah
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.4: American (US) Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary, 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Sofia Ahlberg (Uppsala University), Patrick Chura (University of Akron), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Dale Enggass (University of Utah), Christopher Hugh Gair (University of Glasgow), Matthew Hofer (University of New Mexico), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Justin Parks (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway), Nick Selby (University of East Anglia)

Domains

Philosophy (any)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1955

Places

Germany (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Non-Fiction
- Commentary / Criticism (literary)

Resources

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Freud’s studies on “the pathology of civilized communities” stress the idea that civilization invariably breeds inner and interpersonal conflict by compelling us to renounce instinctual satisfactions that are incompatible with social harmony (Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents, 1930). In contrast to this, and similar to Martin Buber, Fromm vigorously disputes Freud’s belief that instinct and culture, or the interests of the individual and of society at large, are necessarily at odds with one another (Buber, Between Man and Man, 2002). As a result, Fromm’s social psychology focuses less on the prevalence and roots of neurotic conflict. Instead, it emphasizes statistically normal character traits that enhance rather than hinder the average person’s adaptation to society…

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1219 words

Citation: Burston, Daniel. "The Sane Society". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 November 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=16626, accessed 31 October 2024.]