What The Human Condition Needs, According To Erich Fromm

According to Erich Fromm, the human condition needs a change. The German social psychoanalyst and philosopher who dared, in his time, to challenge Sigmund Freud, reformulated the concept of freedom and even made an effort to emphasize something very current in an increasingly technical, cold and structured society: we are losing the our happiness.

In his essential book  Having or Being? , he left us timeless messages that continue to convey incredibly transformative ideas. Among them, there is one that may be very familiar: people have become accustomed to living under a premise that says that those who don’t have ones don’t.

However, true well-being and human fulfillment lie precisely in being , in defining ourselves above our belongings.

It’s been thirty years since Erich Fromm left, but his thoughts, reflections and legacy remain essential. We need a change, a reformulation so that we can work in real freedom, without measuring ourselves for what we have and valuing ourselves for what we are.

What does the human condition need, according to Erich Fromm?

According to Erich Fromm, the human condition needs several aspects, which we will analyze below. To understand his focus and perspective, we must first remember that the core of his philosophy has always been based on an almost radical humanism.

What does that mean? It means that this social psychologist sought, above all, to free the person from his chains. Each one of us drags, almost without realizing it, different weights.

The industrial, social and political structure puts on us an infinity of molds and screws that impede our achievement, ability to choose, thoughts and wills. However, we also limit our own happiness in different ways.

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

Thus, in his book Anatomy of Human Destructivity , Fromm indicates that the current situation of humanity is very serious and that, therefore, it is necessary to create new mental frameworks, new scenarios for reflection in which to generate changes.

Let us see, therefore, what the human condition needs to invest in well-being and freedom.

We must be more spontaneous

In  The Fear of Freedom  (1941), Fromm talked about something inspiring. According to them, people attach too much importance to rational thinking. The human being is a perfect combination between emotion and reason, between feeling and self-control.

Therefore, when it comes to freely expressing our true personality, we need to be more spontaneous. That’s how we break chains, let go of all our essence to free ourselves from the conventionalism that society imposes on us.

A bet on solidarity

In your book  Have or Being? , Erich Fromm shared several ideas that, according to him, were fundamental to prevent humanity from rushing towards a catastrophic fate. 

He himself not only had to face the darkness of World War II, but he was also witness to the Cold War and the whole context in which the arms race left the whole world in a scene of permanent anguish.

The current times are different, but the essences, somehow, remain similar. Is that why the suggestions he left us in  Having or Being? remain valid and inspiring. Are the following:

• Be more supportive, love and respect life in all its manifestations.
• Feeling joy also in the act of giving, in sharing, and not just in having and accumulating belongings.
• Decrease greed, hatred and lies.

away from narcissism

For Fromm, the human condition must, above all, move away from narcissism. This premise is so recurrent in his work that he introduced a term that is important to remember: evil narcissism.

For him, this constant quest for self-gratification, ego-reinforcement and grandiloquence is the very essence of evil.

We must cultivate humility, respect for others and also for ourselves, but from a healthy, affectionate point of view and in harmony with society itself. Selfishness would be the worst of germs, something we must avoid at all costs because it perpetuates ignorance and submission.

In conclusion, regardless of whether Erich Fromm’s works were written decades ago, they remain extremely valuable. Diving into them is an invitation to reflect on aspects worth working on.