fei75766_ch08_242-270.indd 249  02/06/20 12:02 PM
Chapter 8    Fromm: Humanistic Psychoanalysis249
reproduction, onlyhumans areaware ofthemselves ascreators. Also, humans canbe
creative inother ways. They cancreate art,religions, ideas, laws, material production, 
andlove.
Tocreate means tobeactive andtocareabout thatwhich wecreate. Butwe
canalsotranscend lifebydestroying itandthusrising above ourslainvictims. InThe 
Anatomy of Human Destructiveness, Fromm (1973) argued thathumans aretheonly
species tousemalignant aggression: thatis,tokillforreasons other thansurvival. 
Although malignant aggression isadominant andpowerful passion insome individu -
alsandcultures, itisnotcommon toallhumans. Itapparently wasunknown tomany 
prehistoric societies aswellassome contemporary “primitive” societies.
Rootedness
Athird existential need isforrootedness, ortheneed toestablish roots ortofeelat
home again intheworld. When humans evolved asaseparate species, theylosttheir
home inthenatural world. Atthesame time, theircapacity forthought enabled them 
torealize thattheywerewithout ahome, without roots. Theconsequent feelings of
isolation andhelplessness became unbearable.
Rootedness, too,canbesought ineither productive ornonproductive strategies. 
With theproductive strategy, people areweaned from theorbit oftheirmother and
become fullyborn; thatis,theyactively andcreatively relate totheworld andbecome 
whole orintegrated. Thisnewtietothenatural world confers security andreestab -
lishes asense ofbelongingness androotedness. However, people mayalsoseekroot-
edness through thenonproductive strategy offixation —atenacious reluctance tomove 
beyond theprotective security provided byone’s mother. People whostrive forroot-
edness through fixation are“afraid totakethenextstepofbirth, tobeweaned from 
themother’s breast. [They] ...haveadeepcraving tobemothered, nursed, protected 
byamotherly figure; theyaretheexternally dependent ones, whoarefrightened and
insecure when motherly protection iswithdrawn” (Fromm, 1955, p.40).
Rootedness canalsobeseenphylogenetically intheevolution ofthehuman 
species. Fromm agreed withFreud thatincestuous desires areuniversal, buthe
disagreed withFreud’s belief thattheyareessentially sexual. According toFromm 
(1955, pp.40–41), incestuous feelings arebased in“thedeep-seated craving to
remain in,ortoreturn to,theall-enveloping womb, ortotheall-nourishing breasts.” 
Fromm wasinfluenced byJohann Jakob Bachofen’s (1861/1967) ideas onearly 
matriarchal societies. Unlike Freud, whobelieved thatearly societies were patriar -
chal, Bachofen heldthatthemother wasthecentral figure inthese ancient social 
groups. Itwasshewhoprovided roots forherchildren andmotivated them either 
todevelop theirindividuality andreason ortobecome fixated andincapable ofpsy-
chological growth.
Fromm’s (1997) strong preference forBachofen’s mother-centered theory of
theOedipal situation overFreud’s father-centered conception isconsistent withhis
preference forolder women. Fromm’s firstwife,Frieda Fromm-Reichmann, was
more than10years older thanFromm, andhislong-time lover, Karen Horney, was
15years hissenior. Fromm’s conception oftheOedipus complex asadesire toreturn 
tothemother’s womb orbreast ortoaperson withamothering function should be
viewed inlightofhisattraction toolder women.Final PDF to printer