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Part II    Psychodynamic Theories254
himself to the human and natural world” (Fromm, 1973, p.226). Fromm (1992) 
believed thatcharacter isasubstitute forinstincts. Instead ofacting according to
theirinstincts, people actaccording totheircharacter. Iftheyhadtostopandthink 
about theconsequences oftheirbehavior, theiractions would beveryinefficient and
inconsistent. Byacting according totheircharacter traits, humans canbehave both
efficiently andconsistently.
People relate totheworld intwoways—by acquiring andusing things (assimila -
tion)andbyrelating toselfandothers (socialization ).Ingeneral terms, people can
relate tothings andtopeople either nonproductively orproductively.
Nonproductive Orientations
People canacquire things through anyoneoffournonproductive orientations: 
(1)receiving things passively; (2)exploiting, ortaking things through force; (3)hoard -
ingobjects; and(4)marketing orexchanging things. Fromm usedtheterm“nonpro -
ductive” tosuggest strategies thatfailtomove people closer topositive freedom and
self-realization. Nonproductive orientations are,however, notentirely negative; each
hasbothanegative andapositive aspect. Personality isalways ablend orcombination 
ofseveral orientations, eventhough oneorientation isdominant.
Receptive
Receptive characters feelthatthesource ofallgood liesoutside themselves andthat
theonlywaytheycanrelate totheworld istoreceive things, including love,knowl -
edge, andmaterial possessions. They aremore concerned withreceiving thanwith
giving, andtheywant others toshower them withlove,ideas, andgifts.
Thenegative qualities ofreceptive people include passivity, submissiveness, 
andlackofself-confidence. Their positive traits areloyalty, acceptance, andtrust.
Exploitative
Likereceptive people, exploitative characters believe thatthesource ofallgood is
outside themselves. Unlike receptive people, however, theyaggressively takewhat 
theydesire rather thanpassively receive it.Intheirsocial relationships, theyarelikely 
tousecunning orforce totakesomeone else’s spouse, ideas, orproperty. Anexploit -
ativemanmay“fallinlove” withamarried woman, notsomuch because heistruly
fondofher,butbecause hewishes toexploit herhusband. Intherealm ofideas, 
exploitative people prefer tostealorplagiarize rather thancreate. Unlike receptive 
characters, theyarewilling toexpress anopinion, butitisusually anopinion thathas
been pilfered.
Onthenegative side,exploitative characters areegocentric, conceited, arro-
gant, andseducing. Onthepositive side,theyareimpulsive, proud, charming, and
self-confident.
Hoarding
Rather thanvaluing things outside themselves, hoarding characters seektosave
thatwhich theyhavealready obtained. They holdeverything inside anddonotlet
goofanything. They keepmoney, feelings, andthoughts tothemselves. InaloveFinal PDF to printer