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Part II    Psychodynamic Theories246
him,Fromm, along withHarry Stack Sullivan, Clara Thompson, andseveral other 
members, quittheassociation andimmediately made plans tobegin analternative 
organization (Quinn, 1987). In1946, thisgroup established theWilliam Alanson 
White Institute ofPsychiatry, Psychoanalysis, andPsychology, withFromm chairing 
boththefaculty andthetraining committee.
In1944, Fromm married Henny Gurland, awoman twoyears younger than
Fromm andwhose interest inreligion andmystical thought furthered Fromm’s own
inclinations toward ZenBuddhism. In1951, thecouple moved toMexico foramore 
favorable climate forGurland, whosuffered from rheumatoid arthritis. Fromm joined 
thefaculty attheNational Autonomous University inMexico City, where heestab -
lished apsychoanalytic department atthemedical school. After hiswifediedin1952, 
hecontinued toliveinMexico andcommuted between hishome inCuernavaca and
theUnited States, where heheldvarious academic positions, including professor of
psychology atMichigan State University from1957 to1961 andadjunct professor at
NewYork University from 1962 to1970. While inMexico, hemetAnnis Freeman, 
whom hemarried in1953. In1968, Fromm suffered aserious heart attack andwas
forced toslowdown hisbusyschedule. In1974 andstillill,heandhiswifemoved to
Muralto, Switzerland, where hediedonMarch 18,1980, afewdaysshort ofhis80th
birthday.
What kindofperson wasErich Fromm? Apparently, different people sawhim
inquite different ways. Hornstein (2000) listed anumber ofopposing traits that
havebeen usedtodescribe hispersonality. According tothisaccount, Fromm was
authoritarian, gentle, pretentious, arrogant, pious, autocratic, shy,sincere, phony, and
brilliant.
Fromm began hisprofessional career asapsychotherapist using orthodox 
psychoanalytic technique, butafter10years hebecame “bored” withtheFreudian 
approach anddeveloped hisownmore active andconfrontational methods (Fromm, 
1986, 1992; Sobel, 1980). Over theyears, hiscultural, social, economic, andpsycho -
logical ideas haveattained awideaudience. Among hisbest-known books areEscape 
from Freedom (1941), Man for Himself (1947), Psychoanalysis and Religion (1950), 
The Sane Society (1955), The Art of Loving (1956), Marx’s Concept of Man (1961), 
The Heart of Man (1964), The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness (1973), To Have or 
Be(1976), andFor the Love of Life (1986).
Fromm’s theory ofpersonality borrows from myriad sources andis,perhaps, 
themost broadly based theory inthisbook. Landis andTauber (1971) listed five
important influences onFromm’s thinking: (1)theteachings ofthehumanistic rab-
bis;(2)therevolutionary spirit ofKarlMarx; (3)theequally revolutionary ideas of
Sigmund Freud; (4)therationality ofZenBuddhism asespoused byD.T.Suzuki; and
(5)thewritings ofJohann Jakob Bachofen (1815–1887) onmatriarchal societies.
Fromm’s Basic Assumptions
Fromm’s most basic assumption isthatindividual personality canbeunderstood only
inlightofhuman history. “The discussion ofthehuman situation must precede that
ofpersonality, [and] psychology must bebased onananthropologic- philosophical 
concept ofhuman existence” (Fromm, 1947, p.45).Final PDF to printer