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Part II    Psychodynamic Theories256
theyarebasically empty vessels waiting tobefilled withwhatever characteristic is
most marketable.
Negative traits ofmarketing characters areaimlessness, opportunism, inconsis -
tency, andwastefulness. Some oftheirpositive qualities include changeability, open-
mindedness, adaptability, andgenerosity.
The Productive Orientation
Thesingle productive orientation hasthree dimensions—working, loving, andrea-
soning. Because productive people work toward positive freedom andacontinuing 
realization oftheir potential, theyarethemost healthy ofallcharacter types. Only 
through productive activity canpeople solve thebasic human dilemma: thatis,to
unite withtheworld andwithothers while retaining uniqueness andindividual -
ity.Thissolution canbeaccomplished onlythrough productive work, love, and
thought.
Healthy people value worknotasanendinitself, butasameans ofcreative self-
expression. They donotwork toexploit others, tomarket themselves, towithdraw 
from others, ortoaccumulate needless material possessions. They areneither lazy
norcompulsively active, butusework asameans ofproducing life’snecessities.
Productive loveischaracterized bythefourqualities oflovediscussed earlier—
care, responsibility, respect, andknowledge. Inaddition tothese fourcharacteristics, 
healthy people possess biophilia: thatis,apassionate loveoflifeandallthatisalive. 
Biophilic people desire tofurther alllife—the lifeofpeople, animals, plants, ideas, and
cultures. They areconcerned withthegrowth anddevelopment ofthemselves aswell
asothers. Biophilic individuals want toinfluence people through love,reason, and
example—not byforce.
Fromm believed thatloveofothers andself-love areinseparable butthatself-
lovemust come first.Allpeople havethecapacity forproductive love,butmost do
notachieve itbecause theycannot firstlovethemselves.
Productive thinking, which cannot beseparated from productive work andlove,
ismotivated byaconcerned interest inanother person orobject. Healthy people see
others astheyareandnotastheywould wishthem tobe.Similarly, theyknow them -
selves forwhotheyareandhavenoneed forself-delusion.
Fromm (1947) believed thathealthy people relyonsome combination ofall
fivecharacter orientations. Their survival ashealthy individuals depends ontheirabil-
itytoreceive things from other people, totakethings when appropriate, topreserve 
things, toexchange things, andtowork, love, andthink productively.
Personality Disorders
Ifhealthy people areabletowork, love, andthink productively, thenunhealthy 
personalities aremarked byproblems inthese three areas, especially failure to
loveproductively. Fromm (1981) heldthatpsychologically disturbed people are
incapable ofloveandhave failed toestablish union withothers. Hediscussed 
three severe personality disorders— necrophilia, malignant narcissism, andincestu -
ous symbiosis.Final PDF to printer