Running head: BOOK REVIEW: ESCAPE FROM FREEDOM 1
Book Review: Escape from Freedom by Erich Fromm
Zhong, Yixin
PSYC7306 – The Psychology of Personality
Instructor: Prof. G.H. Blowers
The University of Hong Kong
BOOK REVIEW: ESCAPE FROM FREEDOM BY ERICH FROMM 2
Book Review: Escape from Freedom by Erich Fromm
Escape from Freedom was written in 1941 by renowned German psychologist and philosopher Erich Fromm. The book reveals the prevailing inherent deficiency in human personality: the persistent sense of anxiety and insecurity. This underlying affective mode dominates the majority of human beings and turn itself into an incessant drive that pushes human beings to search for exterior shelter or protection that can bring a sense of release and comport, the connection of which is called by Fromm – the bondage. Even today, seventy-five years after the first publishing, Escape from Freedom still retain a unique perception to look at varied disturbing issues and phenomena in different domains of human society. It seems that the need for practical solutions to resolve these problems on the social and individual levels become even more pressing today compared with the era when this book was written.
Main Arguments
For Fromm, the maturing process through which a person become consciously and positively connected with the world by attaining an integral sense of self is individuation. It is human beings’ essential psychological need to be independent of the people and/or the unity he previously closely bonded with and obtained support from, such as one’s parents and family.
Whereas, when one’s growth of emotional competence cannot commensurate with the formation of individuation, an imbalanced psychological state would come into formation. The manifestations of such state can be a sense of isolation, helplessness, insecurity, and anxiety.
Eventually, people would look for ways to avoid such uncomfortable feelings. From a social perspective, modern economic system built up upon the deep sense of fear and insecurity in turn, BOOK REVIEW: ESCAPE FROM FREEDOM BY ERICH FROMM 3 further strengthen the existence of such psychological state. The formation of this negative loop shapes the human characters in the modern society. Fromm elaborated three types of mechanisms of escape the majority of human beings would adopt: Authoritarianism,
Destructiveness, and Automaton Conformity. However, none of these means can help people restore a stable and balanced inner state in a healthy way. The internal need for the sense of belonging and security could be persistent and highly irrational, which explains why people seek for connections to the external to balance out the discomfort and uneasiness on the inside.
The analysis of this book revealed that on the fundamental level, the type of “relatedness” of the individual to the external world directly reflects the irrational and unstable elements in the personality (Fromm, 1994, p 10.). People are chasing fortune, fame, and other personal gains through hard work in an obsessed manner in hope that their inner psychological void can be filled up one day. However, achievements can only bring a fleeting sense of satisfaction and security. The mode of existence remains unchanged. The yearnings for external processions are always present and the internal needs seem never to be satisfied. The inner drive that sustains the process of work and the relationship with others are always purpose and result oriented.
Fromm also took a historical viewpoint to illustrate the psychological longings for freedom of people at his times. He described people’s political, economic, and religious struggles between societal control and individual freedom of the middle ages in Europe. Besides, due to his special concerns of the prevailing force of German Fascism, Fromm described in details of the underlying factors that make German people submit to the power of Nazism as a result of the inner struggle of their desire for freedom and the longings for forming a new union with an external powerful entity so as to alleviate their concurrent sense of isolation. BOOK REVIEW: ESCAPE FROM FREEDOM BY ERICH FROMM 4
For Fromm, when a person manages to achieve an integral sense of self, he/she will be capable of demonstrating the greatest strength, including one’s creativity and critical thinking ability. The integrity of a person is the premise to attain positive freedom. A person who has achieved authentic freedom always is capable of living spontaneously and reaching one’s full potentiality in an independent yet integral way. Fromm offered two paths to the development an integral personality: through love and work. Here, love does not mean to love others at the cost of losing one’s own self, the type of which contains a compulsory element. On the contrary, it refers to the attainment of oneness between self and others upon an integral sense of self through spontaneous expressions. In other words, to love the self and through which to channel unconditional love to others. Fromm also adopt a new definition for “work”, which is contradictory to the conventional meaning – result driven or achievement oriented efforts.
Fromm proposed that in the way to integral personality, a person shall always fully engage oneself in the process of creative activity at present, rather than placing one’s thoughts on the past or the future, so as to elicit a sense of genuineness, happiness, and contentment.
Fromm’s Theory and Society Today
In my view, Theories and analysis Fromm introduced in Escape from Freedom still can provide profound implication for understanding society today, be it eastern or western.
Compared with the era when this book was written, unfortunately people today are even more obsessed in chasing external possessions in an even more perverted manner. Fortune, fame, success. Efforts are always achievement-oriented rather than process-focused. What it matters is what can be obtained, but not how much the strength of self can grow. Such frantic behavioural patterns directly reflect the psychological state of modern people: fear, deep sense of insecurity, BOOK REVIEW: ESCAPE FROM FREEDOM BY ERICH FROMM 5 and higher level of anxiety. Important personality traits, such as patience, self-assurance, endurance, optimism, and scepticism that can cultivate an independent person with a positive attitude are rare, which further escalate the economic uncertainty and political irrationality within a society. Just as Fromm (1994) claimed: “The kind of effort and activity is not the result of inner strength a self-confidence; it is a desperate escape from anxiety” (p. 91). In contrast to this ever more materialized world, people’s life satisfaction is keeping deteriorating. They become more anxious.
Take the contemporary western adolescents and young adults for example. Many research studies have shown that increasing number of young people are suffering from depression nowadays compared with decades ago (Wardle et al., 2004). The society has to put a lot of forces in dealing with young people’s behaviour problems as a result of this psychological disorder: suicide, drug addiction, and violence. In California, twelve percent of Palo Alto high- school students surveyed in the 2013–14 school year reported having seriously contemplated suicide in the past 12 months (Rosin, 2015).
School-aged children always put their faith in the people they trust most: parents and teachers. In this accomplishment-driven age, very often the message they received and affirmed unanimously from both their parents and teachers is: the meaning of life is largely depending on whether or not one can become a successful person through hard work. Such belief is even more prevailing among kids who study in private schools. Throughout their growing path during the school years, these privileged kids from rich families are asked to participate all kinds of school and after-school activities in hope of they can become an all-round person after grown up. Such pseudo freedom disguise itself as a positive path to the utmost significance of life. Students who have a deep sense of insecurity while at the same time possess superb intellectual ability are most BOOK REVIEW: ESCAPE FROM FREEDOM BY ERICH FROMM 6 likely become the victims of such social belief system. The high school boy in the report who put himself in front of a train was considered by his friends as “popular and athletic and seemingly unbothered by school work” (Rosin, 2015). It is much easier for them to attain desired outcomes with only adequate amount of efforts throughout their school age. They have been accustomed to positive affirmations which makes them further believe what their parents and teachers preach.
Therefore, whenever they are dealing with issues in their lives, they will only choose to focus on how to fulfil external expectations and requirements so that they can obtain more affirmations and positive feedbacks. Fundamentally, the meaning of life is actually decided by others, not their own will or preference. The long-term neglect of one’s true orientations interferes with the development of an integral sense of self. Young people growing up in such conditions seem especially not capable of distinguishing the difference between their genuine needs and feelings as an independent individual in relation to this world and life tasks the others are trying to impose on them. They are simply not capable of attending to their own needs and wants.
Meanwhile, the deep sense of insecurity keep directing their full attention to external factors in a compulsive way, which seemingly can fix all their inner problems on the superficial level. The pitfall of this approach is quite dangerous to human existence. First, these young people could feel that no matter how much effort they use to chasing goals and objectives, the subsequent good feelings are always fleeting. They cannot achieve a constant sense of relief. As a consequence, they become even more anxious and easily get agitated. To a critical point, there seems to be only one way to escape from this desperateness – to commit a suicide, a means through which they can escape from this trapped state and reclaim their “ultimate” freedom.
A fairly wealthy Chinese family I know in the States were also following the same fashion to train its two girls from a very early age. As far as I know, aside from school programs BOOK REVIEW: ESCAPE FROM FREEDOM BY ERICH FROMM 7 the two sisters had learned horse-back riding, swimming, golf, scuba diving, piano, bowling, flute, violin, and etc. They were not simply learning for their self-interest; they learn for competing with others and winning competitions. I remember I was quite shocked at the number of trophies these two talented ABC girls had earned a couple of years ago when I revisit their home in Hawaii. There were periods that the two sisters strongly opposed to their mom’s requirements of them learning this or that, declaring their independence and individuality.
However, both of them still chose to submit to their mom’s will, which might be partly attribute to peer pressure. The matter of fact is: the popular standard to judgement a student was by how much achievements this person has accomplished. Most of human beings are “social animals”.
Instead of becoming a rule-breaker or an advocator, most of people still will choose to conform to the social norms and standards insofar to maintain the connectedness to the world. In essence, it is the sense of isolation they cannot withstand. As a consequence, they choose to submit and to conform, giving up the initiative of becoming an individualized person who is able to make critical judgements and independent decisions.
Both of the two girls have graduated from universities now. In contrast to many Palo Alto kids who live in deep depression and constantly have suicide attempts, even though these two girls’ family expectations are also extraordinarily high, they do not suffer from any psychological disturbances. Their attitudes toward life are always positive and upward. Their moms as most of the other Chinese parents, values personal growth and development through hard work. Since they were studying at a top private school in US, competition among students are rigorous. As a consequence, the kids were always engaged in all kinds of academic, musical, sports, and social activities. The question is: Why could they manage to stay away from the BOOK REVIEW: ESCAPE FROM FREEDOM BY ERICH FROMM 8 vicious loop of escape and isolation caused by excessive amount of activities aiming at building a rich personal profile at the time of university application?
Here, Fromm’s depiction on the means to achieve positive freedom may help us identify what the decisive factor that contribute to this different ending is. Fromm (1994) claimed that
“the birth of individuality and the pain of aloneness – is dissolved on a higher plane by man’s spontaneous action” (p. 360). The two girls’ mother’s parenting style was always focusing on communication. She always encouraged her daughter express their thoughts and feelings, from which she could decide the kind of learning programs and the appropriate time to introduce to her daughters. Besides, she deliberately chose coaches and tutors who could focus more on the learning process and less on the result. Thus, the enjoyment elicited from learning ensured their initial enthusiasm was carefully preserved. The sense of isolation and desperateness was reduced to the minimum.
Further, virtues were another area their mother focused on in family education. In this
Christian family with a Chinese background, adults – parents and grandparents put a lot of emphasis on virtue-shaping. For example, these two girls were always told to stay humble so that they could learn more from the others; to be altruistic to help those in need; to love those who were physically weaker or less privileged than them; to be diligent at learning; and to stay patient when future is unclear. More importantly, children acquired how to behave virtuously through vicarious learning from the adults in the family. My understanding is: the foster of virtues can help people reduce any dominance or submission elements in the relations with others, thus maintain a healthy relationship with others and with themselves based on respect and sincerity.
Moreover, “selfishness is rooted in the lack of affirmation and love for the real self” (Fromm,
1994, p. 116). Conversely, altruism and love would strengthen people’s positive affirmation to BOOK REVIEW: ESCAPE FROM FREEDOM BY ERICH FROMM 9 their potency. Eventually, the sense of insecurity and powerlessness is replaced by sense of confidence and independence.
Path to Positive Freedom
Fromm suggested that spontaneous activities through love and work is the key ingredient of positive freedom. However, in my opinion, what Fromm did not reveal is the stages through which the attainment of positive freedom proceed. First and foremost, a person need to possess the awareness to recognize varied forms of negative freedom – unhealthy and imbalanced relationships with others. The ideal society built upon democratic socialism that Fromm depicted is not realistically attainable. The dark nature in human personality – the fear of uncertainty and isolation, as an underlying determinant will still manoeuvre the majority of human beings’ perception and standpoint and dominate their judgement and behaviour. The number of people who possess the capacity to transcend the dark nature and achieve their individuality would not be sufficient enough to initiate social movements and establish a democratic socialist society that we all dream of. However, that does not mean that human beings are doomed to live a troubled life. Think about the concept of “alchemy” that Carl Jung proposed. From the unhealthy to the healthy, from the negative to the positive, from obsession to transcendence; for any advancement and progression, people always need to have something existing to work on. The awareness of one’s own problematic human psychological state and interrelationship is exactly the starting point.
Second, the abstinence of impulses, urges, or desires that influence an individual to choose to temporarily escape from the sense of insecurity and isolation is a strong denial to BOOK REVIEW: ESCAPE FROM FREEDOM BY ERICH FROMM 10 negative freedom. The more an individual practices abstinence or inhibition, the more he/she can resist the gravity of negative freedom from making unconscious decisions. The rationale is: the removal of the camouflage of negative freedom reveal the path leading to positive freedom. Only when we are able to remove the cloud, can we see the sun shining in the sky.
Third, the engagement of spontaneous activity can induce the growth of the sense of individuality and blossom into all amazing possibilities. The definition of “love” and “work” that
Fromm proposed contradict with traditional understanding. To Fromm, to love is an active process, the exercise of a human will, which initiate changes by one’s efforts. Love, used as a means to reach a purpose can only be considered as a pseudo one. Elements of love contain
“giving, care, responsibility, respect and knowledge” (Fromm, 2006). Individuals who possess these characters will not need to escape from any given situations through the formation of any types of interdependent relations. They must be those who are strong and independent enough to transcend insecurity, aloneness, and anxiety caused by external factors; those who are capable of accumulate human power from within regardless any changes on the outside. Therefore, by practicing love spontaneously, people attain their individuality. Likewise, Fromm (1994) claimed that success-oriented work would not bring about spontaneity (p. 261). In other words, efforts in attaining reputation and recognition, in avoiding criticism, or in fulfilling other’s expectations can merely be manifestations of “escape”. Whereas, work that contains a will of contribution and the element of reproducing throughout the process is sowing and germinating seeds of individuality. By focusing on the genuineness, through love and work, human beings can evolve from their current state of personality, grow into an “individualized” individual, and reach their potentialities. BOOK REVIEW: ESCAPE FROM FREEDOM BY ERICH FROMM 11
I would like to quote Verse 3 of Tao Te Ching (Star, 2008) as an end to this essay. Words of wisdom point to the direction that leads to the authentic freedom of our hearts:
Putting a value on status will cause people to compete
Hoarding treasure will turn them into thieves
Showing off possessions will disturb their daily lives
Thus the Sage rules by stilling minds and opening hearts
By filling bellies and strengthening bones
He shows people how to be simple and live without desires
To be content and not look for other ways
With the people so pure
Who could trick them?
What clever ideas could lead them astray?
When action is pure an selfless
Everything settles into its own perfect place
BOOK REVIEW: ESCAPE FROM FREEDOM BY ERICH FROMM 12
References
Fromm, E. (1994). Escape from freedom. Macmillan USA.
Fromm, E. (2006). The Art of Loving. HarperCollins USA.
Rosin, H. (2015, December). The Silicon Valley Suicides: Why are so many kids with bright
prospects killing themselves in Palo Alto? The Atlantic. Retrieved from
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/12/the-silicon-valley-
suicides/413140/
Star, J. (2008). Tao Te Ching: The New Translation from Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition /
Lao Tzu. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher / Penguin
Wardle, J., Steptoe, A., Guliš, G., Sartory, G., Sêk, H., Todorova, I., ... & Ziarko, M. (2004).
Depression, perceived control, and life satisfaction in university students from Central-
Eastern and Western Europe. International journal of behavioral medicine, 11(1), 27-36.