Erich Fromm

Life of ERICH FROMM Introduction As early as 1919, Erich Fromm started diving into the intriguing concepts of Sociology. Born to Jewish parents in the 23rd of March, 1900- Fromm started his academic fill at the University of Frankfurt in 1918. His guide for the subject of Sociology at the University of Heidelberg was the brother of Max Weber (many times considered one of the three founders of Sociology), better known as Alfred Weber. The other two of his guides were Karl Jaspers & Henrich Rickert.

Parents & Childhood Born as a single child of a wine merchant, Fromm had an orthodox upbringing. He is known to have exhibited certain abnormalities as a child. Unfortunately, Fromm did not have a very happy childhood due to the sufferance of his parents & other bitter experiences. In his autobiography, Fromm writes: “Maybe she was 25 years of age; she was beautiful, attractive, and in addition a painter, the first painter I ever knew. I remember having heard that she had been engaged but after some time had broken the engagement; I remember that she was almost invariably in the company of her widowed father. As I remember him, he was an old, uninteresting, and rather unattractive man, or so I thought (maybe my judgment was somewhat biased by jealousy). Then one day I heard the shocking news: her father had died, and immediately afterwards, she had killed herself and left a will which stipulated that she wanted to be buried with her father. (p. 4) ” Thus, it could be inferred that Fromm's life, works & ideology bears a connection with the experiences he had in his early life.

Academics & Career Soon after being awarded his PhD degree from the University of Heidelberg in 1922 he started getting trained in the area of Psychoanalysis. He sought assistance from Freida Reichmann's psychoanalytic sanatorium. The aforesaid sanatorium was based out of Heidelberg. However, Fromm did not wait until the completion of his formal training on Psychoanalysis to begin with his professional career on the same. In fact, in the year 1927 he kick started his clinical practice, which marks the beginning of his professional career in the field of Psychoanalysis. Eventually though, Fromm did complete his formal training at the Frankfurt Institute of Social Research, which he joined at the year 1930. Fromm joined the Columbia University at 1934. This transition happened post the Nazi power establishment in Germany. Fromm first made it to Geneva & then to the Columbia University. Erich Fromm & Karen Horney impacted each others school of thought to a great extent. In reality- Karen Horney, Harry Stack Sullivan & Erich Fromm are believe to have extended the theories propounded by Sigmund Freud. Thus,the three are often known to belong to the Neo-Freudian school of thought. As

the name suggests, this group of scholars modified the theories of Sigmund Freud on the basis of their own psychoanalytical thinking, though a resemblance with Freud's line of thinking existed. Fromm was also an instructor from 1941 o 1949 at the Bennington College. Fromm was a co-founder of the William Alanson White Institute of Psychiatry, which was established at 1946. Last, but not the leastFromm also contributed in forming the Washington School of Psychiatry at New York in 1943. In 1949, from assumed the post of a faculty at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. One of his major contribution was to setup a psychoanalytic section at the medical school. He also professed at the Michigan State University & New York University during the timeframes 1957-1961 & after 1962 respectively. He was a professor of Psychology at both the universities but specifically at the graduate division of Arts & Sciences at the New York University. Fromm was deeply impacted by the effects of First World War. He underwent a tremendous transformation. A quote by the eminent psychoanalyst: “When the war ended in 1918, I was a deeply troubled young man who was obsessed by the question of how war was possible, by the wish to understand the irrationality of human mass behavior, by a passionate desire for peace and international understanding. More, I had become deeply suspicious of all official ideologies and declarations, and filled with the conviction ‘of all one must doubt.”

Relationships He was married to Frieda Reichmann in the year 1926. Fromm was the younger one among the couple, by about 10 years. Though their relationship did not sustain in the long run, Fromm & Freida maintained a healthy relationship post their separation. Erich Fromm had a second marriage with Henny Gurlandin in 1944. Though Fromm made a good attempt at getting his wife cured by making a shift over to Mexico, as per the doctor's advice- the purpose was not well served. Henny eventually expired in the year 1952. However, Fromm found his partner a year later. In the year 1953, Fromm had his final marriage with Annis Freeman.

Final Years Towards the end of his life Fromm became occupied with the ideas of temporal existence of mankind. He moved to his home in Switzerland & eventually passed away five days prior to his eightieth birthday. His book titled “The Working Class in Weimar Germany” was publish after his demise ie. Posthumously. It upholds the alliances between the people of the working class & the Nazis.