The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness

"i guess if Fromm's mother were killed, he would challenge the murderer to "a song" or "a spear throwing" contest. sounds nice. c'mon.. try to explain this book to islamofascists who want to destroy us and teach them about civilized behavior. this book presents interesting historic facts and info, but so do all utopian books about peace and love. these ideas are nebulous and impertinent to our way of life. you wanna live like hunters and "fruit" gatherers, go live with them! but i'm warning you: there'll be no MTV, sports, airplanes, and mcdonalds (the things which YOU are used to). you'll have your peace, making pots and spears. And if you need a doctor and a room in a nice clean hospital, dont crawl back...just die in peace. "
~ Written on 2008-09-01

"I started reading Mr. Fromm a million years ago. I had been reading Sigmund Freud before Fromm. I went from Freud to Fromm. So you might say that I know psychology from F to F instead of from A to Z.
Fromm was more human and more down to earth than Freud. He talked more about people and not people's ideosyncrasies. I felt that he was maybe less scientific but more universally cogent. He was a theorist analyzing Mankind. I don't know if anyone else has since taken up such a perspective; but it is a good one. I am still reading Mr. Fromm. I have his Anatomy of Destructiveness on my night-table today. I started reading this gentleman when I was about 18 and I am now 65. So, he must be pretty interesting, wouldn't you say."
~ Written on 2007-10-02

"Fromm's volume "The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness" is the most complete and thorough research on the topic of aggression. It validates the theory that malignant aggression or destructiveness is part of human character, one of the passions we possess like love, ambition, and greed. His book takes the reader on a phenomenal journey that enlightens the mind and unearths the deepest passion in the human heart. Fromm explores with surgical precision the various types of human aggression and the history behind it. His fabulous research is unequivocally the most prolific and exhaustive on this topic. This text is a must read. It will help you discover and understand yourself as well as the world that you live in. "
~ Written on 2006-11-18

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Whichever path through this masterpiece you take, you will need to keep reminding yourself that you entered the land of the brave and you need to go through things that may be too recognizable to accept without resistance. But when you do, it will make you a better person. Then, you may need to be brave enough to forget the part of what you read if you start recognizing too many rationalizations in your everyday walk and talk of life.

This work has amazing composition that allows you to read it in different ways. You can skip the whole Part I, if you don't have time and you know that Fromm knows what is he attacking and why, and you can skip big case studies, if you don't have time and don't particularly care for the brains of Stalin and Hitler :-). And still you will get the whole and earth-shattering definition of the human nature and how and why a human can get hurt so easily and can hurt others so easily.

Or, you can start with big case studies, if that is what motivates you to read, and in order to read through them you will have to read the rest, probably with your own pattern of chapters.

Or, you can start from the page one, to see how deeply wrong currently popular behavioral theory is and take it from there in a linear fashion.



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~ Written on 2006-07-05

"Erich Fromm is considered by most to be the social science thinker that brought critical theory to America. His insights of using both psychology (neo-Freudian) and sociology are timely, especially today when trying to understanding terrorism's mindset of suicide bombing. Though some of the language is dated, nonetheless, his writing style is simple and concise. Because of this, many considered him just a "popular culture" author rather than an actual theorist.

A great work to read. I often use it for research papers and reports. Highly recommended.
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~ Written on 2006-05-21