The Fear of Freedom (Routledge Classics) (Paperback)

it is written for a wider audience however and will prove interesting and easy reading I believe for the general reader as much as students of psychology and the academic community,

the book begins with consideration of freedom as a psychological problem, why has the concept lost its once popular appeal?

Fromm continues with an investigation of how the concept of freedom has developed since medieval times and the reformation, there are chapters on the psychology of Nazism, freedom and democracy and facets of freedom for modern man, most importantly there is investigation of how people seek to escape freedom through authoritarianism, destructiveness and conformity,

Fromm's considers not simply the political and public life, how authoritarian leaders and movements often win the support of the people who are least likely to benefit from their success or may even suffer by their success but also individual relationships, such as the perpetrators and those who submit to domestic violence,

the depiction of "caring" sadists or masochists who relish the dependency of others while appearing to the greatest advocates for the powerless or unfortunate is intriguing, as Fromm suggests not a few reformers and revolutionaries fit that profile,

in this book Fromm concentrates upon description rather than prescription, unlike "To Have or To Be" or "The Sane Society" by the same author, there are not really quick fixes or solutions proposed here but it does suggest insights that make life less baffling,

a book that deserves to be read and reread

Laid out in it is a very clear and well argued discussion of how capitalism has freed man from a society that reduced him to a single role, to a position of existential freedom. But at a price. Now man has no fixed position or role, and has to find/create a place for himself in the world. This is a cause of a huge amount of anxiety, and due to man's psychological need to 'belong' to something Fascism, Nazism, nationalism and religious extremism are the result, as they provide a simple "us vs. them" ideology which gives adherent something bigger to be a part of. Also a part of the thesis is how conformity and judgmental (and usually painfully bourgeois) reactionaries are a product of repression, anxiety and just plain resentment.

The psychology takes a lot from Freud, but also moves beyond that - and bettering it in my opinion - avoiding a lot of the pitfalls. It also has a lot of similarity to Camus or Sartre in many ways with a huge emphasis on man's freedom.

This book is of interest to psychologists, philosophers, artists (check out the ending!), and people of all political persuasions.

It's a masterpiece of impassioned humanistic thought, with a real concern (it was written during WW 2) for human freedom, solidarity, creativity and the horrors of Fascism.

Just read it!

Fromm attempts to balance three aspects of the psyche: its biological, social and existential aspect. Many thinkers in psychology tend to concentrate on one area (mainly biological Darwinism in today's world), but Fromm faces all three issues head on, and in a clear and succinct fashion.

The book manages to include a thorough explanation of his theory, and its application in the problems of individuality, democracy, religion, authoritarianism, sadism, fascism, and the modern tendency of the "automaton". I read the book three times in a month - it is a work of brilliance.

His existence is an embarrassment to the sociological profession.