Describe 2 character orientations (Fromm).
Describe 2 character orientations (Fromm).
Erich Fromm was a psychoanalyst and a neo-Freudian. He gave a theory of personality which was based on two needs:
- The need for freedom
- The need for belonging
Fromm suggested that individuals develop certain personality traits or styles in order to deal with anxiety due to the feelings of isolation. He gave four character types which he called Character Orientations. Out of these five character orientations, he suggested that four are unproductive and only one is productive. Fromm had a negative view of human being and considered them as too passive and motivated by only their need for consumerism. In much of his work, he tried to encourage human beings to advance their own personal development or advancement and that they should put the dependence on external environment, material goods, need for success, aside and focus only on qualities like love, respect, humility, etc.
The five personality types according to Fromm are:
- The Receptive Personality
- The Exploiter
- The Hoarder
- The Marketing Type
- The Productive Type
This personality type is characterized by the need of constant support, approval, and recognition from others. The people with this personality type are characterized as passive, needy, and totally dependent upon others. They yearn constant support from family, friends, colleagues, and others, but they tend not to reciprocate this support. There is no input to the other person's life and they do not seek to give help to others in any kind.
The receptive personality type people also lack confidence in the abilities that they possess and are indecisive when it comes to making decision of their own. Fromm theorized that the individuals who come from overbearing and controlling families often tend to have this personality orientation.
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