Kvasir
03-30-2022, 08:32 AM
ERIC FROMM DETAILED 5 BASIC HUMAN NEEDS:
- RELATEDNESS:
Love as highest form of union with somebody, or something, outside oneself, under the condition of retaining the separateness and integrity of one's own self.
It allows us to transcend our separateness without denying us our uniqueness.
⁃ CREATIVITY:
We all desire to overcome and to transcend another fact of our being: Our sense of being passive creatures.
We want to be creators.
There are many ways to be creative: We give birth, we plant seeds, we make pots, we paint pictures, we write books, we love each other.
Creativity is, in fact, an expression of love
⁃ ROOTEDNESS:
We also need roots.
We need to feel at home in the universe, even though, as human beings, we are somewhat alienated from the natural world.
In order to manage in the difficult world of adulthood, we need to find new, broader roots.
We need to discover our brotherhood (and sisterhood) with humanity.
⁃ A SENSE OF IDENTITY
"Man may be defined as the animal that can say 'I.'"
Fromm believes that we need to have a sense of identity, of individuality, in order to stay sane.
This need is so powerful that we are sometimes driven to find it, for example by doing anything for signs of status, or by trying desperately to conform.
⁃ A FRAME OF ORIENTATION
Finally, we need to understand the world and our place in it.
Again, our society often attempts to provide us with this understanding.
Things like our myths, our philosophies, and our sciences provide us with structure.
We want to have a good frame of orientation, one that is useful, accurate. This is where reason comes in.
It is nice that our parents and others provide us with explanations for the world and our lives, but if they don't hold up, what good are they?
A frame of orientation needs to be rational.
He says we don't just want a cold philosophy or material science. We want a frame of orientation that provides us with meaning.
We want understanding, but we want a warm, human understanding.
- RELATEDNESS:
Love as highest form of union with somebody, or something, outside oneself, under the condition of retaining the separateness and integrity of one's own self.
It allows us to transcend our separateness without denying us our uniqueness.
⁃ CREATIVITY:
We all desire to overcome and to transcend another fact of our being: Our sense of being passive creatures.
We want to be creators.
There are many ways to be creative: We give birth, we plant seeds, we make pots, we paint pictures, we write books, we love each other.
Creativity is, in fact, an expression of love
⁃ ROOTEDNESS:
We also need roots.
We need to feel at home in the universe, even though, as human beings, we are somewhat alienated from the natural world.
In order to manage in the difficult world of adulthood, we need to find new, broader roots.
We need to discover our brotherhood (and sisterhood) with humanity.
⁃ A SENSE OF IDENTITY
"Man may be defined as the animal that can say 'I.'"
Fromm believes that we need to have a sense of identity, of individuality, in order to stay sane.
This need is so powerful that we are sometimes driven to find it, for example by doing anything for signs of status, or by trying desperately to conform.
⁃ A FRAME OF ORIENTATION
Finally, we need to understand the world and our place in it.
Again, our society often attempts to provide us with this understanding.
Things like our myths, our philosophies, and our sciences provide us with structure.
We want to have a good frame of orientation, one that is useful, accurate. This is where reason comes in.
It is nice that our parents and others provide us with explanations for the world and our lives, but if they don't hold up, what good are they?
A frame of orientation needs to be rational.
He says we don't just want a cold philosophy or material science. We want a frame of orientation that provides us with meaning.
We want understanding, but we want a warm, human understanding.