Anatomy of human destructiveness ebook

More titles may be available to you. Sign in to see the full collection. Throughout history, humans have shown an incredible talent for destruction as well as creation. Aggression has driven us to great heights and brutal lows.

In The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness , renowned social psychologist Erich Fromm discusses the differences between forms of aggression typical for animals and two very specific forms of destructiveness that can only be found in human beings: sadism and necrophilic destructiveness. His case studies span zoo animals, necrophiliacs, and the psychobiographies of notorious figures such as Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin.

Through his broad scholarship, Fromm offers a comprehensive exploration of the human impulse for violence. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Erich Fromm including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author's estate.

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The OverDrive Read format of this ebook has professional narration that plays while you read in your browser. Kindle Book Release date: February 26, Availability can change throughout the month based on the library's budget. You can still place a hold on the title, and your hold will be automatically filled as soon as the title is available again. The OverDrive Read format of this ebook has professional narration that plays while you read in your browser. Learn more here. You've reached the maximum number of titles you can currently recommend for purchase.

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Add it now to start borrowing from the collection. Need a card? This book gets to the questions of why things are so screwed up, why are people so violent and aggressive? I like his answers, it's a maladjusted attempt to deal with life, one way is the nihilistic destroy that which I don't understand or the sadistic control that which I don't underst I would recommend anyone to read any of Fromm's work.

I like his answers, it's a maladjusted attempt to deal with life, one way is the nihilistic destroy that which I don't understand or the sadistic control that which I don't understand but both a fear drive and destructive. Fromm knew what he was talking about and is able to share it in ordinary and compelling language. An important book. View 1 comment. I got this book for 3. The book called out after me, the title was very attractive, but I never thought it would be such an amazing read!

That was back in , I believe. I used this book as a reference for many papers that I wrote, it made me love psychology even more. I shall reread it again this year. And now I read it again. I had read other books by Erich Fromm and was reading different approaches to Psychology.

It is said that Fromm was a pioneer in theoretical works with "deep insight" into the the human psyche. As you can see by the title, he explores the dark side of the huiman psyche with quotes, references, comparisons, and rebuttals of the works of others. Hitler's story falls into the very dark side of human psychology. The end pages of Fromm's analysis of Hitler bear the warning of "the fallacy which prevents people from recognizing potential Hitlers before they have shown their true faces.

Then finally, he places as an appendix, Freud's Theory of Aggresiveness and Destructiveness. Fromm actually makes psychology understandable, even this dark side. Unfortunately, more relevant today than when I first read early seventies. It seems everything is going a bit backwards. Shelves: psychology. The job had been obtained for me, and others of our friends, by Mike and Tom Miley whose mother, Helen, was working as the business manager there.

After graduating from seminary she was kind enough to employ me again until I found more regular work. The position at the club was a peach. My duties consisted of guardi During the summer between college and my first graduate school I worked as a security guard for Chicago's Womens' Athletic Club on Ontario and Michigan Avenues in the Gold Coast area.

My duties consisted of guarding the service entrance, the most onerous part of which was having to arrive before the other workers did early in the morning. Other than saying "hello" to folks as they came in, there really wasn't much to do but go off to Stuart Brent books around the corner during the lunch break. Very occasionally I'd be given some stupid paperwork, but mostly I just read while sitting in an exceptionally uncomfortable chair near the time cards and service elevator and just under the service stairway.

I must have read a hundred books that summer, often more than one in an eight-hour day. Once in a while I would listen to the radio--most memorably for WFMT's multipart lecture by Erich Fromm on human aggressiveness, a series which led to the purchase of his book on the subject.

View 2 comments. Feb 27, Maria Donosa rated it really liked it. Their request that we must only do what they understand is an attempt to dictate to us. If this is being "asocial" or "irrational" in their eyes, so be it. Mostly they resent our freedom and our courage to be ourselves.

We owe nobody an explanation or an accounting, as long as our acts do not hurt or infringe on them. How many lives have been ruined by this need to "explain," which usually implies that the explanation be "understood," i. Let your deeds be judged, and from your deeds, your real intentions, but know that a free person owes an explanation only to himself—to his reason and his conscience—and to the few who may have a justified claim for explanation » The volume I had started with this quote, and I think it should reach out more This a book showing that human is more violent than animal.

The more "civilized", the more violent he becomes. When reading this book, I remember a National Geographic episode showing the most dangerous cat variety. Can you imagine that tiger and lion are second to house-cat? House cat kills anything, while tiger and lion merely kill their food. Just like human, don't you think? Fromm immediately endeared himself to me with this epigraph: "When I look at history I am a pessimist The writer, JC Smuts, actually only likes prehistory because he believes it shows how far we've come.

Quite contrary to the point Fromm is making. The first and shortest part of the book is dedicated to a discussion of psychological theory Instinctivism vs. Behaviorism , and, not being a psychologi Fromm immediately endeared himself to me with this epigraph: "When I look at history I am a pessimist Behaviorism , and, not being a psychologist, I honestly have forgotten how exactly Fromm comes down on these issues.

In the second part, my favorite, Fromm discusses human psychology and society in an evolutionary context. Here, he is trying to systematically debunk the notion that human aggression, most clearly demonstrated in Nazi Germany, is biologically innate or culturally inevitable. Toward the end of this part, in an "analysis of thirty primitive tribes," Fromm classifies each as one of three types: "Life-Affirmative Societies," "Nondestructive-Aggressive Societies," and "Destructive Societies.

The latter is broadened far beyond the usual sexual connotation and seems to be Fromm's most significant innovation. Apr 04, Hikaoru rated it it was ok Shelves: philosophy , challenge It took me an entire March to finish this. Read it for Bookends. It was soooo so dry but I couldn't drop it because I was halfway done with it and mama ain't raise no quitter. I got this from Odilo upustaka, anyone from Msia check that app out for free stuff. I dunno how to summarise this. It argues nature vs nurture on why humans are terrible.

Quotes a lot of psychologists and I think it lost me at the necrophilia chapter. Then I just slogged through. Hitler chapter was a go It took me an entire March to finish this. Hitler chapter was a good summary on his life tho. My rudimentary level of psychiatry is useless in understanding this. Maybe this is my last book of substance for the year.

I'm either gonna start tackling my TBR pile or just mindlessly read manga. We'll see. View all 4 comments. In this perhaps most important of his pioneering theoretical works, the distinguished author writes with brilliant insight in attempting to break the deadlock in the struggle between the instinctivism of Lorenz and behaviorist Skinner.

In all, this In this perhaps most important of his pioneering theoretical works, the distinguished author writes with brilliant insight in attempting to break the deadlock in the struggle between the instinctivism of Lorenz and behaviorist Skinner. In all, this was immensely instructive and stimulating. We need to create the conditions that would make the growth of man, this unfinished and uncompleted being - unique in nature - the supreme goal of all social arrangements.

Genuine freedom and independence and the end of all forms of exploitative control are the conditions for mobilizing the love of life, which is the only force that can defeat the love for the dead. It is much easier to get excited by anger, rage, cruelty, or the passion to destroy than by love and productive and active interest, We need to create the conditions that would make the growth of man, this unfinished and uncompleted being - unique in nature - the supreme goal of all social arrangements.

It is much easier to get excited by anger, rage, cruelty, or the passion to destroy than by love and productive and active interest, that first kind of excitation does not require the individual to make an effort - one does not need to have patience and discipline, to learn, to concentrate, to endure frustration, to practice critical thinking, to overcome ones narcissism and greed.

If the person has failed to grow The whole culture is geared to this kind of pathology. The result is that the average individual does not experience the separateness and isolation the fully schizophrenic person feels.

He feels at ease among those who suffer from the same deformation; in fact, it is the fully sane person who feels isolated in the insane society and he may suffer so much from the incapacity to communicate that it is he who may become psychotic In referencing, "Malignant aggression: premises. The Anatomy Of Human Destructiveness" by Erich Fromm, it is becoming apparent that malignant aggression is based on the desire to be destructive in order to express an unhappiness.

It has been concluded from research that children have more emotional and social issues than adults because they are developing their personality. A child acts out in this manner because his parents, does not give him or her the attention he or she needs or wants. An engaging read - would expect nothing less from Fromm. Topics dealt with, have not lost relevance and could be regarded as extremely important.

Information on which analysis is based, however - partly outdated e. This might lead readers to question other assumptions and claims that are made as well.

Some claims seem to be unsubstantiated and not supported by even faulty data. Despite flaws could be regarded as a very stimulating work and presents ideas worth discussi An engaging read - would expect nothing less from Fromm. Despite flaws could be regarded as a very stimulating work and presents ideas worth discussing. Must read for anyone interested in Heinrich Himmler's anal cravings.