Erich Fromm: Psychoanalysis and Religion

The psychoanalytic approach to the religion of Erich Fromm is very different from the earlier works of Sigmund Freud. Fromm defines religion as "a system of thinking and behavior shared by the group, giving individuals a directional framework and dedicated purpose". Fromm thinks that there is no religion, including idealism of all kinds and "private" religion. The system should be defined as "religion". According to Fromm's theory, it can be explained that no one has "religious needs" Almost all parts of human life reflects the needs of religion and its realization.

Erich Fromm's contribution to critique theory includes analysis of individuals, families, sexual oppression, economics, and personal social background. His work outlines a method of merging Freud's and Marx's works. Fromm believes that human behavior has basic instincts and motives, but these instincts adapt to social reality positively and passively. For Fromm, "psychoanalysis ... is trying to find a hidden cause of an apparently irrational behavior pattern in social life - religion, customs, politics, and education" (Kellner, 1989, p. 37 ). . In this way, he combines social psychology methods and Marx 's material theory, that is, through the influence of economic and material forces on the integration of human life, human instincts and psychological powers.

In various attempts to apply psychoanalysis to totalitarian problems, the escape from freedom of Erich Fromm is evident within its ongoing discussion and concept. Fromm 's thesis claims that there is "autocracy" later developed by Theodore W. Adorno and his co - authors in their work "Authority Personality". From is a philosophically oriented sociologist who drew out the explanation of various social phenomena from the tradition of Freud and Marxism. In his view, there is a self-reinforcing causal mechanism that is sometimes called social process and ideology where psychosocial factors are strengthened by a belief system and vice versa.