The Sane Society - by Erich Fromm (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The Sane Society is a continuation and extension of the brilliant psychiatric concepts Erich Fromm first formulated in Escape from Freedom; it is also, in many ways, an answer to Freud's Civilization and its Discontents.

Fromm examines man's escape into overconformity and the danger of robotism in contemporary industrial society: modern humanity has, he maintains, been alienated from the world of their own creation. Here Fromm offers a complete and systematic exploration of his "humanistic psychoanalysis." In so doing, he counters the profound pessimism for our future that Freud expressed and sets forth the goals of a society in which the emphasis is on each person and on the social measures designed to further function as a responsible individual.

Review Quotes

"A distinguished contribution to a growing body of social psychological reflections on modern times."
--The Washington Post

"One is fascinated page after page by the incisiveness of the analysis, the concreteness of the presentation, and the beauty of the style."
--Paul Tillich

"A courageous book with a high moral objective . . . an unflinching indictment of contemporary society."
--Guide to Psychiatric and Psychological Literature

About the Author

Erich Fromm (1900-1980) was a German-born U.S. psychoanalyst and social philosopher who explored the interaction between psychology and society. He cofounded the William Alanson White Institute of Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis, and Psychology. A professor for much of his career, he taught at Bennington College, New York University, Michigan State University, and UNAM in Mexico City. Fromm's works include The Art of Loving, Love, Sexuality, and Matriarchy, and Man for Himself.