Analysis Of To Have Or To Be By Erich Fromm

Erich Fromm was an influential German psychoanalyst and philosopher in the 20th Century. One of his most important works is the text, “To Have or to Be?” This book highlights Fromm’s opinion of the difference of “having” and “being” and why they are both important aspects to one’s life. The two different concepts have been widely debated between philosophers and analysts throughout the years. The term “having” seems to be the easier mode to define, while “being” becomes more complicated to outline. Erich Fromm described the concept of having as dealing with the body and mind wanting to possess another object or feeling. Humans desire material items and feelings such as happiness or love. The mode of having causes a person to want to acquire …show more content…

These modes can influence people on subjects from learning, to exercising authority, to faith and love. For example, these modes influence is through education and the way our current generation learns. As said before, "Because the society we live in is devoted to acquiring property and making a profit, we rarely see any evidence of the being mode of existence and most people see the having mode as the most natural mode of existence, even the only acceptable way of life" (Fromm 25). Materialistic minds are the norm today and many millennials do not know a different way of life, which tends to affect their education in school. Most students tend to be in the having mode of existence while being educated. These types of students hear the lectures, write down every word they can from the lecture, and then memorize the material for a future exam. These students do not fully absorb and comprehend the class material. Once they complete the exam and eventually the course, they usually forget what they learned because the content does not actually enrich their minds. Students in the having existence want to "hold onto what they 'learned ', either by entrusting it firmly to their memories or by carefully guarding their notes" (Fromm 26). They do not create new ideas or thoughts and are actually afraid of doing so. On the …show more content…

We live in a materialistic culture that thrives on having "things." Yes, we must have things in order to live (shelter, food, water, etc.), but the word is misused. Our culture has become so materialistic that we forget what is really important. The "have" mode has almost become the norm, especially with our generation. Even though we subconsciously practice the mode of “being,” many people do not realize it which makes it difficult to appreciate life and all the aspects of “being.” “Because the society we live in is devoted to acquiring property and making a profit, we rarely see any evidence of the being mode of existence and most people see the having mode as the most natural mode of existence, even the only acceptable way of life” (Fromm 25). Majority of people want to be as successful and rich as possible that this idea takes over their mind and eventually lives. Every young person is obsessed with “fitting in” and having the latest and greatest items. This attitude causes adolescents to lose sight of what is important and lose touch with their emotions. Our culture needs to begin to think less about material items and being rich and more about his/her emotions and what it means to be truly happy. It is important to focus on the “bigger picture” and how one must become the best person he/she can be to benefit