Half a century ago, the philosopher, psychologist, and psychoanalyst Erich Fromm raised a somewhat unusual question in his book “Healthy Society”: Is modern society mentally healthy? Can society, in general, be sick?
The question is based on data about the increasing number of mental illnesses in developed societies, the growing number of people succumbing to alcohol and other addictions, suffering from anxiety and depression, and the rising number of suicides. Comparative data showed that this problem was more prevalent in wealthier and more developed societies than in poorer ones. However, there was a prevailing belief that these were isolated cases and that the cause lay within the individual themselves, in their inability to cope with societal demands and norms, as every society is considered healthy if it functions properly. Furthermore, it was expected that humanity had learned a lesson after World War II: never again such a terrible war, never again senseless killing and destruction of fundamental civilizational values. Values. However, this is the time of the beginning of the Cold War, arms race, fear of nuclear war and the destruction of humanity. At the same time, scientists were already warning about climate change and the devastating impact of humans on nature.
Just as physiological needs must be satisfied to prevent death, human needs must also be satisfied to prevent insanity. (Healthy Society)
Unlimited satisfaction of all desires does not lead to well-being or happiness, not even satisfaction. The observed data clearly show that our way of “seeking happiness” does not produce prosperity.
If a person lives in conditions that negate his/her human nature One cannot remain unresponsive: either they will start changing their attitude towards life or they will surrender and decline. Particularly alarming is the fact that the average person does not notice this state of alienation from oneself. On the surface, they may seem perfectly adapted to social demands and function perfectly, but deep inside, they feel profound dissatisfaction.
The majority of people do not admit to themselves that they feel fear, boredom, loneliness, or despair; these feelings remain unconscious to them. (Revolution of Hope)
According to Fromm, a person’s adaptation to society is not a guarantee of their mental health. What particularly deceives in assessing the mental health of society is the state when the majority of people share the same ideas and feelings, as the sheer number does not determine the value of those ideas and feelings.
The fact that millions of people have the same vices does not turn those vices into virtues. (Healthy Society)
In his time, Fromm was one of the few who warned about the unnaturalness of modern way of life. and the connection with mental disorders. Today, seventy years later, this problem is felt by more and more people. The World Health Organization states that since the beginning of the last century, the number of people suffering from depressive disorder has been continuously increasing in all industrialized countries and predicts that by 2020, depression will become the second major health problem in the world.
The Great Promise
According to Fromm, the accelerated distancing of man from himself and the decline of society began with industrialization at the end of the 18th century and the great promise of eternal progress:
The trinity of unlimited production, absolute freedom, and unhindered happiness created the core of a new religion, the religion of Progress, and the new Earthly State of Progress was supposed to replace the State of God. (Having or Being)
However, the great promise failed because it was based on false beliefs. It was believed that the development of science and technology would enable man to dominate nature and use its resources In order to ensure their own existence and solve all their existential problems, it was believed that material prosperity would lead to the satisfaction of all human needs, not just material ones, but also to a happy life. Furthermore, if everyone takes care of themselves, this happiness will encompass the majority of people, and peace and harmony will prevail. In the end, when existential problems are solved, a person will gain unhindered personal freedom and be able to live according to their own wishes, regardless of external circumstances.
Today, we can see how misguided these beliefs were. Man has not conquered nature, on the contrary, we witness daily human helplessness in the face of natural disasters. Fromm says that the relationship between man and nature is at the level of cerebral reaction, a scientific alienated intellect. Modern man perceives nature as a shopping center that serves to fulfill desires and from which they take what they need.
We have overlooked the fact that natural resources have their limits and that ultimately “People can be exhausted and nature will fight against human greed. (Have or be) Material well-being did not lead to a happy life. Today, psychological research confirms that the so-called happiness index, a subjective assessment of satisfaction with one’s life, is only to a certain extent associated with material wealth. Once we satisfy our material needs and secure our existence, further enrichment has no impact on the feeling of happiness.
Unlimited satisfaction of all desires does not lead to well-being or even happiness. Observable data clearly show that our way of “seeking happiness” does not produce prosperity. We are clearly a society of unhappy people: lonely, worried, depressed, destructive, envious… Pleasure cannot lead to happiness. (Have or be)
It was equally mistaken to believe that material well-being would encompass the majority of people. Economic progress remained a privilege of wealthy countries and wealthy individuals. International economic institutions” New data on the increasing gap between rich and poor countries and individuals within the same country are constantly emerging. Injustice in the distribution of wealth and the economic exploitation of weaker and poorer individuals has become a common occurrence in modern society. Focusing on oneself and satisfying one’s own needs does not lead to harmony and peace, but to the strengthening of greed and selfishness.
In the end, the belief that economic progress would enable personal freedom has proven to be illusory. There was, as Fromm says, a dream that we would become masters of our own lives, free and happy. Instead, we have become cogs in a large machinery, subject to manipulation, robotized, alienated from ourselves, other people, and nature. (To Have or to Be)
Today, at least declaratively, there is no external control, authority that forces us to do something like it was in the time of slavery or feudalism. Western societies emphasize freedom as a fundamental value – freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of expression. The spectrum of choices, artistic freedom, freedom of movement… However, in real life, freedom is just another illusion of modern society:
Control has shifted into the hands of bureaucratic elites who govern less through forceful obedience and more through eliciting consent, which is largely manipulated by contemporary psychological means. (Beyond the shackles of illusion)
The way people express their will is no different from the way they purchase goods – they listen to the words of propaganda. (A healthy society)
The right to freedom of speech is significant only if we are able to have our own opinions. (Escape from freedom)
Social Character
What is wrong with modern society? Fromm explains this through the concept of social character, which is characteristic of a society. Just as each individual has their own personal character, society also has a social character – the shared traits of the majority of its members – which is formed through the mutual interaction of individuals, society, and society n and every individual. The role is of a social nature – directing the energy of society members to unconsciously do exactly what society expects, convinced that they are doing so by their own choice. For example, we do not need to decide every day anew to go to work, pay bills, or send children to school. Society expects this from us, as we do from ourselves.
The right to express an opinion is significant only if we are able to have our own opinion.
The fundamental values of a society depend on its social character. For example, at the beginning of the development of an industrial society, Fromm refers to it as a collector’s society. The orientation of the society was towards capital accumulation, acquisition, from which desirable virtues of society members emerged: restraint from consumption, saving, discipline…
It was necessary to shape the individual into a person who was willing to exert most of their energy for the purpose of work, who possessed qualities of discipline, orderliness, and punctuality – necessary traits. for the functioning of every industrial system. (On the other side of the shackles of illusion)
Fromm refers to the contemporary social character as market-oriented, and the fundamental virtues are consumption, consumption, and “commercial” exchange of all kinds of goods, material and immaterial.
Our character is structured to exchange and receive, to negotiate and consume; everything, both spiritual and material objects, everything becomes an object of exchange and consumption. (The Art of Loving)
Contemporary society, Fromm further states, needs people who collaborate smoothly and in large numbers, who want to spend more and more, and whose tastes are standardized, easily influenced, and predictable; it needs people who feel free and independent, who are not subordinate to any authority, principle, or conscience – yet people who are willing to be managed by them, to do what is expected of them, to fit into the social machine without rebellion, people who can be guided without force, led without a leader, directed towards activity without a goal – in One thing is certain: to succeed, to move, to function, to progress. (The Art of Loving)
Life has no goal other than to move, no pleasures other than spending. (The Art of Loving)
Characteristics of a market-oriented society
The main characteristic of a market-oriented society is that everything becomes a commodity, everything has a price and a utility value. Consumption has become an end in itself. Consumer society constantly stimulates desires, and every desire needs to be immediately satisfied, after which it is replaced by a new desire. Essentially, man is indifferent to things and discards them as soon as something new appears. The desire for possession does not arise from real human needs, but from the craving for things and the inability to inhibit desires.
Modern consumers can be identified with the formula: I am what I have and what I consume. (To Have or to Be)
The consumer is an eternal infant crying for his bottle. (To Have or to Be)
Man perceives himself as a commodity with a certain market value. There is a sense of personal identity because one needs to be “in fashion,” to know what personal traits are in high demand and to express them, from physical appearance to personality. The sense of self-worth does not depend on actual abilities, skills, education, moral qualities, but rather on success in presenting oneself, the impression one leaves on others, the successful selling of oneself. And knowledge becomes a commodity. There are no deep questions about the world, humanity, the meaning of life, moral values; there is no interest in religious and philosophical questions. One does not strive for knowledge that will help them understand the world, themselves, their own life, but rather to gather information that is useful in the market.
The main characteristic of a market-oriented society is that everything becomes a commodity, everything has a price and a use value. Consumption has become an end in itself.
Our education system seeks to raise people who have knowledge as possession, generally proportional to the amount of ownership or social status. In later life, one sees what they desire. (To have or to be)
Human’s attitude towards the activities in which they invest their life energy is also consumeristic. Work has lost its intrinsic value for most people – for the wealthy, it has become a means of getting richer, for the poor, a necessity and necessary evil to ensure survival, or a way to escape from oneself and identify the meaning of life with a professional career. Free time is spent on the consumption of free time, escaping boredom, craving for adrenaline or seeking a warm, safe refuge in front of the television or computer. The goal is entertainment and pleasure.
Today, a person’s happiness consists of being “entertained”. Entertainment comes from the pleasure of consuming and “taking” goods, landscapes, food, drinks, people, lectures, books, movies – everything is consumed, devoured. The world is just a big object of our appetite. (The Art of Love)
In a society of market character, people perceive other people as commodities, something to be used. Relationships with others are often seen as transactions or exchanges. In a superficial society, there are no deeper connections or interest in someone’s individuality, but rather in how useful they are, how much they can satisfy the need for socializing, friendship, emotional relationships, and social status… Conversations are reduced to a multitude of useless words and chitchat. Instead of dialogue, there are parallel monologues in which neither participant hears the other, nor expects an exchange of opinions.
Everyone identifies with their own opinion, and everyone tries to find better and more reasonable arguments to defend their own opinion. No one expects to change their opinion, nor expects the opinion of their interlocutor to change. (To have or to be)
Alienation of man is the common denominator of contemporary social character.
Man is alienated from himself, his neighbor, and nature. His main goal is the useful exchange of his skills, knowledge, himself, his “personal package,” with others who are equally willing to engage in a useful exchange. (The Art of Loving)
A Healthy Society iso čuti i suočiti se s izazovima stvarnog svijeta. Ova preobrazba je neizbježna i prirodna, a njen cilj je postizanje potpune individualnosti i slobode.
Fromm naglašava da preuzimanje odgovornosti za vlastiti život ne znači samo zadovoljavanje vlastitih želja i potreba, već i razumijevanje i poštovanje tuđih potreba. Individualno zadovoljstvo ne može biti postignuto bez brige za opće dobro. Prava sloboda je sloboda za sve ljude, ne samo za pojedinca.
Društvo koje se temelji na pravu individuuma da slobodno ostvaruje svoje potrebe dovodi do pukotina i konflikata. Istinsko humano društvo mora biti utemeljeno na solidarnosti i brizi za zajedničko dobro. To zahtijeva prilagođavanje struktura društva kako bi se osigurala jednakost i zadovoljenje osnovnih potreba svih ljudi.
U konačnici, Fromm ističe da je mentalno zdravlje društva mjerilo njegove autentičnosti i sposobnosti da se prilagodi ljudskim potrebama. Društvo koje se fokusira samo na ekonomski napredak, ostvarivanje vlastitih interesa i materijalno bogatstvo je osuđeno na propast. Pravo društvo je ono koje prepoznaje i njeguje ljudsku prirodu i ciljeve te se prilagođava kako bi ih ostvarilo. taking responsibility for one’s own development. The first act of human free will is symbolically depicted as picking the apple from the tree of knowledge, marking the moment of birth of a human as a free being. He has been granted freedom “from,” and now he must strive for freedom “for.” Expelled from the paradise, he can no longer be passive; he must take an active role in his own development and bear the consequences of his decisions.
However, nature has not left him helpless. As tools for further development, man gains awareness of himself as a being separate from other living beings. This sense of separation and consequent loneliness creates a constant longing for reuniting and harmonizing with other people, nature, and oneself. This is an ongoing human need and an internal motivator for his actions. However, this unity must now be achieved through one’s own strength, free will, and conscious choice of actions that lead in that direction. In addition to self-awareness and personal identity, man gains reason – the ability to understand himself, the world, and… Existence is a journey. The mind allows us to seek truth, learn from experience, and change, progressing towards reuniting with the whole. Ultimately, humans gain the ability of imagination, the ability to sense the existence of something beyond the sensory world, as well as a constant yearning to reach it. They need a goal to strive for, ideals, and a sense of purpose in life.
A healthy society is not one that demands individuals conform to it, but one that adapts to human needs. Fromm refers to genuine human needs, not subjective desires.
Expelled from paradise, humans have not freed themselves from their passive, conditioned nature. They still have instincts, passions, and physical needs. Yet, even when those needs are fully satisfied, they are not happy because, as human beings, they have higher, more elevated human needs.