Editing Erich Fromm (section)

==Critique of Freud==
Fromm examined the life and work of [[Sigmund Freud]] at length. He identified a discrepancy between early and later Freudian theory: namely that, prior to World War I, Freud had described human drives as a tension between desire and repression, but after the end of the war, began framing human drives as a struggle between biologically universal Life and Death ([[Sigmund Freud#Life and death drives|Eros and Thanatos]]) instincts.  Fromm charged Freud and his followers with never acknowledging the contradictions between the two theories.

Fromm also criticized Freud's dualistic thinking. According to Fromm, Freudian descriptions of human consciousness as struggles between two poles were narrow and limiting.  Fromm also condemned Freud as a [[misogynist]] unable to think outside the patriarchal milieu of early 20th century Vienna. However, in spite of these criticisms, Fromm nonetheless expressed a great respect for Freud and his accomplishments. Fromm contended that Freud was one of the "architects of the modern age", alongside [[Albert Einstein]] and [[Karl Marx]], but emphasized that he considered Marx both far more historically important than Freud and a finer thinker.<ref>Fromm, Erich. ''Beyond the Chains of Illusion: My Encounter with Marx & Freud''. London: Sphere Books, 1980, p. 11</ref>