5 Personality Types By Erich Fromm

Erich Fromm’s five personality types are based on the principle of productivity. According to this famous psychoanalyst, only one of these personality types is able to invest in their own freedom. Only one of these five is able to conquer their own emotional and personal independence. Other personality types represent a more selfish, materialistic, and unproductive part of society.

There are many different theories about personality. We have e.g. Theories of Carl Jung, the theories of Carl Rogers, Cattell, Eysenk, and Costa and McCrae. We can also notice a certain kind of contradiction in all these theories. Does this mean that the behavioral sciences have not been able to agree on how to define the nature and characteristics of a person’s personality?

Each trend, school, and author emphasizes their own definition of personality according to their own theoretical models. The typology developed by Erich Fromm originated from an interesting approach based on humanistic philosophy  that makes it genuinely useful even in our time.

If there is one thing this social psychologist really  believed in, then it is man’s solid responsibility to achieve true autonomy,  as well as investing in one’s own independence while respecting the independence of others. Achieving this, according to Erich Fromm, is synonymous with productivity.

Personality types according to Erich Fromm

Erich Fromm’s theories of personality are based on two primary needs: the need for freedom, as we already know, and the need to belong to something. And when we read his works, there is always one thing we pay attention to. It is the fact that Fromm, a neo-Freudian psychoanalyst,  had negative views of man. In his view, Freud was too passive and motivated by his own need for consumerism.

Thus, in his work, he  urges us to make progress on the path of our personal development. He says we should set aside the dependence on external factors; dependence on matter, the need for success, and recognition, and simply invest in things like love, respect, creativity, and humility.

Human character and personality are deeply rooted and difficult to change. And yet Fromm assures that it would be enough if we were just a little more aware of our tendencies and attitudes. It would be enough if we could be able to commit to changing ourselves. Let’s look at what these five types of Erich Fromm personality are:

1. Recipient personality

The receptive personality is characterized by a constant need to gain acceptance and recognition from others. The most striking feature of this personality is that the support received by such a person is not usually returned. He does not bother in front of other people and does not seek to give help to the same extent as he himself receives.

This personality is also characterized by poor social skills, difficulty in making decisions, and a clear underestimation of one’s own potential.

2. The user

Of these five personality types, Erich Fromm believes this to be the most common. It refers to those people who create relationships and connections with others purely for their own benefit. They just want to benefit themselves,  and Fromm himself called this a “commercial advantage.”

This exploitative personality type is willing to lie and manipulate to get what they want, and such a person succeeds in exploiting another person by focusing their interest on those who suffer from low self-esteem.

3. Hoarding

The personality type of a collector or hunter refers to individuals whose goal is to nurture material. Their only desire, which they describe as necessary, is to own and collect more and more different things.

The more they have, the more confident they feel. They feel stronger, and they believe they have achieved greater personal satisfaction. It must be noted, however, that this unhealthy clinging to materialistic things can never satisfy them. They are always missing something. Their happiness is never perfect. When new products come on the market, their first thought is that they need to get those products.

4. Type of marketing

Of all these personality types, Erich Fromm believes this is the most common in the work environment, and also for obvious reason. People belonging to this personality type build relationships with other people to maintain financial gain. These are contacts based on clear economic or commercial goals.

What may seem quite ordinary or expected at first, in fact, undermines the unwavering principle of human freedom defended by Fromm. What is the reason for this? These commercial connections tend to create differences in social status, where some gain prestige and power, while others are humble to these others.

5. Productive personality type

So far, we have dealt with personality types that, according to Erich Fromm, represent everything that is “unproductive”. People who do not invest in their own personal freedom and autonomy, and even less in the freedom and autonomy of others. But all is not lost, and we are not going to give you a completely pessimistic picture of man. Fortunately, there is a Fifth Personality Type where our hope lies and where we can find our personal goals.

• A person representing a productive personality type channels all of his or her efforts and interest to a person who is dedicated to others. So what does this mean? In essence, they are individuals who are able to build a loving, enriching, and meaningful human relationship with their peers.
• In addition, they have a  really healthy approach to dealing with negative emotions,  as well as pressure and control attempts that others may be trying to apply to them.

Finally, Erich Fromm urges us to reconsider the idea of ​​what we have encountered so many times in the field of personal development. This idea shows that  only he who invests in his own psychological value, self-esteem, and independence, only he is able to promote these aspects in other people. Only he will be able to lay the foundations for a more humane and hopeful society. 

As we can see, this aspect of a person’s personality has clear social components that can be sources of real motivation. It is designed to bring about changes that stimulate our personal growth. Efforts are being made to put these into practice.