The Pursuit of Self (Revised Edition): A Psychological Inquiry into Ethics

As long as humans are alive, they must be creative and unleash their potential.

Not for anyone else, but for themselves.

To prove their existence, to become a person.

This book can be seen as a sequel to Escape from Freedom, offering positive solutions to the lonely and anxious psychological dilemmas of modern people. It extends its scope to a holistic view of life and is one of the important books for understanding Fromm's thought.

Continuing the discussion from Escape from Freedom: modern people lack the psychological resources to cope with the lonely and anxious state after individuation and socialization, and thus prefer to give up freedom and surrender decision-making power to various authorities. Fromm emphasizes that individual happiness does not come from external sources but must be rooted in one's inherent character and potential, and by exercising creativity, can one realize the true self. At the same time, moral ethics and value judgments derived from a healthy humanity will undoubtedly guide all humanity towards goodness and create a social civilization that benefits both oneself and others.

This book is also an important work in the field of "characterology." Fromm categorizes five archetypes of modern human character: "receptive orientation," "exploitative orientation," "hoarding orientation," "marketing orientation," and "productive orientation." The first four are negative characters shaped by the detrimental influences of modern society during the process of socialization, while only the last one, "productive orientation," is an indispensable trait for a healthy life.

Fromm reiterates the value of "humanistic ethics," clarifying that the norms of social ethics should be developed based on human nature. He reintroduces ethical issues into psychological inquiry, explaining that the value of humanistic ethics lies in proving that everyone has the right to happiness and the capacity to love. The book's arguments for self-knowledge, striving to be oneself, and living for oneself provide a clear direction for confused and disorganized modern people to achieve a beautiful life.