The author of the article is Kirill Karpenko.
Review published: School psychologist. — 2012. — No. 6.
Erich Fromm is the author of many famous books: Escape from Freedom, Man for Himself, Anatomy of Human Destructiveness, Healthy Society, To Have or to Be, etc. But perhaps the most famous is The Art of Loving. This is a small masterpiece of psychology for a wide range of readers.
The book was published in 1956 and has been repeatedly reprinted in many languages. Chapters devoted to this book can be found in textbooks on cultural studies, which is a clear evidence of the transformation of the «Art of Loving» into a part of world culture.
Is love luck, a feeling that can take hold of any person, or is it a complex art that only a mature person can comprehend? Fromm strongly rejects the first approach to love. To learn the ability to love, like any other art, it is necessary, firstly, to be familiar with the theory, secondly, to master the practice and, thirdly, to be obsessed with this art, focus on it and complete dedication. The practice of the art of love consists of such elements as self-discipline and concentration, patience and interest, objectivity and humility, faith and activity. The role model is also extremely important here: learning through the presence of a mature, loving person.
Fromm has a special approach to love: he does not identify love with a personal God, as is typical for Christian thinkers (“God is love” (1 John 4:16), and does not reduce it to erotic attraction, which is typical for many psychologists For the German thinker, love is the answer to the problem of human existence, which is seen in the unity of all people as brothers.It is brotherly love that is the basis, but in his concept there is a place for other types of love: maternal, erotic, self-love and love of God .
Fromm is criticized for ignoring in this book many private issues related to the art of loving. However, such accusations are not entirely justified: The Art of Loving is a kind of manifesto that sets out the foundations of the worldview, it is not intended to consider highly specialized issues.
The fundamental criticism of The Art of Loving comes from religious thinkers and concerns Fromm’s concept of God. As you know, he approaches this issue from a non-theistic position. But even Fromm’s opponents read this book. One can agree or disagree with the ideas set forth in it, but it will not leave any thinking person indifferent.