The Art of Loving

By Erich Fromm

Life
Love

Book overview

The Art of Loving is a 1956 book by psychoanalyst and social philosopher Erich Fromm, which was published as part of the World Perspectives Series edited by Ruth Nanda Anshen.

In this work, Fromm develops his perspective on human nature, from his earlier work, Escape from Freedom and Man for Himself principles which he revisits in many of his other major works.

Fromm presents love as a skill that can be taught and developed. He rejects the idea of loving as something magical and mysterious that cannot be analyzed and explained, and is therefore skeptical about popular ideas such as "falling in love" or being helpless in the face of love.

The Art of Loving argues that the active character of true love involves four basic elements: care, responsibility, respect, and knowledge.

Each of these is difficult to define and can differ markedly depending on the people involved and their circumstances. Seen in these terms, love is hard work, but it is also the most rewarding kind of work.