The Basic Psychological Needs

Fromm outlined six basic psychological needs to gain security and escape loneliness. The opposition of these drives determines all human cravings.

Relatedness need; The need for relatedness arises from the disruption of our primary ties with nature. The ideal way to create new relationships is through productive love, which involves caring, responsibility, respect, and knowledge.

Transcendence need; Transcendence refers to the need to rise above a passive animal state, a state in which we cannot be satisfied because of our capacity for reason and imagination.

Rooted ness need; The need for rootedness arises out of our primary ties with nature, according to Fromm. Feelings of kinship are the most satisfying kind of roots we can develop.
Identity need; Fromm believed we need a sense of identity, even if this identity is part of conforming to a group for a greater sense of shared identity.


Frame-of-orientation need; The need for a frame of orientation and an object of devotion stems from our powers of reason and imagination. According to Fromm, we must develop a consistent and coherent view of our environment within which to perceive and understand our world.

Excitation need; The need for excitation and stimulation refers to the drive for a stimulating external environment in which we can function at a peak of alertness and activity. The brain requires a certain level of stimulation to maintain optimal performance.

The ways these psychological needs are satisfied depends on our cultural and social conditions and opportunities. Therefore, the way we cope with or adjust to society is to work out a compromise between our needs and our environment. As a result of our compromise, we develop the structure of the personality.