Burning Barns: Existential Uncertainty and the Destructive Self

Abstract The work of Erich Fromm has provided valuable insights into why people engage in violent, aggressive, and destructive behaviour. Fromm is known for his analysis of sadism, masochism, conformity and authoritarianism and he was particularly interested in how people maintain a strong sense of security and belonging. In Escape from Freedom ([1941] 1969), he examined the psychological strategies people employ to help alleviate feelings of existential uncertainty and ontological insecurity. These include authoritarianism (involving a sacrifice of freedom and personal autonomy), destructiveness (a defence that aims to eliminate and control), and automaton conformity (the uncritical internalisation of prevailing norms, values, desires, and expectations). Fromm posits that all escape mechanisms are rooted in the need to escape feelings of isolation, self-doubt, uncertainty, and powerlessness. This article specifically focuses on his work on destructiveness by examining Haruki Murakami’s ([1993] 2003a) mysterious story Barn Burning , where one of the protagonists confesses his enjoyment of secretly burning down barns. The overall aim of the article is to explore Fromm’s notion that destructiveness results from a suppressed and unlived life.