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IN THIS PAPER, I BRING SOME INSIGHTS from the field of anthropology to bear on the point of view expressed by Fromm in Ch. III. (1) Fromm saw existential anxiety over the certainty of death as a fundamental and primary force in all human cultures. (2) To explore this existential anxiety as the organizing principle for cultures, I will discuss three preliterate cultures, from very different ecological settings and backgrounds. (3) In this analysis it becomes apparant that existential death anxiety derives more from the beliefs and values of a secular Western culture. The three world views of the Dani, Ojibwa and Yanomamo are seen as systems for organizing blame or guilt. This corresponds to a group form of Sullivan's notion of parataxis. (4) The enduring value of Fromm's work is in the issues he raised and the questions he asked about the human situation.
Chapter III, "Human Nature and Character, " is the cornerstone