“The more man gains freedom in the sense of emerging from the original oneness with man and nature and the more he becomes an 'individual,' he has no choice but to unite himself with the world in the spontaneity of love and productive work or else to seek a kind of security by such ties with the world that destroys his freedom and the integrity of his individual self.”

German-American social psychologist and psychoanalyst

Erich Seligmann Fromm was a German-American social psychologist, psychoanalyst, sociologist, humanistic philosopher, and democratic socialist. Born in Germany, he later settled in the United States after fleeing the Nazi regime. He is known for his work at the intersection of psychology, philosophy, and social thought. Fromm was one of the founders of the William Alanson White Institute of Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis and Psychology in New York City. He was also associated with the Frankfurt School of critical theory. His writing and thought often concerned human freedom, society, and the conditions of a more humane way of life.