Erich Fromm, Escape From Freedom (1941)

A book I referred to in writing an English essay on Mencken's quote: "The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe." I was to examine the extent to which Mencken's observation applies to contemporary society. I used Fromm's psychoanalysis as a framework through which I analyzed contemporary society. Fromm's thesis starts from the observation that freedom from externalities does not simultaneously confer the freedom to act as a unique individual; rather it paradoxically amplifies a sense of isolation and nihilistic worthlessness, hitherto having satiated by the security in identifying oneself with the whole of nature. In this transitional state of instability and vulnerability, man is burdened to realize one’s individuality that frees him to pursue what he truly desires, which proves much more difficult. It is easier to escape from the burdens imposed by negative freedom through mechanisms such as conformity to mass.