[The philosophy of Erich Fromm. On the example of Escape from Freedom]

The author makes an attempt to criticise the main assumptions of the thinking of Erich Fromm (1900-1980), the well-known German psychologist and creative continuator of the psychoanalysis current. In particular, she focuses on one of Fromm's principal works, Flight from Freedom, in which he had analysed the mechanisms inducing people to eschew independent thinking and submit to an authority demanding blind obedience. In constructing his system, he derived inspiration from the Biblical tradition, Freud and Marx, whilst approaching them critically from the very outset. Fromm has also presented his recipe for the building of a 'healthy society', based on the harmonious development of individuals in an environment permitting complete self-fulfilment within the bounds of respect for the freedom of others.