is there not also, perhaps, besides an innate desire for freedom, an instinctive wish for submission? if there is not, how can we account for the attraction which submission to a leader has for so many today? is submission always to an overt authority, or is there also submission to internalized authorities, such as duty or conscience, to inner compulsions or to anonymous authorities like public opinion? is there a hidden satisfaction in submitting, and what is its essence? what is it that creates in men an insatiable lust for power? is it the strength of their vital energy — or is it a fundamental weakness and inability to experience life spontaneously and lovingly? what are the psychological conditions that make for the strength of these strivings? what are the social conditions upon which such psychological conditions in turn are based?

erich fromm,
escape from freedom