In this chapter, Erich Fromm introduces us to his concept of freedom and that the idea of being human is inseparable from freedom. We also learn about the simultaneous effects freedom from external authority brings - the development of self, and corresponding feelings of aloneness.
This process of “individuation” plays out both on the micro scale in human child development and on the macro scale - freedom of individual in a society. The lag between acquiring freedom and the strengthening of the self may be responsible for attempts to seek a replacement of the lost primary bonds. Such a return, of course, is impossible, and so the individual may find security in secondary bonds - at the expense of integrity of the self, which leads to other problems.
Reflecting on the evolution of freedom in society, Erich Fromm suggests that the humankind during the period of the Reformation was subject to forces similar to what the world is experiencing at the time of his writing, and so to understand them it would be useful to study how the transition from Medieval societal structure affected human psyche - especially that of the middle class which was threatened by monopolies and emerging power of capital - which, in turn, affected ideologies and politics.
Erich Fromm's "Escape from Freedom" - Chapter 2