ABSTRACT
In a recent professional autobiography, Erika Fromm described two themes she considered most important in shaping the development of her professsional career (Fromm, 1987a). First, she always considered herself a “rebel against orthodoxy” (p. 207). Just as she rebelled as an adolescent to the very strict orthodox German Jewish household, throughout her adult life she has always actively questioned and challenged the status quo of society. Whether it be with respect to religion, science, psychoanalysis, or politics, as a scientist and clinician, Erika Fromm has never adhered to an approach or established set of ideas without first questioning its basic assumptions. Much in the spirit of a pioneer she applied this attitude as a useful means of forging new directions in many areas of inquiry.
