Fear of success, freedom

Shyamal Majumdar’s column “The fear of success” (Human Factor, June 5) was like a breath of fresh air. He has analysed the psychological phenomenon where if a man deliberately plans to be less than he is capable of becoming, then he would be deeply unhappy for the rest of his life. He would be evading his capabilities and his own possibilities. Such people unknowingly suffer from the fear of success.

Such psychological attitude is similar to the concept of “fear of freedom”. In 1942, Erich Fromm wrote a book called “The Fear of Freedom”, which was in the context of Fascism and authoritarianism. Fromm dealt with the idea that in a authoritarian society, a human being found himself more secure in the company of others of the same attitude, which is imposed on them. The overpowering society gave him a false sense of freedom. An individual was aware that the real freedom was outside the totalitarian society but he did not have the courage to overcome the bondage of such a society. He actually had a fear of freedom, which was real freedom but the price was the trauma of isolation.

Though written in the context of fascism, Fromm’s view is valid today since an overpowering society is here to stay in some form or another. So, such concepts are real and many people actually suffer from the fear of success or freedom.