Sullivan and Fromm first met in the 1930s while both were working at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis, and they became close friends and collaborators. They shared an interest in the social and cultural factors that shape personality and mental health, and they both believed that psychoanalysis had an important role to play in understanding and addressing social and political problems.
Sullivan and Fromm collaborated on a number of clinical and research projects, and they were both involved in the founding of the William Alanson White Institute of Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis, and Psychology in New York City. Fromm also contributed a chapter to Sullivan's seminal work, "The Interpersonal Theory of Psychiatry," which outlined Sullivan's ideas about the importance of interpersonal relationships in mental health.
However, despite their close relationship, Sullivan and Fromm did have some theoretical differences. For example, Sullivan emphasized the importance of interpersonal relationships in shaping personality, while Fromm focused more on the social and cultural context in which these relationships occur. Nonetheless, their collaboration and friendship had a significant impact on the development of psychoanalytic theory and practice, particularly in the areas of social psychiatry and cultural analysis.
