Loneliness and Touch

Fromm-Reichmann’s insistence on the physical aspect of loneliness and on touch as its antidote connects her to a long tradition of humanistic biology. This reaction paper traces the history of that tradition from the early 20th century onward and situates her within it. Interpreting Fromm-Reichmann’s 1959 article as part of this tradition allows us to notice the assumptions she shares with its other members.