 Fromm’s approach differed from Marcuse’s insofar as he was more concerned with the role that society played in shaping one’s character. This different approach does not mean that Fromm has become less critical. Fromm is perhaps correct in his claim that Marcuse misread him. Given Fromm’s continued commitment to Marxism, it is not likely that he would reduce psychoanalysis to a conformist psychology. What appears to be positive thinking in Fromm’s work is really not far from what Marcuse was after himself in Eros and Civilization. That is, Fromm, in a way that differed from Marcuse, was attempting to rescue Eros, the builder of culture from the oppressive forces of capitalism. The Fromm/Marcuse debate represents an unfortunate moment in the history of critical theory where two major thinkers spoke right past each other.   