Alienation as a Social Process

Abstract

This essay examines the concept of alienation with reference to Marxian and social psychological perspectives. A synthesis of these diverse perspectives is established with particular emphasis on work alienation. Noting that alienation is a consequence of situationally specific relations based on the interaction of historical context, structural conditions, and individual participants, a theoretical model is constructed for a view of alionation as a social process. It is suggested that understanding alienation as a process will allow for a more integrated explanatory theory.

Intervening in Alienation

“…These resonated with the data, based on the students' self-reported perceptions of their school conditions, and belief in their power to change those conditions (powerlessness); relationships with teachers and peers, and extracurricular involvement (social isolation); and records of achievement and (Miles & Huberman, 1994;Patton, 2002). I found that groups of students shared beliefs and behaviors that could be designated as low, medium, and high levels of alienation from school (Twining, 1980; see Table 4).…”

“…When individuals perceive social arrangements as demeaning or unfair, they begin to recoil from major spheres of social life (Twining, 1980, p. 422). Their sense of separation from the social environment, or alienation, manifests as powerlessness, isolation, and normlessness (Newmann, 1981;Seeman, 1959Seeman, , 1975Seeman, , 1983Stanton-Salazar, 2001;Twining, 1980).…”

“…With the perception that the institution operates for others, an individual may not feel beholden to its rules, choosing instead to reject institutional norms. Individuals will experience alienation along these dimensions to varying degrees, depending on their intuitions about the social environment and the severity of their social-psychological response (Newmann, 1981;Seeman, 1959Seeman, , 1975Seeman, , 1983Stanton-Salazar, 2001;Surace & Seeman, 1967;Twining, 1980).…”

Drivers and Outcomes of Work Alienation

“…Seeman, 1975). However, most scholars have concluded that the core of alienation is uni-dimensional, rather than multi-dimensional, and lends itself to notions of self-estrangement (Kanungo, 1982;Mottaz, 1981;Twining, 1980). Vohra (2009), like Schacht (1970) and Mottaz (1981), argued that the heart of alienation is estrangement, or a disconnection between a person and his or her work.…”

Crisis and retirement

“…By alienation, I refer to a thorough lack of control that people may come to have over their socioeconomic situation and by extension even over the very barest circumstances of existence itself. Alienation, in this regard, is a social process (Twining 1980), located at the intersection between "social-structural conditions and psychological orientation" (Kohn 1976: 111). For the retirees, alienation becomes the primary mode of experiencing life in the context of deferred gratuity.…”