On The Meaning of Alienation

TLDR

Alienation is a pervasive theme in classic and contemporary sociology. The paper organizes existing uses of alienation and links historical interest to modern empirical research by proposing viable research formulations for five alternative meanings. The authors derive the five meanings from traditional sociological analysis and argue that distinguishing them is necessary. The study identifies five alternative meanings of alienation: powerlessness, meaninglessness, normlessness, isolation, and self‑estrangement.

Abstract

The problem of alienation is a pervasive theme in the classics of sociology, and the concept has a prominent place in contemporary work. This paper seeks to accomplish two tasks: to present an organized view of the uses that have been made of this concept; and to provide an approach that ties the historical interest in alienation to the modern empirical effort. Five alternative meanings of alienation are identified: powerlessness, meaninglessness, normlessness, isolation, and self-estrangement. The derivation of these meanings from traditional sociological analysis is sketched, and the necessity for making the indicated distinctions is specified. In each case, an effort is made to provide a viable research formulation of these five alternatives.