Alienation in the Historical Perspective: The Origin and the Cause

Abstract

Even though the term ‘alienation is one of the most outstanding features of this era, it is not very definite what it specifically connotes. ‘Alienation’, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica is “the state of feeling estranged or separated from one’s milieu, work, products of work, or self”(Encyclopedia Britannica, 2017). Life nowadays is commonly characterized in terms of ‘alienation’. It is observed that there is almost no aspect of present-day life, which has not been discussed in terms of ‘alienation’. Sociologists use alienation in many different connections. They use the term in Sociology and Social Sciences in terms of alienation from others, from work and from society. Hegel’s and Marx’s discussions of ‘alienation’ are of considerable significance and they establish the background of a good deal of the contemporary ideas on ‘alienation’. This qualitative article, therefore, is an attempt to present a detailed analysis of ‘Alienation’ with a view to explaining this term, and how and when it appears and its connection to psychology, philosophy, sociology, Marxism, and existentialism briefly.