Generalisation in this area is particularly difficult. The very claim that Marxism has a theory of alienation is controversial. The term has a shifting meaning in Marx's early writings and it plays only a peripheral role in his later work. Generalising about existentialism is even more problematic. Existentialism is not a definite philosophical school at all. At best it is a loose tradition, an...

This article presents a study of the relation between work alienation, continuous improvement, and leadership. Drawing on a general psychological model, I develop a concept ofleadership that effectively reduces employees' tendency toward work alienation by encouraging them and fostering their sense of independence. Empirical data on the effects that this kind of leadership has on the innovative...

The social psychological phenomenon of alienation has been used to explain feelings of separation and estrangement with our increasingly technological society since it was first proposed by Marx. The present study represents an application of the theory of alienation to the attitudes of computer users in an attempt to explain their feelings, especially negative feelings, which have heretofore b...

The damaging effects of employment have been discussed for many years. Marx identified several possible forms of alienation. Laborers can be alienated from the product of their labor (Marx, 1963 trans.). They can also be alienated from the process of production, making work external from their nature and not improving their abilities. In Marx’s view capitalists abuse the power of ownership to a...

Employees who drink heavily or who abuse or are dependent on alcohol can undermine a workforce's overall health and productivity. To better understand the reasons behind employee abusive drinking and to develop more effective ways of preventing problem drinking in the workforce, researchers have developed a number of paradigms that guide their research. One such paradigm is the alienation/stres...

“Three personal aspects of this work might be of interest: (1) it documents the often-praised interplay between teaching and research; (2) it was a successful example (rarer than one might think) of interdisciplinary collaboration; and (3) it illustrates how a work’s success can bring irritation as well as pride. “My concern for clarifying the meaning of alienation began when I taught a course ...

This study explores the level of alienation among Russian employees in state-owned and private business organizations over a period of 2 years. Based on the employment situation in Russia, employees in private companies were expected to be more alienated from their work than employees in state-owned companies. Survey data have been collected from 725 employees in five state-owned and three priv...