Alienation: some Conceptual Developments in Present Day Sociology

Samenvatting

It is contended that alienation (Al) is an overworked concept used to cover anything & everything, & is today being used to avoid coming to grips with the complexities of the behavior of modern man. A review is given of some recent treatments of Al which make the attempt to explore human problems, yet only cloud the issue because they use a 'wrong' frame of reference. Louis Feuer's scathing attack on the abuse of the concept in SOCIOLOGY ON TRIAL is cited as a concurring opinion. A number of books & articles are cited as evidence of the distortion of the concept of Al at the hands of soc sci'ts. The nature & origins of Al are discussed in relation to Hegelian philosophy. K. Marx's Al of the worker is cited as an example. 2 articles by sociol'ts, Melvin Seeman & Marvin B. Scott, are treated. Seeman's article on the basic meanings of Al shows that there is no agreement in sociol as to just what constitutes Al. Scott's article concerns itself with soc conditions which are felt to produce a mental state associated with Al without delving into the inner workings of the psyche, a major error which makes the concept into a catch-all rather than a heuristic concept for understanding the human condition in our time. Erich Fromm's position on Al is considered, & it is alleged that psychoanalysis has been distorted by Fromm to bring it into line with his supposed Marxist precepts. In contrast, Eric Erickson & Norman Brown are felt to have some insightful & valuable thoughts on Al. F. von Pappenheim's THE ALIENATION OF MODERN MAN (see SA A1623) observes that Al is rooted in the soc structure of society, & much more deeply in technological society. Finally, some ideas concerning Al are proposed which show how Marxism & psychoanalysis may together provide a way out of the impasse by opening up a new broad area for theory & res in Al: Al is part & parcel of the human condition. Van must recognize its roots & seek to make them less formidable. The way out of aggravated forms of Al is through the struggle against their self perpetuating instit's, & through educ in the fundamental principles of psychoanalysis, the importance of early childhood training upon character formation, & the self knowledge that comes from recognition of our weaknesses. Modified AA.