Alienation and General Systems Theory

Samenvatting

Some of the concepts of the general systems theory are applied to the alienation theory in an effort to clarify this ambiguous area. The different forms of alienation are shown to have a common denominator if viewed on a sufficiently high level of abstraction: all forms of alienation are information-processing problems of individuals, seen as systems interaction with their environment. According to M. Seeman, powerlessness, meaninglessness, normlessness, social isolation, & self-estrangement, are isomorphic with the 5 elements of a simple model depicting the interaction of a system with its environment. The causes of alienation are usually sought in 1 of 3 areas: (1) alienation as inherent in human life, (2) alienation as produced in early life as a result of programming, & (3) alienation as produced by the individuals' social environment. From a systems viewpoint these areas are essentially different. When translated into systems terminology, many typically modern forms of alienation can be seen as information-processing problems resulting from the increasing complexity of the differential between the individual & his environment, ie, scanning, overchoice, decisional inability, flexibility, identification, & self-realization. Modified HA.