Work Alienation as a Subject and Object of Psychological Research: Phenomenological Aspects of the Problem

In article the contribution of a number of relevant psychological models for studying alienation from work as an object and a subject of a psychological research for the purpose of the analysis of its phenomenology is considered. A generalization of theoretical and empirical research for approaches to work alienation of alienation from work within social psychology, psychology of the personality, professional psychology, and the provisions allowing specifying understanding of the studied phenomenon are formulated. The article provides a brief overview of the history of studying the problem of work alienation. Based on a review of theoretical and empirical studies of the phenomenon under discussion, relevant models of work alienation of the subject of labor are identified: socio-psychological concepts of alienation from work, the bipolar construct “work alienation — work involvement,” a model of alienation of personality, and a model of professional alienation. Upon the conclusion of the theoretical and psychological analysis of the basic conceptualizations of work alienation, a new understanding of the phenomenon being studied is formulated as an object and subject of psychological research. As an object of psychological research, work alienation is a combination of internal and external components of the psychological response of a person as a subject of labor, expressed in the psychological separation of a person from work and a change in his basic dominant trends in the evaluation and attitude to work activity, the perspective and quality of self-actualization at work. As a subject of psychological research, work alienation is represented in psychological patterns and individual psychological characteristics associated with the destruction of interpersonal communications, the perception by the subject of labor of his own powerlessness and loss of meaning in relation to work, the working environment and social environment, in the loss of identification of himself as an employee of the organization, in the general state of self-alienation in the context of current labor activity, and in violation and mistakes of interaction and communication in the workplace and in society.

Rosa H. Beschleunigung und Entfremdung: Entwurf einer kritischen Theorie spätmoderner Zeitlichkeit. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp, 2013. 154 S.

Li S., Chen Y. The Relationship between psychological contract breach and employees counterproductive work behaviors: the mediating effect of organizational cynicism and work alienation. Frontiers in Psychology, 2018, vol. 9 (1273), pp. 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01273.

Gozukara I., Mercanlı A., Çapuk S., Yıldırım O. Impact of turnover intention on loneliness and the mediating effect of work alienation. Business Management and Strategy, 2017, vol. 8 (1), pp. 18–38.

Özer Ö., Uğurluoğlu Ö., Saygılı M., Sonğur C. The impact of work alienation on organizational health: A field study in health sector. International Journal of Healthcare Management, 2019, vol. 12 (1), pp. 18–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/20479700.2017.1312804.

Nazan K. Evaluating the relationship between work engagement, work alienation and work performance of healthcare professionals. International Journal of Healthcare Management, 2018, vol. 11 (3), pp. 251–259. https://doi.org/10.1080/20479700.2018.1453969.

Chiaburu D. S., Thundiyil T., Wang J. Alienation and its correlates: A meta-analysis. European Management Journal, 2014, vol. 32, pp. 24–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2013.06.003.

Kanungo R. N. The concepts of alienation and involvement revisited. Psychological bulletin, 1979, vol. 86 (1), pp. 119–138. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.86.1.119.

Ganzen V. A. System descriptions in psychology. Leningrad, Leningrad State Univ. Pabl., 1984. 176 р. (In Russian)

Marx K. Ökonomisch-philosophische Manuskripte. Hamburg, Felix Meiner Verlag, 2008. 210 S.

Fromm E. The sane society. London, Routledge, 1956. 363 р.

Stokols D. Toward a psychological theory of alienation. Psychological review, 1975, vol. 82 (1), pp. 26–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0076230.

Seeman M. On the meaning of alienation. American sociological review, 1959, vol. 24 (6), pp. 783–791. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2088565.

Ray J. J. Toward a definitive alienation scale. The Journal of Psychology, 1982, vol. 111, pp. 67–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.1982.9923536.

Blauner R. Alienation and freedom: The factory worker and his industry. Chicago, Chicago Univ. Press, 1964. 222 р.

Mottaz C. J. Some determinants of work alienation. The Sociological Quarterly, 1981, vol. 22 (4), pp. 515–529. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1533-8525.1981.tb00678.x.

Sarros J. C., Tanewski G. A., Santora J. C., Densten I. L. Work alienation and organizational leadership. British Journal of Management, 2002, vol. 13 (4), pp. 285–304. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.00247.

Dubin R. Industrial workers’ worlds: A study of the “central life interests” of industrial workers. Social Problems, 1956, vol. 3 (3), pp. 131–142. https://doi.org/10.2307/799133.

Aiken M., Hage J. Organizational Alienation: A Comparative Analysis. American Sociological Review, 1966, vol. 31 (4), pp. 497–507. https://doi.org/10.2307/2090773.

Miller G. A. Professionals in bureaucracy: Alienation among industrial scientists and engineers. American Sociological Review, 1967, vol. 32 (5), pp. 755–768. https://doi.org/10.2307/2092023.

Durkheim E. On the division of social labor. Metod sotsiologii. Moscow, Nauka Pabl., 1991. 575 р. (In Russian)

Tummers G. L., Dulk D. L. The effects of work alienation on organizational commitment, work effort and work‐to‐family enrichment. Journal of nursing management, 2013, vol. 21 (6), pp. 850–859. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12159.

Bansal A. A revelation of employee feelings of alienation during post-mergers and acquisition: An outcome of perceived organizational justice. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 2017, vol. 30 (3), pp. 417–439. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-06-2016-0122.

Greenberg E. S., Grunberg L. Work alienation and problem alcohol behavior. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 1955, vol. 36 (1), pp. 83–102. https://doi.org/10.2307/2137289.

Organ D. W., Greene C. N. The effects of formalization on professional involvement: A compensatory process approach. Administrative Science Quarterly, 1981, pp. 237–252. https://doi.org/10.2307/2392471.

Pershina E. M., Levina N. A. Socio-psychological analysis of alienation problem in professional work sphere. Vestnik Tambovskogo universiteta. Seriia «Gumanitarnye nauki», 2012, vol. 10 (114), pp. 235–241. (In Russian)

Argyris C. Understanding organizational behavior (Book Review). Revue francaise de sociologie, 1961, vol. 2 (4), p. 341.

Macey W. H., Schneider B. The Meaning of Employee Engagement. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 2008, vol. 1, pp. 3–30. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9434.2007.0002.x

Aigner L., Marx C., Panhans S., Sassmann P. P., Seifert A. Development and validation of a German work alienation questionnaire. Unveröffentlichte Seminararbeit. Wien, Universität Wien, 2015, p. 41.

Maddi S. R., Hoover M., Kobasa S. C. Alienation and exploratory behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1982, vol. 42 (5), pp. 884–890. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.42.5.884.

Maddi S. R., Kobasa S. C., Hoover M. An alienation test. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 1979, vol. 19, pp. 73–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/002216787901900407.

Osin E. N. Loss of meaning as exclusion experience: structure and diagnosis. PhD dissertation (Psychology) . Moscow, MGU imeni M. V. Lomonosova Publ., 2007. 217 p. (In Russian)

Osin E. N., Leontiev D. A. Estrangement and loss of meaning. Kul'turno-istoricheskaia psikhologiia, 2007, vol. 4, pp. 68–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.17759/chp. (In Russian)

Osin E. N. Estrangement as a psychological concept. Tret'ia Vserossiiskaia nauchno-prakticheskaia konferentsiia po ekzistentsial'noi psikhologii: materialy soobshchenii. Ed. by D. А. Leont’ev. Мoscow, Smysl, 2007, pp. 97–100. (In Russian)

Shneider L. B. Professional identity. Moscow, MOSU Pabl., 2001. 272 р. (In Russian)

Egorova N. N. Psychological features of professional alienation of teachers. PhD dissertation (Psychology) .. Moscow, 2007. 201 p. (In Russian)

Zeer E. F., Symanyuk E. E. Psychology of professional destruction: manual for universities. Moscow, Akademicheskii proekt Pabl.; Ekaterinburg: Delovaia kniga Pabl., 2005. 240 р. (In Russian)

Vinokurov L. V., Loykkanen A. S. Semantic theory of thinking in description psychological contract in the organization. Idei O. K. Tikhomirova i A. V. Brushlinskogo i fundamental'nye problemy psikhologii (k 80-letiiu so dnia rozhdeniia) . Moscow, MGU imeni M. V. Lomonosova Publ. 2013, pp. 48–50. (In Russian)