Alienation and Age: A Context-Specific Approach

A context-specific conceptualization of alienation is used to describe age-group differences. Traditionally, alienation has been treated in terms of specific modes (e.g., powerlessness, meaninglessness, normless-ness, social isolation, self-estrangement). This research adds to each of these modes so...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social forces 1974-12, Vol.53 (2), p.266-274
Main Authors: Martin, William C., Bengtson, Vern L., Acock, Alan C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age/Ageism
Alienation
Alienation/Alienated
Conceptualization
Continuities in Methodological Research
Estrangement
Older adults
Political economy
Polities
Social isolation
Social structure/Social structures
Social structures
Statistical results
Statistical significance
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Summary:A context-specific conceptualization of alienation is used to describe age-group differences. Traditionally, alienation has been treated in terms of specific modes (e.g., powerlessness, meaninglessness, normless-ness, social isolation, self-estrangement). This research adds to each of these modes social structural contexts (e.g., polity, economy, education, religion, family) to produce a matrix of context-specific alienation. Age-group differentials on specific components of alienation are examined in a three-generation sample. The postulate that alienation is related to position in the social structure leads to the hypothesis that there is a curvilinear relation between alienation and age, the youth most alienated, the middle-aged least, and the elderly in between. The hypothesis is generally supported.
ISSN:0037-7732
1534-7605
DOI:10.1093/sf/53.2.266