alienation

n. 1. A state of being or the experience of being separated from. In existential psychology it is used to describe a sense of being separated from one’s own experience so that experience seems foreign, more like a play or television show than real. In social psychology it is often used to describe a process in which a person or thing is in a category separate from one inclusive self so that the person or thing can be treated with less consideration or respect. 2. The process of separating one’s self or another person from another person or group of people. 3. Causing or inducing someone to turn away from or become hostile to another person or group of people. 4. An archaic term for the process of psychotic separation from reality. Sociological social psychologists have used this concept heavily (e.g., Seeman's writings), drawing especially on Marx's idea of self-alienation, which occurs when the person finds no meaning in his/her work.