Alienation In Sociology

Sociology is a broad area of study. It can be connotated with the successes and failures of a society. Theorists and sociologists such as Engels, Nietzsche, and Marx publicized their views and ideals on what kind of society would flourish and what was wrong with the one they were currently living in. Engels and Marx described the effects of communism and a capitalist class working against the laboring class and forcing them away from society. Nietzsche tapped into religion and how it is justifiable with how a certain society works. In most instances, these theorists discussed poverty and the result of a working class not being represented properly. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote a pamphlet called the Communist Manifesto which discussed …show more content…
Marx’s theory of alienation describes the estrangement of a group of people due to a stringent class structure. The reason this is so important in our present day society is because although we have a relatively moderate class system, the wealthier people of society are still living an easier life than people lower than them. With tax cuts, working wages, and credit scores, this leaves people that aren’t wealthy in confusion when facing financial and political issues. During the time that his theory of alienation was originally brought to the public, he went into more detail on the basis of this theory and how a person becomes estranged from the group of people that they live …show more content…
First, it is the alienation of the worker from their product. This means that the product and its use is not determined by the worker or the consumer but by the capitalist class. The underlying role of this capitalist class is important. In all his publications and ideas, it has the same meaning of taking the intellectual labor and physical labor of these workers and taking the credit for what they created. Along with the workers having no say in the look or use of the product, it also describes the conversion of labor as an activity into work as a commodity. This allows the capitalist class to benefit from the labor and the product. The second form of alienation was alienation of the worker from the act of production. This means that due to commodification, the labor power of the worker is reduced to wages and psychological estrangement. The actual alienation of the worker is from the means of production in two forms: wage compulsion and imposed product content. The worker is bound to unwanted labor and can only reject wage compulsion at the expense of their life and family. Working conditions affect the worker psychologically. It leaves them depressed and miserable. This alienation makes the labor feel external for the worker. The third form of alienation is separating the worker from their species or