alienation
/ˌeɪli.əˈneɪʃən/ · al.ien.a.tion
noun
- The act of alienating, making someone or something a stranger or an outsider. The company's decision to outsource its manufacturing process led to a sense of alienation among its long-time employees.
- The state of being alienated, feeling disconnected or isolated from others. The protagonist in the novel struggled with feelings of alienation, having moved to a new city without any friends or family.
- Emotional isolation or dissociation, a sense of being disconnected from one's emotions or experiences. The therapist helped her patient work through feelings of alienation, encouraging her to reconnect with her emotions and develop a greater sense of self-awareness.
Did you know? The concept of alienation has been explored in various fields, including philosophy, psychology, and sociology, with notable thinkers such as Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud contributing to its understanding.