7.1b Alienation

Marx focused on the consequences of capitalism, one of which is alienation. Alienation is the separation an individual feels from other people, the community, their human potential, and from the products they make under capitalism. For example, the limits placed on what employees can do or say in customer interactions lead to alienation. Specifically, the employee may experience alienation from their human potential (ability to solve a problem independently), their productive activity (ability to determine how best to interact with a customer or sell a product), their fellow workers (viewed as competitors instead of collaborators), and the product (what is sold and how it is sold).

Photo 7.5

An Example of Alienation is When Cashiers Must Follow a Script When Interacting with Customers