Social Alienation

The classic sociological concept: the estrangement of individuals from their community, society, or from each other. Social alienation occurs when you feel disconnected from the groups that should provide belonging—family, friends, coworkers, fellow citizens. It is the absence of meaningful relationships, the sense that you are isolated in a crowd, the feeling that no one sees or understands you. Social alienation can be structural (produced by capitalism, urbanization, digital life) or personal (rooted in trauma or difference). It is the core loneliness of modern life.

Example: “She lived in a city of millions, yet had no one to call in an emergency—social alienation, surrounded by people but profoundly alone.”

Social Alienation by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal April 15, 2026