The state of being emotionally separated from others and from one’s own feelings.
Alienation is a powerful feeling of isolation and loneliness, and stems from a variety of causes. Alienation may occur in response to certain events or situations in society or in one’s personal life. Examples of
events that may lead to an individual’s feeling of alienation include the loss of a charismatic group leader, or the discovery that a person who served as a role model has serious shortcomings. Examples of personal events are a death in the family, a job change, divorce, or leaving home for the first time. Although most people may find that such occurrences trigger temporary feelings of disillusionment or loneliness, a small percentage will be unable to overcome these events, and will feel hopelessly adrift and alone.
Many sociologists have observed and commented upon an increase in this feeling of alienation among young people since the 1960s. They attribute this alienation to a variety of societal conditions: the rapid
changes in society during this period, the increase in alcohol and drug abuse, violence in the media, or the lack of communal values in the culture at large.
Taken from : The Gale Encyclopedia Of Psychology 2ND Edition - Bonnie Strickland