Alienative Involvement

Alienative Involvement Definition

Definition

The concept of “alienative involvement” describes how people are coerced into committing themselves to a society in which coercion serves as the primary control mechanism. People are more likely to be committed in a manner that doesn’t include their emotions since they share a similar threat. Such engagement is probably limited and will make people feel less devoted to society as a whole.

Explanation

Etzioni distinguishes three kinds of organizational power: coercive, utilitarian, and normative, and associates them with three kinds of involvement: alienative, calculative, and moral.

According to Etzioni’s concept of organizational involvement, when an organization uses coercive authority, people often respond with animosity against the organization; and that is alienative involvement. It means that the person under the power disagrees with the person in control but gives in anyway, usually out of fear. Since adhering to organizational principles is the primary objective of this engagement, it is assigned a strongly negative orientation.

Examples of Alienative Involvement

It comprises prisoners, soldiers undergoing basic training, or patients of facilities for mental health care. There is resentment, and one would even call it outright hostility, between the participants and the organization.

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