TY - JOUR A1 - Bennett, Elizabeth A. T1 - Alienation and Its Consequence: An Exploration of Marxism, >Hikikomori<, and Authenticity via Relational Connection JF - The Humanistic Psychologist, Vol. 48, No. 3 (2020), pp. 257-270. [Online ISSN 1547-3333] [doi.org/10.1037/hum0000153] N2 - Alienation is a concept that has long captivated psychologists and philosophers, although it lacks a common definition. In the present article, I am interested in first briefly exploring a theoretical framework of alienation in the writings of Marx, which carries into conceptualizations by Fromm and Laing. This exploration is both for the purpose of cultivating a more specific definition of alienation as well as in an effort to consider broader implications of alienation. Next, I briefly explore these thinkers alongside the role of alienation in the context of work. I then consider the Japanese concept of >hikikomori< as an example of a profoundly debilitating response to recognizing one’s own alienation from the self, largely in response to the modern Japanese workplace. Lastly, I attempt to synthesize thinking around what kind of existence might be possible in >recovery< from alienation, as well as whether such a recovery is even possible in our culture. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved) Y1 - 2020 ER -