Extant studies relating alcohol abuse and alienation are reviewed. Questions are raised concerning the emphasis on the psychological traits of samples characterized by high degrees of powerlessness and low, socioeconomic status. Such studies are further questioned on the basis of their assumption that alienation is a set of consciously held attitudinal variables and on the basis of their neglect of a host of structural issues thought to contribute to alienation. The issues of affective responses to alienation, propertylessness, intrinsic and extrinsic needs, job/work involvement, trust and organizational deviance, and inauthenticity within bureaucratic settings are discussed and suggestions for future studies are offered.
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