Alienation from Work Scale

Abstract

The “Alienation from Work Scale” is a 10-item psychometric instrument developed by Fischer and Kohr (1980). It is designed to assess the degree to which employed individuals perceive their work as meaningful or, conversely, as essentially meaningless. The scale is a subcomponent of a larger battery intended to measure Central Work Perceptions of Employed Persons (Zentrale Arbeitsperzeptionen Berufstätiger). Its development was based on a large-scale, representative survey conducted in the Federal Republic of Germany (BRD), providing normative data for the adult working population.

Keywords

Alienation, work alienation, meaningfulness, attachment, job perception, occupational psychology, Entfremdung, attitude towards work.

Authors

Fischer, Kohr, Lippert, Wakenhut, Zelinka, Zoll.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the “Alienation from Work Scale” is to measure the subjective experience of detachment and lack of purpose concerning one’s employment. It specifically records whether individuals ascribe meaning to their work or view it as an inherently pointless activity.

This scale was developed in conjunction with four other subscales to serve as a necessary complement to existing measures of “Sozio-politische Einstellungen” (Socio-political Attitudes). The authors posited that an individual’s socio-political orientation cannot be adequately described without considering their relationship to the work sphere, which is a core domain influencing behavior, cognition, and emotion through daily interactions and adaptation processes.

Construct

The core psychological construct measured is Alienation from Work (Entfremdung). This concept, drawn from sociological and organizational psychology, focuses specifically on the perceived meaninglessness of work (Sinnfreiheit). High scores on this scale indicate a high degree of alienation, suggesting the individual views their job as lacking intrinsic value or contribution.

The scale items were designed specifically to capture this sense of detachment, contrasting with other related subscales developed by the authors which focus on constructs such as subordinate/supervisory functions, internalization of work norms (e.g., duty and engagement), and the perception of work purely as a means of subsistence (Existenzsicherung).

Validity

The source documentation explicitly states that no specific validation evidence is provided (Validierungshinweise werden nicht gegeben). Consequently, information regarding criterion, concurrent, or construct validity derived from the original development is absent. Researchers planning to use this instrument should prioritize establishing the validity within their target population or context.

Reliability

The internal consistency of the 10-item “Alienation from Work Scale” was assessed using Cronbach’s Alpha. The reported coefficient of internal consistency is .77. This value is generally considered acceptable for a psychological scale, indicating that the items reliably measure the underlying latent construct.

Factor Analysis

While the unidimensionality of the “Alienation from Work Scale” itself was not individually verified, a simultaneous factor analysis was performed on the short forms of the five central work perception scales. The results of this analysis indicated potential issues with factor purity, as nearly all items loaded significantly not only on their intended target dimension but also on other related dimensions (Fremddimensionen). This suggests that some overlap exists between the measured constructs, potentially complicating the interpretation of a purely distinct measure of work alienation.

Item characteristics were further analyzed through corrected item-total correlation coefficients (Trennschärfekoeffizienten), which ranged between .20 and .58 across the 10 items. These values generally indicate moderate to high discriminatory power for most items within the scale.

Instrument

Test Type: Psychometric Self-Report Scale (Subscale)

Format: 10 items utilizing a 5-point Likert-scale response format.

Language Available: German (deutsch)

Population Group: Employed Adults

Age Group: Adult population.

Population Details: The scale was developed and normed based on a representative survey of the adult population in the Federal Republic of Germany (BRD), comprising N = 2505 respondents, collected in March 1976.

Test Methodology: The instructions for the test administration are not available in the source material. Respondents use a 5-point response scale: Zutreffend (1), eher zutreffend (2), weder/noch (3), eher unzutreffend (4), and unzutreffend (5). For scoring, the values are reversed such that “Zutreffend” receives the highest score (5) and “Unzutreffend” receives the lowest score (1). The final scale score is the summation of the item responses, with a higher total indicating greater alienation from work.

Keywords

Occupational attitudes, job satisfaction, Entfremdung, work meaningfulness, psychometrics, survey instrument, German language scale.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided.

Correspondence Address: Heinz-Ulrich Kohr, Sozialwissenschaftliches Institut der Bundeswehr (SOWI), Winzererstr. 52, 80797 München, Deutschland.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was developed and published in 1980. It is described as being tested and standardized (erprobt, normiert). Specific information regarding current usage permissions or associated fees is not available in the original source material.

Reference’s

Fischer, G., & Kohr, H.-U. (1980). Fünf Skalen zur Erfassung zentraler Arbeitsperzeptionen Berufstätiger. In G. Fischer, H. L. Lippert, R. Wakenhut, F.-F. Zelinka & R. Zoll (Hrsg.), Sozio-politische Einstellungen: Skalen zur Messung der zentralen Dimensionen. München: Minerva Publikationen.

Items of the alienation from work Scale

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.