ABSTRACT

Much more refined personality theory and social stratification theories seem called for. Extrapolating from our findings on the importance of perceived personal energy as an intervening variable, we have begun work on the political consequences of a variety of health and physiological factors. it is very important that we begin to relate the overall level of alienation in a system, and distributions of various alienation levels across social groupings, to macro-political events. This chapter offers an interpretation of recent, present and potential American political history in terms of alienation stating a plausible set of interrelationships which, if true, may explain much about the new politics in America. The more explicit social science theories of political stability seem not to have been rigorously applied to the contemporary American political system as a whole. The politically relevant generations were frightened of political activity: McCarthyism taught many that idealistic political involvement could have profoundly adverse impact on one's personal life even decades later.