Pearlin Work Alienation Scale
Measures work alienation, defined as a feeling of powerlessness over one's own affairs in a bureaucratic work setting.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Pearlin Work Alienation Scale was developed by Leonard I. Pearlin (1962). It is designed to measure Work Alienation. The scale is intended for use with Employees in bureaucratic organizations.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 4 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Non-alienative response, 1 = Alienative response.
The scale includes 2 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 0 to 4. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Alienation: 0 – 1
- Moderate Alienation: 2 – 2
- High Alienation: 3 – 4
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Coefficient of reproducibility of 0.91.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 2 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.