Ricerc@Sapienza

Assuming as acquired the classic relationship between capitalism and spirit, the present essay
dwells on a further transformation of this combination through the idea of “spiritual capitalism”.
Partially different from the capitalism “originated” by religion, and from the capitalism
“as” religion, the spiritual capitalism undertakes new conceptual forms preserving the most
penetrating imperialisms of the soul. The contextual framework of this essay is, therefore,
centered on the socio-economic structure of capitalism in the for profit organizations. The
research hypothesis concerns the ways and the means by which this new form capitalism affects
the lives of workers by producing new modes of alienation and psycho-behavioral pathologies.
The methodology adopted in this research is theoretical and grounded on the most
preeminent contributions from classical and contemporary sociology. The analysis suggests
that the hypothesis on the rise of a new form of alienation, that is the “disconfirmation of
social value”, is confirmed and constitutes a key to explain the social causes of the most frequent
emergent pathologies in modern society, such as burnout, anxiety, panic attacks and
addiction.