🥸intro to psychology review

key term - Emotional Labor

Definition

Emotional labor refers to the management of feelings and expressions to fulfill the emotional requirements of a job. It involves regulating one\'s own emotions and displaying appropriate emotions to customers, clients, or coworkers in order to achieve organizational goals.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

  1. Emotional labor is particularly important in service-oriented jobs where employees are expected to display specific emotions, such as friendliness and empathy, regardless of their actual feelings.
  2. Performing emotional labor can lead to emotional exhaustion and burnout over time, as employees must constantly suppress or modify their true emotions.
  3. Organizations often provide training and support to help employees develop effective emotional labor strategies, such as deep acting, to better manage job-related emotional demands.
  4. The extent to which emotional labor is required can vary greatly across different occupations, with some jobs like customer service requiring significantly more emotional labor than others.
  5. Research has shown that the ability to effectively engage in emotional labor is a key skill for success in many professions, as it allows employees to build stronger relationships with customers and coworkers.

Review Questions

  • Describe the concept of emotional labor and explain how it is relevant in the context of organizational psychology.
    • Emotional labor refers to the management of feelings and expressions that employees must engage in to fulfill the emotional requirements of their jobs. In the context of organizational psychology, emotional labor is particularly important for service-oriented roles where employees are expected to display specific emotions, such as friendliness and empathy, regardless of their actual internal feelings. The ability to effectively perform emotional labor is a key skill for success in many professions, as it allows employees to build stronger relationships with customers and coworkers. However, constantly suppressing or modifying one\'s true emotions can lead to emotional exhaustion and burnout over time, making the management of emotional labor a critical aspect of organizational psychology.
  • Differentiate between the concepts of surface acting and deep acting as they relate to emotional labor, and explain how each strategy can impact employee well-being.
    • Surface acting and deep acting are two distinct strategies that employees can use to engage in emotional labor. Surface acting involves feigning emotions that are different from one\'s true feelings in order to meet job requirements, while deep acting involves trying to actually feel the emotions that are expected to be displayed. Surface acting can be more psychologically taxing for employees, as it requires constantly suppressing their genuine emotions and putting on a false persona. This can lead to emotional dissonance and increased risk of burnout. In contrast, deep acting, where employees try to align their internal feelings with the required emotional expressions, can be less draining and even lead to more authentic interactions with customers or clients. However, deep acting also requires significant emotional effort and can still contribute to emotional exhaustion over time. Organizations often provide training and support to help employees develop effective emotional labor strategies to better manage the job-related emotional demands they face.
  • Evaluate the potential organizational and individual-level consequences of emotional labor, and discuss strategies that organizations can implement to support employees in managing the demands of emotional labor.
    • Emotional labor can have significant consequences at both the organizational and individual level. At the organizational level, the effective performance of emotional labor is crucial for service-oriented roles, as it allows employees to build stronger relationships with customers and clients, ultimately contributing to organizational success. However, the constant demands of emotional labor can also lead to emotional exhaustion and burnout among employees, which can negatively impact productivity, job satisfaction, and employee retention. At the individual level, engaging in emotional labor, particularly through surface acting, can be psychologically draining and contribute to increased stress and anxiety. This can have detrimental effects on employee well-being and overall quality of life. To support employees in managing the demands of emotional labor, organizations can provide training on effective emotional labor strategies, such as deep acting, as well as offer counseling, mentorship programs, and opportunities for emotional recovery. Additionally, organizations can consider adjusting job design and work environments to minimize the emotional strain placed on employees, ultimately promoting a healthier and more sustainable approach to emotional labor.