Doctoral Dissertation Research: Emotion Management in the Workplace: Performance and Consequences

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This research is concerned with the performance of emotion management in the workplace. The control and expression of emotions in interactions with others. Emotion management is required in many types of work. For example, in encounters with customers and clients, many workers must act cheerful and friendly, regardless of their true feelings. In addition, within the workplace, workers manage their emotions in order to act appropriately in interactions with coworkers and superiors. However, by concealing their true feelings and expressing false outward emotions, workers may suffer from psychological distress. Previous research suggests that these consequences vary by the worker=s status in the workplace hierarchy, occupation, self-concept, and attitude toward the emotion management that she performs. The objectives of this research are to identify the conditions under which workers perform emotion management, the link between emotion management and psychological outcomes, how workers of varying statuses are differentially affected by emotion management, and the factors that affect the relationship between emotion management and distress. These relationships will be tested using quantitative data from a mail survey of a random sample of 2,500 Tennessee state workers. This sample presents a unique opportunity to study the emotional experiences of workers from a wide range of jobs and social statuses. The broader impacts of this research include the following: This research will advance the sociology of emotions literature by integrating theories and research on emotional expression and social status with the research on emotion management in the workplace. By identifying the conditions under which emotion management is associated with psychological distress, policy makers can take steps to prevent more serious consequences such as depression and worker burnout. Managers will be interested in the effects of emotion management on worker well-being as they pertain to organizational outcomes including worker productivity and turnover. By identifying factors that lessen the impact of emotion management on psychological distress, this research may inform educators and employee training programs on strategies to help employees deal with the emotional requirements of a job. Finally, this project will collect an original quantitative dataset that can be used in future research.