Emotion Work in the Gym
Emotional labor is a type of emotion management that occurs when people
modify their actual or displayed emotions to meet the demands of their job.
Research indicates that individuals who feel as though they are acting in line
with their perceived genuine feelings or true selves while they perform
emotional labor typically do not experience negative effects. Workers who
feel that they are acting in a manner that does not reflect their genuine
feelings or is out of line with their true selves, however, generally do experience
negative effects. Nevertheless, precise ways in which authenticity and
emotional labor may interact have not been explored. This study investigates
the ways in which employees at a university recreation center discursively
construct their experiences of emotional labor and feelings of authenticity.
The findings hold potential to improve Communication, Psychology, and
Management scholars' understanding of the relationship between authenticity
and emotional labor. A better understanding of this relationship may
add clarity to researchers' somewhat opaque knowledge of the factors that
mitigate the effects of emotional labor.