Introduction
In "The Managed Heart," sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild explores the often-overlooked concept of emotional labor and its impact on our personal and professional lives. This eye-opening book delves into the ways we manage our feelings to meet societal expectations and job requirements, shedding light on the hidden costs and complexities of this essential skill.
The Concept of Emotional Labor
Emotional labor is the conscious management of our feelings to ensure they're appropriate for a particular setting, whether commercial or social. It's a skill that's rarely acknowledged but plays a crucial role in many professions and everyday interactions.
Flight Attendants: The Face of Emotional Labor
One of the most striking examples of emotional labor comes from the world of aviation. Flight attendants are trained to smile "genuinely" and maintain a warm, cheerful demeanor throughout their shifts. This isn't just about being polite; it's a core part of their job description. The small talk and smiles that seem trivial are actually carefully crafted elements of customer service.
While we might not always notice when emotional labor is present, its absence is immediately apparent. Passengers would likely consider the service inadequate if flight attendants didn't engage in this emotional work.
Acting vs. Corporate Emotional Labor
Actors also engage in emotional labor, creating the illusion of experiencing emotions that aren't their own. However, there's a crucial distinction between acting and the emotional labor required in corporate settings:
- Acting involves emotional labor in pursuit of art
- Corporate emotional labor is engineered for profit
This difference highlights the complex nature of emotional labor and its various applications in different fields.
The Hidden Language of Emotions
Our emotions are more than just fleeting feelings; they're powerful signals that reveal our underlying attitudes and values.
The Party Dilemma
Consider a university student who agrees to host a party with an old high school friend. As the event approaches, the student finds herself dreading it and ultimately cancels at the last minute. The relief she feels is a signal that the friendship wasn't as important to her as she might have thought.
This scenario illustrates how our emotions can clash with societal expectations and the rules we've been taught about feelings.
The Airport Goodbye
Imagine saying goodbye to a partner at the airport before they leave for a month-long trip. While they're tearful and emotional, you might be secretly excited about having some alone time. In this situation, you might force yourself to display an appropriate level of sadness to match your partner's emotions.
These examples highlight the existence of unwritten rules about which emotions we should have and when. When our true feelings don't align with these expectations, we often feel guilty or try to force ourselves to feel differently.
The Currency of Emotions
Hochschild introduces the idea that emotional displays can function as a form of currency, with value that fluctuates depending on one's position in a hierarchy.
The Intern and the Expert
Picture an intern seeking advice from a more experienced colleague. After receiving help, the intern might "pay" for the expert's time with effusive thanks and acknowledgment of their busy schedule. This exchange benefits both parties: the intern gets valuable assistance, and the expert receives an ego boost.
However, if this dynamic continues over time, the "exchange rate" can shift. The expert's time becomes more valuable, and simple thanks may no longer suffice. The intern might feel pressured to offer more extreme displays of gratitude or deference.
Power Dynamics and Emotional Rewards
Those in positions of power tend to receive more emotional rewards. For those with less power, emotional labor becomes an unavoidable aspect of their daily lives. Interestingly, those on the receiving end of such flattering behavior often believe it's simply part of their employees' personalities, failing to recognize the underlying power dynamics at play.
Gender and Emotional Labor
One of the most significant insights in "The Managed Heart" is the exploration of how gender impacts emotional labor expectations and experiences.
The Unequal Distribution of Emotional Labor
Hochschild points out that women are often forced to do more emotional labor than men due to unequal power dynamics in society. This imbalance is rooted in historical inequalities related to power, status, and access to financial resources.
For example, statistics from 1980 showed that around 50% of American men received an annual salary over $15,000, compared to only 6% of women. While the situation has improved since then, gender-based inequalities persist.
Emotional Labor as a Financial Asset
Given the challenges women face in obtaining independent financial status, their ability to manage feelings becomes a valuable asset. Women often find themselves straining to remain pleasant and friendly while suppressing feelings of aggression or frustration.
A study conducted at UCLA found that 45% of women deliberately used emotions to get what they wanted, compared to just 20% of men. This disparity highlights how women are more likely to rely on emotional manipulation as a strategy for navigating power imbalances.
The Burden of Interpersonal Labor
In day-to-day life, women find themselves doing far more interpersonal labor than men. This includes activities like:
- Listening patiently and enthusiastically
- Giving advice
- Nurturing others emotionally
While these activities are often seen as inherent aspects of being a woman, Hochschild argues that they are actually compensatory behaviors used to make up for women's disadvantages in terms of power and status.
This gender disparity is evident in the workplace, where emotionally laborious jobs account for half of the positions held by women, but only a quarter of those held by men.
The Consequences of Unequal Emotional Labor
The imbalance in emotional labor expectations has significant consequences for women in both personal and professional spheres.
Dismissal of Women's Opinions
One of the most frustrating effects of this imbalance is that women's opinions are more quickly ignored or rejected than men's. This is partly because the feelings that women carefully manage are often perceived as involuntary or uncontrollable.
When people fail to manage their emotions, women are generally taken less seriously than men:
- A woman losing her temper is often seen as illogical or unreasonable
- A man losing his temper is more likely to be perceived as expressing a strong, rational belief
This double standard is evident in various settings, including healthcare. One study found that doctors are more likely to take men's health complaints seriously than women's, even when presenting with identical symptoms.
The Authority-Emotion Balancing Act
Women in positions of authority face an additional challenge: balancing emotional labor with wielding authority. Many jobs require women to perform emotional labor to make customers feel good while also upholding rules and guidelines. These expectations can often conflict with each other.
For example, flight attendants must enforce strict safety rules while also maintaining a warm, friendly demeanor. Women in these roles may find it harder to enforce rules because passengers take them less seriously due to the emotional labor they perform.
The Hidden Costs of Emotional Labor
While emotional labor is essential in many professions and social situations, it comes with hidden costs that are often overlooked.
Emotional Exhaustion
Constantly managing one's emotions and projecting a specific demeanor can be mentally and emotionally draining. This exhaustion can lead to burnout, decreased job satisfaction, and even mental health issues if not properly addressed.
Authenticity vs. Performance
Engaging in frequent emotional labor can blur the lines between authentic emotions and performed ones. This can lead to a sense of disconnection from one's true feelings or difficulty in expressing genuine emotions in personal relationships.
Undervaluation of Skills
Because emotional labor is often seen as a natural part of certain roles (particularly those dominated by women), the skills required to perform it effectively are frequently undervalued. This contributes to the wage gap and the lack of recognition for the complexity of emotionally demanding jobs.
Recognizing and Valuing Emotional Labor
Hochschild's work highlights the importance of recognizing and valuing emotional labor in both personal and professional contexts.
In the Workplace
Acknowledge emotional labor as a skill: Employers should recognize the importance of emotional labor and include it in job descriptions and performance evaluations.
Provide support and training: Offer resources and training to help employees manage the demands of emotional labor effectively.
Fair compensation: Ensure that jobs requiring high levels of emotional labor are compensated appropriately.
In Personal Relationships
Be aware of emotional labor distribution: Pay attention to who is doing the majority of emotional labor in your relationships and strive for balance.
Communicate openly: Discuss expectations and boundaries around emotional labor with partners, friends, and family members.
Practice reciprocity: Make an effort to reciprocate emotional labor in your relationships, rather than always being on the receiving end.
The Future of Emotional Labor
As our understanding of emotional labor grows, it's likely that we'll see changes in how it's perceived and managed in various spheres of life.
Workplace Evolution
Increased recognition: More companies may begin to formally recognize and reward emotional labor as a valuable skill.
Gender equality initiatives: Efforts to address gender imbalances in emotional labor may become more common in workplace policies.
Technological impact: As AI and automation advance, the nature of emotional labor in customer-facing roles may evolve.
Social Change
Education: Greater awareness of emotional labor concepts may lead to changes in how we socialize children and young adults.
Relationship dynamics: As people become more conscious of emotional labor, personal relationships may see shifts in how emotional work is distributed and valued.
Mental health focus: Increased understanding of the toll of emotional labor may lead to more emphasis on mental health support in various contexts.
Conclusion
"The Managed Heart" offers a profound exploration of emotional labor, shedding light on an often-overlooked aspect of our personal and professional lives. By understanding the complexities of emotional labor, we can:
- Recognize its value in various contexts
- Address inequalities in its distribution, particularly along gender lines
- Develop strategies to manage its demands more effectively
- Work towards a society that acknowledges and values this essential form of work
Arlie Russell Hochschild's insights challenge us to reconsider our assumptions about emotions in the workplace and beyond. As we become more aware of the role emotional labor plays in our lives, we can strive for a more balanced and equitable approach to managing our feelings and interactions with others.
By acknowledging the skill and effort involved in emotional labor, we can create environments that are more supportive, authentic, and ultimately more fulfilling for everyone involved. Whether in our professional roles or personal relationships, understanding and valuing emotional labor is key to fostering healthier, more balanced interactions and a more empathetic society as a whole.