Emotional Labor, Burnout, and Inauthenticity: Does Gender Matter?

Abstract

A number of researchers have examined the conditions under which individuals perform emotional labor and the effects of such labor on psychological well-being. Much of this research has been limited to the experiences of service-sector workers in highly gender-segregated jobs. Prior survey research also tended to focus on dimensions of interactive work rather than on the actual management of feeling that is the foundation of the emotional labor process. Addressing each of these issues, we examine the experience and management of positive, negative, and agitated emotions Building on prior theory and research, we argue that the management of agitation is the form of emotional labor most likely to be associated with increased feelings of burnout and inauthenticity, and that this negative effect on well-being should be more common among women. We find that managing feelings of agitation increases burnout and inauthenticity and that inauthenticity is most pronounced among those experiencing the highest levels of agitation. These effects do not differ by gender, however.