C H A P T E R

4
Workplace Emotions and Attitudes

Learning Objectives
AFTER READING THIS CHAPTER , YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO :

I Define emotions and identify the two dimensions around which

emotions are organized.
I Diagram the model of emotions, attitudes, and behaviour. I Identify the conditions that require and problems with emotional

labour.
I Outline the four components of emotional intelligence. I Summarize the effects of job dissatisfaction in terms of the

exit-voice-loyalty-neglect model.
I Compare the effects of affective and continuance commitment

on employee behaviour.
I Describe five strategies to increase organizational commitment. I Contrast transactional and relational psychological contracts. I Discuss the trend towards …show more content…

Second, emotions are directed toward someone or something. We experience joy, fear, anger, and other emotional episodes toward tasks, customers, public speeches we present, a software program we are using, and so on. This contrasts with moods, which are less intense emotional states that are not directed toward anything in particular.4 A third feature of this definition is that we experience emotions both psychologically and physiologically. Your anger toward a co-worker would be triggered from the psychological processes of perceiving a particular situation (e.g., discovering that the co-worker may have erased several hours of your work from the computer system) and appraising that situation against your values and expectations. The physiological dimension of emotions might consist of higher blood pressure and increased adrenalin. It also consists of facial expressions, such as pursing your lips and furrowing your eyebrows when you discover that the computer work has been erased.

emotions Psychological and physiological episodes experienced toward an object, person, or event that create a state of readiness.

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Workplace Emotions and Attitudes

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Last, emotions create a state of readiness. Emotional episodes are communications to ourselves. They make us aware of events that may affect our survival and well-being. Some emotions (e.g., anger, surprise,