Emotion & Moods

Posted: September 9th, 2013

Emotion & Moods

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Emotion & Moods

Section A

Emotion is the response to momentous events or objects, coupled with changes in the behavior by an organism. Mood is an overall generalized state encompassing emotions, where the organism remains in a subsequently and long emotional state overtime (Gaulin, Steven and McBurney, 2003). Emotions have the power to upset thought processes if a person in the workplace, leading to the state of the mood being negatively affected. Negative and positive emotions have a considerable effect on the general attitude in the workplace and can lead to success or failure in the achievement of goals and objectives by an organization.

The workplace is comprised of a variety of people with different perceptions, with each viewing a certain event occurring in the organization differently. These different perceptions have a direct outcome on the emotional states of the people. Research by Brief and Weiss, 2002, shows that the events taking place at work have effects and consequences on the workforce, typically group meetings. Such events enable the labor force employed develop emotional states that affect the behavior and attitude, which have a direct significance on the internal environment and the external environment around the firm. Positive emotions have a positive result on the mood of employees. They assist employees in receiving encouraging outcomes such as job completion, increased task activities as well increased social milieu. Abraham, 1999, asserted that positive employees are also able to influence other workmates positively, which results in heightened cooperation among employees in tasks such as projects. Positive people are also able to function under adverse situations due to their positive moods, self-discipline in the achievement of goals and objectives and their tendency to cope with stress. Increased profitability, customer rate and increased investment are some of the gains experienced by an organization due to a positive workforce (Bono, Jackson, Foldes, Vinson, Muros, 2007). Negative emotions disturb the mood or attitude in the organization. Research by Lee and Allen, 2005, supports this by indicating that these pessimistic emotions have the ability to channel negative emotions such as the need to cause strife and damage in the organization, principally the workplace. Workforce strikes, constrained relationships between workers, extreme absenteeism, psychological defects such as cynicism and withholding information by employees are some of the outcomes of negative emotions in a workplace (Canaff & Wright, 2004). Furthermore, Lee and Allen further assert that these negative emotions reduce an organization’s productivity, therefore reducing its financial gains and increase negative public credibility among customers and society in general. An aspect of workplace emotions and moods lies on the employees’ ability to demonstrate positivist attitudes in works. This aspect has been described as emotional labor. Grandey (2000) deduces emotional labor as work where workers are expected to display a variety of emotions to the intended customers. These types of jobs, according to Grandey, are considered a form of emotional regulation where one is expected to adhere to the emotion and mood expected in the work disregarding the employee emotions and general attitude. Jobs found in the service industry such as customer care desks, nurses in hospitals, sales and marketing personnel and actors (Pugh, 2001).

Section B

In order to expound further on the topic of emotions and moods, a self-assessment survey was carried out to raise self-awareness regarding emotions of persons in a group meeting. The group meeting was the ideal set up because ir comprised of different people who had different emotions. A variety of emotion self-awareness tests were carried out, one of them being the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). According to Watson, Clark and Tellegen, 1988, the PANAS scale is composed of two scales based on moods, the first scale measuring positive affect and the other one measuring negative affect. Positive affect conveys the degree to which a person engages pleasurably with the work environment. Negative affect expresses a person’s dismay with the environment. The survey done in the group meeting put the ratio of positive to negative emotion at 36:21. Concerning research by Bono, Jackson, Foldes, Vinson and Muros, 2007, the high rate of positive emotions in the workplace will lead to a profitable organization.

Another test that was used during the survey of the group was the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). The ERQ is designed to evaluate the differences between persons in the applying of three emotion regulation methods: cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression and authentic expression (Gross & John, 2003). Cognitive reappraisal involves changing the way an individual thinks in a negative event. Expressive suppression involves changing the behavior of a person when responding to a negative event. Authentic expression entails the conveying of one’s true emotions and attitudes regarding a negative event. The survey carried out in the workplace tallied the three methods under scores with a maximum of 7. Out of 7, the cognitive reappraisal score was 4.67, the expressive suppression was 5, and the authentic expression score was 4. Most of the workers resort to changing their attitudes regarding a negative event. According to Brief and Weiss, a workplace’s event has a direct correlation to the emotional states of the workforce.

The Self Rated Emotional Intelligence Scale (SREIS) was also another test used for the survey on the different emotions of members in the group meeting. According to Schutte, Rea and Caretta, 2004, SREIS (also known as the Self Report Intelligence Test) is a self-report analysis of emotional intelligence on how individuals are able to assess, recognize and manage their emotions. The survey done was out of a score of 5. The group individuals surveyed put the management of emotion at 3.25, perceiving emotion at 3.33, use of emotion at 3.33, understanding emotion at 3.75 and social management at 3.5, thereby putting the mean of the total emotional intelligence score at 3.63, indicating that a majority of the members of the group are able to handle their emotions even in adverse events. This shows that there are positive employees who have the capacity to influence other workers positively, hence improving productivity of the company. This further emphasizes Abraham’s point on the effects of positive and negative employees in the profitability of an organization.

Section C

1a) Reiterating on emotional labor, an interview was conducted between a researcher and a nurse based on the emotions existent in hospitals. Emotional labor, according to Grandey, involves the modification of the emotions. It can be categorized by either changing the situation one is in to change the emotion, or repress or replicate one’s emotions. Therefore, the emotional labor of the nurse interviewed can be described as emotion suppression because, despite the negative working conditions imposed on the nurses by the managers, the nurses continue to suppress feelings of discontentment and continue working for the sake of the patients.

b) In specific working environments such as hospitals, nurses need to exhibit high levels of emotional labor, which is not only a characteristic among nurses but also part of the requirements for a nurse seeking to work in a hospital. With reference to Pugh’s research on the service industry, the employees are able to affect the clients’ attitude based on the emotion the employee is exhibiting. Pugh also noted that if an employee were in a positive mood, this would have a direct effect on the positive emotions of the client. It is undoubtedly necessary for nurses to exhibit positive emotions and attitudes around patients to ensure they are in a positive mood, and to have a positive financial impact on the hospital, since hospitals are business entities with the main objective of making profits.

2) Concerning Schutte, Ree and Caretta’s research, emotional intelligence encompasses a person’s ability to control their emotions effectively under any situation, whether adverse or favorable. The field of emotional intelligence is separated into five dimensions or parts known as the Five Factor Model. The Five Factor Model is comprised of the basic personalities used in describing people. These personalities include openness, extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness and agreeableness. Openness refers to a person’s level of creativity, curiosity and experience. Extraversion reflects on the positive side of a person about the social context while neuroticism describes an individual’s predisposition to experience negative emotions easily. Conscientiousness is the ability of a person to aspire for success, demonstrate self-discipline and work unquestioningly. Agreeableness is the tendency for a person to be empathetic, supportive and sympathetic to others. A nurse should be able to care for patients and be supportive of them, be social and display positive emotions and be open to experience. The nurse in the interview falls under the category of agreeableness, openness and extraversion.

The work environment in an organization is made up of different people brought together for the achievement of goals and objectives dictated by the organization. In order to ensure that these criteria are achieved, it is necessary for both employer and employee to work together disregarding negative emotions and moods. Thus, it is up to the management to make better working conditions for its workforce and address their plight, and it is important for employees to exercise openness and dedication for the overall welfare of the workplace.

References

Abraham. (1999). Emotional Intelligence in Organizations: A Conceptualization. Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs, 125(2), 209-224. Retrieved from www.apa.org/psycinfo

Bono, Foldes, Vinson & Muros. (2007). Workplace Emotions: The Role of Supervision and Leadership. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(5), 1357-1367. Retrieved from www.apa.org/psycinfo

Brief & Weiss. (2002). Organizational Behavior: Affect in the Workplace. Annu. Rev. Psychol. 53, 279-307. Retrieved from www.apa.org/psycinfo

Canaff & Wright. (2004). High Anxiety: Counseling the Job- Insecure Client. Journal of Employment Counseling, 41(1), 2-10. Retrieved from www.apa.org/psycinfo

Gaulin, Steven & McBurney. Evolutionary Psychology. Prentice Hall. 2003. Chapter 6, p 121-142.

Grandey. (2000). Emotion regulation in the workplace: A new way to conceptualize emotional labor. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 5(1), 95-110. Retrieved from www.apa.org/psycinfo

Lee & Allen. (2002). Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Workplace Deviance: The Role of Affect and Cognitions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(1), 131-142. Retrieved from www.apa.org/psycinfo

Muir. (2006). Emotions At Work. Business Communication Quarterly, 69(4). Retrieved from www.apa.org/psycinfo

Pugh. (2001). Service with a smile: emotional contagion in the service encounter. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 63, 490–509.

Schulte, Ree & Carretta. (2004). Emotional intelligence: Not much more than g and personality. Personality and Individual Differences, 37, 1059–1068.