Chapter 4: Workplace Emotions, Attitudes and Stress

Question 1

Emotions (hint: brief)

• definition
• emotions vs. cognition
• emotions vs. moods

Answer 1

= psychological behavioral and psychological episodes that create a state of readiness.

Emotions vs. cognition = most emotions are non-conscious
Emotions vs. Moods = emotions are brief and directed towards somebody or something, moods are longer term

Question 2

Types of emotions

Answer 2

1- High-activation negative emotions
2- High activation positive emotions
3- Low-activation negative emotions
4- Low activation positive emotions

Two features of all emotions (evaluation = approach vs. avoid; good or bad, activation = state of readiness; strong or weak)

Question 3

Attitudes (def)

Answer 3

Attitude = the cluster of beliefs, assessed feelings, and behavioral intentions toward a person, project, or event (called an attitude project).

Question 4

Attitudes vs. emotions

Answer 4

ATTITUTES

1. Judgements about an attitude object
2. Formed in the cognition process (= logical thinking)
3. More stable over time

EMOTIONS

1. Experiences related to an attitude object
2. Formed in the emotion process (= nonconscious)
3. Experiences briefly

e.g., Attitude = “Tigers are beautiful but dangerous”  Emotion = fear

Question 5

Emotions and attitudes BEHAVIOR MODEL

Answer 5

Idea that behavior is influenced by both attitudes and emotions

vs. Traditional attitude model (left side of the model) considers only logic and perceptions, not emotions

Question 6

Beliefs and feelings (def)

Hint: related to attitudes

Answer 6

Beliefs = PERCEIVED facts about the attitude object – formed from experience, other learning

Feelings = conscious positive and negative EVALUATIONS of the attitude object (formed from beliefs about the attitude object)

Example
Beliefs = “Tigers are beautiful but dangerous”
Feelings = “I’d like to see a tiger in a zoo but not in nature”
Behavioral Intentions = “I’d immediately run away if I saw one in the wild”.

Question 7

Behavior and behavioral intentions (def)

Hint: related to attitudes

Answer 7

Behavioral intentions = motivation to engage in a particular behavior regarding the attitude object – formed from feelings – the source and direction of motivation

Behavior = best determined from behavioral intentions (motivation to act).

Question 8

Roles of emotions in attitudes

Answer 8

From attitude and emotions –> Behavior

• Potential conflict = cognitive versus emotional thinking
• Emotions directly affect behavior

From Emotions –> attitude

• Emotional markers attach to incoming sensory information
• We experience emotions from initial information and recalling it (recall activates attached markers)
• Attitudes influenced by cumulative emotional episodes
• We “listen in” on our emotions

Question 9

Cognitive dissonance

• definition
• 3 strategies to reduce

Answer 9

= emotional response to incongruent beliefs, feelings, and behavior

• Violated image of being rational
• Emotion motivates consistency

3 strategies to reduce cognitive dissonance

1. To undo or change behavior - rare and difficult
2. Typically change beliefs and feelings about attitude object
3. Compensate by identifying previous consonant decisions

Question 10

Emotional labor (definition)

Answer 10

Emotional labor = effort, planning and control to express organizationally desired emotions

Some jobs have higher emotional labor demands (typically if working with people)

Question 11

Emotional labor becomes stressful when?

Emotional norms across countries differ

Answer 11

Emotional labor becomes stressful when emotional display is

a. Quite different from actually experienced emotions
b. Contrary to one’s self concept

note: Emotional display norms vary across cultures:
- Expressed emotions discouraged in Ethiopia and Japan
- Expressed emotions allowed of expected in Italy and Brazil

Question 12

Strategies for displaying expected emotions (surface vs. deep)

Answer 12

Surface acting = pretending to experience the expected emotions even though we are experiencing different emotions

Deep acting = producing the emotions that are expected in a particular situation

1. Reframing the situation (“I was polite with an angry client; I passed another test of my skills”)
2. Shifting the attention (“Let’s clean the glasses instead of thinking of that angry client”)

Question 13

Emotional Intelligence Model (purple diagram)

• four classifications
• advantages
• how to encourage

Answer 13

Idea that recognition and regulation of emotions comes from yourself and others

Highest
4.Managements of others’ emotions (OTHERS - REGULATION)
3.Aware of other’s emotions (OTHERS - RECOGNITION)
2.Management of our own emotions (YOURSELF - REGULATION)
1.Aware of our own emotions (YOURSELF - RECOGNITION)
Lowest

EI Outcomes include better teamwork, emotional labor, leadership, decisions involving others, positive mindset in creativity

We can develop EI through - training, coaching, practice, and feedback (age also increases EI)

Question 14

Job related attitudes (mindmap) - OVERVIEW

Answer 14

Job related attitudes depends on
1- Job satisfaction
2- Organizational commitment

Question 15

Job satisfaction (Job-related attitudes)

• definition
• job satisfaction and performance (trend)

Answer 15

Job satisfaction = a person’s evaluation of his/her job and work context = collection of attitudes about different aspects of the job and work context.

Job satisfaction and performance – happy workers are somewhat more productive workers (weak effect)

Question 16

Job satisfaction - EVLN MODEL

Answer 16

Responses to dissatisfaction

• EXIT = leaving the situation, quitting, transferring
• VOICE = changing the situation, problem solving, complaining
• LOYALTY = patiently waiting for the situation to improve
• NEGLECT = reducing work effort or quality, increasing absenteeism

Question 17

Job satisfaction - SERVICE PROFIT CHAIN MODEL

Answer 17

Job satisfaction increases customer satisfaction and profitability because

1. Satisfied employees display more positive emotions, producing more positive customer emotions
2. Satisfied employees have lower turnover, resulting in better quality, more consistent and familiar service

Question 18

Organizational commitment (3 types) - (Job-related attitudes) (ACN)

Answer 18

AFFECTIVE COMMITMENT
= emotional attachment to, identification with, and involvement in an organization
Potential outcomes = lower turnover, higher motivation, and organizational citizenship

–> how to build affective commitment?
1- employee engagement
2- trust

CONTINUANCE COMMITMENT
= an individual’s calculative attachment to an organization
Motives = social/economic loss, lack of alternative employment
Potential outcomes = lower turnover, lower performance, OCB, and cooperation

NORMATIVE COMMITMENT
Motives = obligation, moral duty

Question 19

Stress (distress vs. eustress)

Answer 19

STRESS = adaptive response to situations perceived as challenging or threatening to well-being. Why does it happen? Stress prepares us to adapt to hostile environmental conditions.

There are TWO types of stress:

1. Distress = the degree of physiological, psychological, and behavioral deviation from healthy functioning (= negative)
2. Eustress = activates and motivates people to achieve goals, change their environments, and succeed in life’s challenges (= positive)

Question 20

General adaptation syndrome (model of stress experience) - 3 stages

Answer 20

Stage 1: Initial shock that negatively affects the individual’s energy level and effectiveness
Stage 2: An individual has more energy and engages coping mechanisms to overcome/remove the source of stress
Stage 3: People have a limited resistance capacity (ability to cope falls back down)

Question 21

4 common workplace stressors

Answer 21

1. Organizational constraints = interfere with performance, lack of control (situational factors in the MARS model)
2. Interpersonal conflict = interferes with goals, other’s behavior threatening, includes psychological and sexual harassment
3. Work overload = more hours, intensive work
4. Low task control = worse when responsible but have limited control

Question 22

People experience less stress/negative stress when they have:

Answer 22

1. Better physical health (exercise, lifestyle)
2. Appropriate stress coping strategies
3. Personality = lower neuroticism, and higher extraversion
4. Positive self-concept

Question 23

Managing work-related stress (5 strategies)

Answer 23

1. Remove the stressor = minimize or remove it, work-life balance initiatives
2. Withdraw from the stressor = permanent (transfer) and temporary (vacation) solutions
3. Change stress perceptions = positive self-concept, humor
4. Control stress consequences = healthy lifestyle, fitness, wellness
5. Receive social support = emotional and informational support.