Korean J Community Nutr.  2011 Oct;16(5):592-601. 10.5720/kjcn.2011.16.5.592.

The Effects of Individual Emotional Characteristics on Emotional Labor of School Dietitians

• Cho WJ
• Yang I
• Choi HS
• Lee HY

• KMID: 2267321
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5720/kjcn.2011.16.5.592

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of individual emotional characteristics (empathetic concern and emotional contagion) on emotional labor (frequency of emotional display, intensity and variety of emotional display, surface acting, and deep acting) of school dietitians. Data was collected through a questionnaire survey of 309 school dietitians and then analyzed statistically by SPSS 18.0 package program. The results of this study were as follows: empathetic concern (3.93) occurred more often than emotional contagion (3.22) in school dietitians. The older (p < 0.001) and more experienced (p < 0.01) they were, the higher empathetic concern they had. It showed that married dieticians (p < 0.001), nutrition teachers (p < 0.01), and dieticians who were working in elementary schools (p < 0.01) had a higher rate of empathetic concern than single dieticians, non-nutrition teachers, and dieticians who were working in middle and high schools, respectively. Their level of emotional labor was the highest in deep acting (3.32), followed by surface acting (3.28), frequency (3.12), intensity and variety (3.09). According to multiple regression analysis, emotional contagion proved to be strongly significant and positively related to frequency of emotional display (beta = 0.257, p < 0.001). Both empathetic concern (beta = 0.117, p < 0.05) and emotional contagion (beta = 0.162, p < 0.01) were positively related to intensity and variety of emotional display, and empathetic concern (beta = 0.173, p < 0.01) had also an effect on deep acting. These results suggested that the emotional labor of school dietitians should be managed on the organizational viewpoint, not a personal matter.

Keyword

individual emotional characteristics; emotional labor; surface acting; deep acting; school dietitian

MeSH Terms

Humans
Surveys and Questionnaires

Reference

1. Adelmann PK. Sauter SL, Murph LR, editors. Emotional labor as a source of job stress. Organizational risk factors for job stress. 1995. Washington DC: American Psychological Association;371–381.

2. Ashforth BE, Humphrey RH. Emotional labor in service roles: The influence of identity. Acad Manage Rev. 1993. 18(1):88–115.

3. Brotheridge CM, Lee RT. Development and validation of the emotional labor scale. J Occup Organ Psychol. 2003. 76(3):365–379.

4. Choi HS, Kim OH, Lim HC. The effects of job characteristics and individual emotional characteristics to emotional labor in the service industry. Daehan J Bus. 2008. 19(5):1943–1966.

5. Choi HS, Lim HC, Jeong MG. The determinants of employees' emotional labor in call centers. Korean Corp Manag Rev. 2008. 15(2):53–68.

6. Choo HJ, Kim HS, Jun DG. The effect of a salesperson's affectivity and the performance stressor on emotional labor at the department stores. J Korean Soc Clothing Text. 2010. 34(3):411–423.

7. Chu KHL. The effects of emotional labor on employee work outcome. 2002. irginia Polytechnic Institute and State University;149–154. Ph.D thesis.

8. Davis MH. Measuring individual differences in empathy: Evidence for a multidimensional approach. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1983. 44(1):113–126.

9. Davis MH, Mitchell KV, Hall JA, Lothert J, Snapp T, Meyer M. Empathy, expectations, and situational preferences: Personality influences on the decision to participate in volunteer helping behavior. J Pers. 1999. 67(3):469–503.

10. Diefendorff JM, Grosserand RH. Understanding the emotional labor process: A control theory perspective. J Organ Behav. 2003. 24(8):945–959.

11. Grandey AA. Emotion regulation in the workplace: A new way to conceptualize emotional labor. J Occup Health Psychol. 2000. 5(1):95–110.

12. Goffman E. The presentation of self in everyday life. 1959. New York: The overlook press;309.

13. Hatfield E, Caccioppo JT, Rapson RL. Emotional contagion. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press;5.

14. Hess U, Blairy S, Philippot P. Facial reactions to emotionalfacial expressions: Affect or cognition? Cogn Emot. 1998. 12(4):509–531.

15. Hochschild AR. The managed heart: Commercialization of human feeling. 1983. Berkeley: University of California Press;7.

16. James N. Emotional labour: Skill and work in the social regulation of feelings. Sociol Rev. 1989. 37(1):15–42.

17. Jung HY, Kim HA, Yang IS. Verification on the effectiveness of emotional leadership of branch managers on organizational performance in contracted foodservice company : Through the construction of a structural equation model. J Korean Home Econ Assoc. 2007. 45(4):109–120.

18. Kim HA. Contribution of emotional labor to job stress of dietitians in school foodservice. Korean J Food Cookery Sci. 2010. 26(1):41–53.

19. Kim HA, Jung HY. A verification on the effectiveness of middle managers' emotional leadership in foodservice management companies. J Korean Soc Food Sci Nutr. 2007. 36(4):488–498.

20. Kim MJ. A comparative study of the consequences of emotional labor between Korea and USA : Focused on the relationship between the hotel employees' emotional labor and their job stress. Korean J Hosp Adm. 2006. 15(1):35–67.

21. Kim SP. The effects of individuals' characteristics, interaction characteristics, and control mechanisms on emotional labor strategies. Korean Manag Rev. 2007. 36(2):355–384.

22. Kruml SM, Geddes D. Exploring the dimensions of emotional labor: The heart of Hochschild's work. Manag Commun Q. 2000. 14(1):8–49.

23. Kuenz J. Fish S, Jamerson F, editors. Working at the rat. Inside the mouse: Work and play at Disney World. 1995. Durham, NC: Duke University Press;110–162.

24. Leidner R. Fast food, fast talk: Service work and the routinization of everyday life. 1993. Berkeley: University of California Press;220–227.

25. Liu Y, Hochwater W, Kacmar C. Dispositional antecedents and consequences of emotional labor at work. J Leadersh and Organ Stud. 2004. 10(4):12–25.

26. Liu Y, Prati LM, Perrewe PL, Ferris GR. The relationship between emotional resources and emotional labor. J Appl Soc Psychol. 2008. 38(10):2410–2439.

27. Martin SE. Police force or police service? Gender and emotional labor. Ann Am Acad Pol Soc Sci. 1999. 561(1):111–126.

28. Mehrabian A, Epstein N. A measure of emotional empathy. J Pers. 1972. 40(4):525–543.

29. Miller KI, Stiff JB, Ellis BH. Communication and empathy as precursors to burnout among human service workers. Commun Monogr. 1988. 55(3):250–265.

30. Mills T, Kleinman S. Emotions, reflexivity, and action: An interactionist analysis. Soc Forces. 1988. 66:1009–1027.

31. Morris JA, Feldman DC. The dimensions, antecedents, andconsequences of emotional labor. Acad Manage Rev. 1996. 21(4):986–1010.

32. Park DS, Chun MG, Chung SH. A conceptualization and antecedents of emotional labor. J Organ Manag. 2005. 29(4):133–167.

33. Park SE. The effects of emotional dissonance on the employee's job attitudes and the moderating role of job autonomy and social supports. Korean Manag Rev. 2009. 38(2):379–405.

34. Thoits PA. The sociology of emotions. Annu Rev Sociol. 1989. 15:317–342.

35. Trougakos JP, Beal DJ, Green SG. Making the break count: An epsodic examination of recovery activities, emotional experiences, and positive affective displays. Acad Manage J. 2008. 51(1):131–146.

36. Verbeke W. Individual differences in emotional contagion of salespersons: Its effect on performance and burnout. Psychol Mark. 1997. 14(6):617–636.