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Summary
This paper addresses itself to a long-neglected topic in organizational behavior: emotions in the workplace. Possible reasons for this neglect are presented, as well as emerging reasons for its consideration. It is proposed that the workplace is a rich arena for the manifestation of human emotions, both positive and negative. An examination of emotions in the workplace has both a theoretical and practical appeal, and may serve to help bridge the scientist-practitioner gap. Copyright (c) 2000 John Wiley &Sons, Ltd.
Introduction
Lewis and Haviland (1993), in their seminal Handbook of Emotions, cogently expressed the fundamental thesis of this paper:
No one would deny the proposition that in order to understand human behaviors, one must understand feelings. The interest in emotions has been enduring; however, within the discipline of psychology at least, the study of feelings and emotions has been somewhat less than respectable. Learning, cognition, and perception have dominated what have been considered the legitimate domains of inquiry . . .However, with the emergence of new paradigms in science, we have seen a growing increase of interest in the study of emotion. No longer the outcast that it was, the study of emotion has been legitimized by the development of new measurement techniques, as well as by new ways to conceptualize behavior and feelings (p. ix).
The specialized (r)eld of industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology has generally followed the path of its parent discipline in its neglect of emotions. The reasons for this neglect are understandable but nonetheless specious. Feelings and emotions are at the core of the human experience. Furthermore, we spend more of our lives engaged in work than any other single activity. The logical conclusion would be that as a discipline concerned with behavior in the workplace, I/O psychology would be at the forefront in explaining the role of emotions at work. Obviously, however, such is not the case. How, then, can we explain our reluctance to formally address emotions in the workplace?
One explanation lies in our assumptions about organizations and successful role occupants. Perhaps best expressed in William H. Whyte's classic book entitled The Organization Man, published in 1956, Whyte spoke of effective business people as being logical, reasoned, rational decision makers. Emotions were regarded as unwanted influences which deflected...