I’ve heard “emotional labor” a lot, but this is the first time I’ve read an actual definition.
From the article:
Arlie Hochschild: Emotional labor, as I introduced the term in The Managed Heart, is the work, for which you’re paid, which centrally involves trying to feel the right feeling for the job. This involves evoking and suppressing feelings. Some jobs require a lot of it, some a little of it. From the flight attendant whose job it is to be nicer than natural to the bill collector whose job it is to be, if necessary, harsher than natural, there are a variety of jobs that call for this. Teachers, nursing-home attendants, and child-care workers are examples. The point is that while you may also be doing physical labor and mental labor, you are crucially being hired and monitored for your capacity to manage and produce a feeling.
The Concept Creep of ‘Emotional Labor’
The term has become a central part of an important conversation about the division of household work. But the sociologist who coined it says it’s being used incorrectly.
By Julie Beck
Tengy Thoughts 