Service jobs require workers to perform and suppress feelings for pay
Evidence
In her book The Managed Heart, Arlie Hochschild defined emotional labor as that which “requires one to induce or suppress feelings in order to sustain the outward countenance that produces the proper state of mind in others.” Emotional labor is a type of performance integrated into the nature of the job itself. For example, a hostess at a gourmet restaurant must, with her mannerisms, facial expressions, and the tone of her voice, embody the overall image of the chef and the food as well as extend seemingly genuine care to her customers. This type of forced behavior for a desired emotional affect occurs in varying degrees down the food chain of service work, as Deborah Cameron describes in her study of call center workers, who are required to evoke “smiling,” sincerity, and confidence while on the telephone with customers. — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 506
Categorization
- DEFINE: Introduces Hochschild’s canonical definition of emotional labor, which is foundational for understanding influencer self-presentation.
- XREF: Connects to Hochschild’s The Managed Heart and to service work studies in sociology; parallels the reader’s earlier material on emotional performance. — connects to: Division of labour in services destroys the very comfort it is meant to provide; Officer spouses face career-linked pressure to perform unpaid community labor. — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 460; Society compels laborers to sublimate diversionary drives into focused work — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 1409 (+3 more)
Broader Connections
- Division of labour in services destroys the very comfort it is meant to provide
#complicates(0.80) - Society compels laborers to sublimate diversionary drives into focused work
#corroborates(0.80) — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 1409 - Appearing idle at work threatens the social order more than actual distraction does
#expands(0.75) — Jenny Odell, How to Do Nothing, 241 - Officer spouses face career-linked pressure to perform unpaid community labor.
#exemplifies(0.72) — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 460