Emotion Work in the Gym

Emotional labor is a type of emotion management that occurs when peoplemodify their actual or displayed emotions to meet the demands of their job.Research indicates that individuals who feel as though they are acting in linewith their perceived genuine feelings or true selves while they performemotional labor typically do not experience negative effects. Workers whofeel that they are acting in a manner that does not reflect their genuinefeelings or is out of line with their true selves however generally do experiencenegative effects. Nevertheless precise ways in which authenticity andemotional labor may interact have not been explored. This study investigatesthe ways in which employees at a university recreation center discursivelyconstruct their experiences of emotional labor and feelings of authenticity.The findings hold potential to improve Communication Psychology andManagement scholars' understanding of the relationship between authenticityand emotional labor. A better understanding of this relationship mayadd clarity to researchers' somewhat opaque knowledge of the factors thatmitigate the effects of emotional labor.