"There goes another little chip of your heart": Exploring the intersections of communication, emotional labor, and age

Lindsey B Anderson, Purdue University

Abstract

The aging population is contributing to the "graying" of the workforce. This trend combined with the emotional labor requirements of a service economy has important implications for organizations. However, the prospect of an older workforce may be of concern for employers due in part to problematic intergenerational communication and the negative stereotypes associated with age. While aging is often viewed as a time of decline, there are improvements that occur across the life-span. One such area is emotion regulation, which has been studied extensively through Carstensen's Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (SST). The framework of SST can be used in order to better understand age-based differences and emotion regulation in the workplace. If certain populations are able to regulate their emotions, then it would lead to the assumption that older employees might be better equipped to perform certain organizational tasks, like emotional labor. The intersection of communication, emotional labor, and age was studied in order to better understand age-based differences regarding emotions in the workplace. Specifically, five research questions were developed to explore the way communication, age, emotions and work intersect. RQ1: How do older nurses differ from their younger counterparts in the way they describe emotional workplace experiences? RQ2: Are older nurses more resilient in terms of dealing with emotional labor? If so, how is this resiliency enacted? RQ3: How do nurses' goals impact their workplace emotions? RQ4: What communication-based strategies do different age groups utilize in order to perform emotionally laborious jobs? RQ5: How does intergenerational communication impact workplace emotions? In order to answer these research questions, current nurses (CNAs, LPNs, and RNs) who work in a variety of healthcare settings (e.g., nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and hospitals) were recruited to talk about their workplace emotions. Nursing, as an occupational field, was selected because of the emotional nature of the job and the patient-oriented occupational culture. I conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with practicing nurses in order to develop an understanding of how emotional labor is conceptualized and communicatively constructed by varying age-groups. The corresponding transcripts were then coded thematically within the theoretical frameworks of SST and emotional labor while focusing on attribute-related information and emotional features of the data. Findings based on the completed interviews indicate that older nurses are better at dealing with emotionally laborious situations as they tended to focus on the positive aspects of their work, were more resilient following emotional experiences, prioritized emotion goals, and utilized deep acting strategies. Key findings highlight the way intergenerational communication serves as a foundation from which emotions are constructed, emerge, and are sustained in a workplace context.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Morgan, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Communication

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