Reframing as a Career Strategy in Emotional Labor.

Abstract

Based on extensive literature review of career development, emotional labor, and dialectic theories, this paper has illustrated three potential ways to deal with emotional labor that is part of many people’s career and offered an analysis of how emotional laborers can creatively construct the meaning of work and career happiness out of the self-serving nature. Practical implications are discussed for career training as well. Specially, it suggests that reframing, refocusing, and integrating conflicts can potentially serve as coping strategies to enhance positive career experience for people engaging in emotional labor. The propositions in this paper have some practical implications for career training of emotional workers as well. That is, it is not sufficient for managers and trainers to require workers to display some “positive attitudes.” Behind the emotional display of a positive attitude, there are communicative choices, sense making, and self-persuasion. Therefore, employers need to pay attention to the internal meaning construction process involved in emotional labor. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]