Busick, Cortney Do debt collectors pay a price? Consequences of surface acting. 2021. Radford University, Thesis. Radford University Scholars' Repository.
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Abstract
In some jobs, employees may need to consciously regulate their emotions on a daily basis. Two forms of emotion regulation are surface acting and deep acting. According to prior research, surface acting results in more personally harmful outcomes – both affective and behavioral – to the employee. A proposed mechanism of this negative influence is resource depletion. Research has largely examined the effects of forced displays of positive emotion; little has been directed toward negative surface acting. To this end, the present study examined the consequences that surface acting has on the health behaviors of debt collectors. Debt collectors (N = 33) employed at various universities in the United States and the attendees of a student loans and receivables collection conference were contacted through email to complete surveys. Among this sample, three participants from the conference engaged in a 21-day experience sampling case study. General measures demonstrated that surface acting was related to negative affect, and negative affect was related to unhealthy diet. Likewise, surface acting and negative affect were both related to different dimensions of sleep quality. Daily measures revealed that surface acting and negative affect have negative relationships with health behaviors, in general. One case study in particular, however, raised the question about how coping mechanisms fit into this picture. Future research is needed to explore these relationships and how to combat consequences of surface acting.
| Item Type: | Thesis |
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| Uncontrolled Keywords: | emotional labor, surface acting, deep acting, positive affect, negative affect, diet, exercise, sleep, health |
| Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology |
| Divisions: | Radford University > College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences > Department of Psychology |
| Date Deposited: | 16 Nov 2021 01:38 |
| Last Modified: | 20 Apr 2023 12:53 |
| URI: | http://wagner.radford.edu/id/eprint/734 |
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