The Managed Heart Summary
The Managed Heart
Although originally written in 1983, The Managed Heart is still an up to date look at an interesting concept: combining emotional feelings with the work one does. At first glance, the notion that emotions may have an impact on one’s work environment seems almost a non-issue. However, Hochschild is not saying that; rather, Hochschild looks at the effect of emotions in the workplace, but also the interaction of those emotions with the work itself. The author’s interest in this topic began at an early age, 12, when she recounts an event in her life: her parents, part of the U.S. Foreign Service, entertained diplomats. Hochschild describes the question that came to her mind as she looked up into the smiling face of a diplomat: was the smile real, or that of an actor, assuming a particular role expected of them in a specific situation? (ix) This puzzlement led the author from C. Wright Mills’ theory of how one sells their personality to Goffman’s theories of how one tries to control their appearance before others in an effort to observe rules as to how one should appear to others. For Hochschild however, there was still an integral part of the puzzle missing, which led her on the quest of exactly where and how do our emotions play a role in what we do day in and day out. This question led Hochschild to act as an observer while conducting ethnographical research in the lives of those in the service industry: flight attendants and bill collectors. Hochschild observed how flight attendants feelings were stifled, at great cost to the personal self in an effort to use the right emotions needed for their job. Training sessions at Delta hammered in the reminders to smile: “Your smile is your biggest asset…smile. Really smile. Really lay it on. (p 4)” They are paid to smile; that smile is more than just offering a cup of coffee or bag of peanuts to a guest. That smile becomes the representation of the company, in this instance, Delta, and with that
Although originally written in 1983, The Managed Heart is still an up to date look at an interesting concept: combining emotional feelings with the work one does. At first glance, the notion that emotions may have an impact on one’s work environment seems almost a non-issue. However, Hochschild is not saying that; rather, Hochschild looks at the effect of emotions in the workplace, but also the interaction of those emotions with the work itself. The author’s interest in this topic began at an early age, 12, when she recounts an event in her life: her parents, part of the U.S. Foreign Service, entertained diplomats. Hochschild describes the question that came to her mind as she looked up into the smiling face of a diplomat: was the smile real, or that of an actor, assuming a particular role expected of them in a specific situation? (ix) This puzzlement led the author from C. Wright Mills’ theory of how one sells their personality to Goffman’s theories of how one tries to control their appearance before others in an effort to observe rules as to how one should appear to others. For Hochschild however, there was still an integral part of the puzzle missing, which led her on the quest of exactly where and how do our emotions play a role in what we do day in and day out. This question led Hochschild to act as an observer while conducting ethnographical research in the lives of those in the service industry: flight attendants and bill collectors. Hochschild observed how flight attendants feelings were stifled, at great cost to the personal self in an effort to use the right emotions needed for their job. Training sessions at Delta hammered in the reminders to smile: “Your smile is your biggest asset…smile. Really smile. Really lay it on. (p 4)” They are paid to smile; that smile is more than just offering a cup of coffee or bag of peanuts to a guest. That smile becomes the representation of the company, in this instance, Delta, and with that