An Invitation to the Sociology of Emotions

Chapter 1: Thinking Sociologically About Emotions

• • 1. Are Emotions Trivial? (No, They Are Pervasive and Crucial)
• • 2. Are Emotions Exclusively Or Primarily Biological? (No, They Are Highly Social)
• • 3. Are Emotions Automatic and Inevitable? (No, They Are Often Contingent and Malleable)
• • 4. Are Emotions Irrational? (Not Necessarily—Thought and Emotion Are Intricately Intertwined)
• • 5. Are Emotions Private and Personal? (They Are Created, Managed, and Even Sold in Public Venues)
• • 6. Are Emotions Indescribable? (People Actively Discuss and Label Feelings On a Daily Basis)
• • 7. Do Emotions Belong Solely to the Realm of Psychology? (No, Sociologists and Other Social Scientists Can Make Valuable Contributions)
• • What Are Emotions?
• • Notes
• • Suggested Readings

Chapter 2: Emotion Norms

• • Six Features of Emotion Norms
• • 1) Emotion Norms Are Pervasive, Yet Often Invisible
• • 2) Emotion Norms Are Enforced By Our Companions and By Ourselves, Via Major and Minor Sanctions
• • 3) Emotion Norms Are Learned Through Direct and Indirect Socialization
• • 4) Emotion Norms Vary Over Time and From Group to Group
• • 5) Emotion Norms Can Be Debatable and Conflicting, Even Within the Same Culture Or Setting
• • 6) Emotion Norms Can Reflect and Perpetuate Inequality
• • Emotional Deviance: How to Violate Emotion Norms
• • Exercises
• • Notes
• • Suggested Readings

Chapter 3: Emotion Management

• • Surface Acting
• • Five Surface Acting Strategies
• • 1) Wording
• • 2) Tone of Voice
• • 3) Facial Expressions
• • 4) Bodily Gestures
• • 5) Clothing
• • Deep Acting
• • Three Deep Acting Techniques
• • 1) Bodily Deep Acting
• • 2) Expressive Deep Acting
• • 3) Cognitive Deep Acting
• • Interpersonal Emotion Management
• • Is Emotion Management Dishonest?
• • Exercises
• • Notes
• • Suggested Readings

Chapter 4: Exchanging Emotions

• • Exchange Theory
• • Four Connections Between Exchange Theory and Emotions
• • 1) Social Exchanges Produce Emotional Outcomes
• • 2) Emotions Are Factored Into Cost–Benefit Analyses, as Inputs
• • 3) People May “Work On” the Emotions They Exchange With Others
• • 4) Emotional Exchanges Occur Against the Backdrop of Emotion Norms and Other Cultural Beliefs
• • Misgivings and Ambivalence: Conflicting Interpretations of Emotional Exchanges
• • Exercises
• • Notes
• • Suggested Readings

Chapter 5: Emotional Labor

• • Four Ways Employers Influence Their Employees’ Emotional Labor
• • 1) Hiring
• • 2) Training
• • 3) Monitoring and Evaluating
• • 4) Advertising
• • Inequality Among Emotional Laborers
• • Gender
• • Race
• • Status
• • Does Emotional Labor Damage Workers?
• • Potential Drawbacks to Performing Emotional Labor
• • Potential Benefits of Doing Emotional Labor
• • What Factors Make Emotional Labor Less Arduous?
• • What’s the Point of this Chapter?
• • Exercises
• • Notes
• • Suggested Readings

Chapter 6: Identifying Emotions

• • Bodily Ambiguity
• • Social Factors That Guide Emotional Identification
• • 1) Vocabularies of Emotion
• • 2) Metaphors
• • 3) Emotion Labels as Perspectives On Situations
• • 4) Emotional Identification as Impression Management
• • 5) Interpersonal Emotional Identification
• • 6) Debating “Who Knows Best” About Emotions
• • 7) Emotional Identification and Emotional Labor
• • Exercises
• • Notes
• • Suggested Readings

Chapter 7: Why Study the Sociology of Emotions?

• • 1. Emotions Are Always a Relevant—and Potentially Fun—Topic
• • 2. Seeing the Familiar in a New Light
• • 3. Drawing Connections Between Disparate Realms
• • 4. Learning About the World, and Yourself, Simultaneously
• • 5. Developing Valuable Skills
• • 6. Preparing for and Advancing in One’s Career
• • 7. Understanding Inequality
• • Conclusion
• • Notes