Please read the following case or video and answer the question:

Early research into organizational behaviour tended to ignore emotion in the workplace. The cultural norm that viewed emotion as "feminine", a sign of weakness and inappropriate for "proper" business caused researchers to overlook the true implications of emotions, particularly at work. We now know better.

Cultural expectations to suppress emotion have created many serious and negative consequences. Recent research has shown that denying emotions, suppressing expression of emotion, and general stoicism are directly correlated to poor mental and physical health (Patel & Patel, 2019). In one study by Boehme et al., the impacts of emotion reappraisal (recognizing the emotion and reflecting on why you feel that way, and reframing the situation), acceptance, suppression and passive observance were compared. Anxiety was linked to emotion suppression and people using this approach to emotions were also more likely to ruminate on the event long after, while reappraisal was concluded to be the most effective approach. (Boehme et al., 2019).

Not surprisingly, work cultures that perpetuate emotional stoicism as a value and norm, are not immune to the resulting detrimental effects on employees. Being able to effectively manage emotion at work, and in teams, improves personal resilience, job satisfaction, and ultimately, productivity.

The very good news about emotion is that recent research suggests that not only do we have the ability to choose which emotion strategy we wish to use, but that our choice directly impacts our subjective well being (Ortner et al., 2017). This means that by learning to engage with our emotions in constructive and healthy ways, we can improve our outlook on things. This is great news not only for personal lives, but has important implications for organizations. Ones that promote a culture of healthy emotion, are likely to have happier, more productive employees.

References:

Boehme, S., Biehl, S. & Mhlberger, A. (2019) Effects of Differential Strategies of Emotion Regulation. Brain Sci. 2019, 9(9), 225; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci9090225

Ortner, M., Briner, E., & Marjanovic, Z. (2017) Believing Is Doing: Emotion Regulation Beliefs Are Associated With Emotion Regulation Behavioral Choices and Subjective Well-Being. Europe's Journal of Psychology, 2017, Vol. 13(1), 60-74, https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v13i1.1248

Patel, Jainish & Patel, Prittesh (2019) Consequences of Repression of Emotion: Physical Health, Mental Health and General Well Being. International Journal of Psychotherapy Practice and Research - 1(3):16-21. https://openaccesspub.org/ijpr/article/999

Read this work by Brett Ford of the University of Toronto and and Iris B. Mauss of the University of California, Berkeley entitled, "Emotion Experience and Well-Being" at https://nobaproject.com/modules/emotion-experience-and-well-being

There they explain that when it comes to experiencing emotion, moderation is the key. The balance of positive and negative emotions, with balanced levels of intensity, is ideal.

And this is where the reappraisal comes into play. How we feel in situations is subjective. That is, it is a function of our own perceptions, values and attitudes. The context in which we experience the emotion is therefore, in our control to some degree. While what happens is not our doing, the meaning and interpretation of the event is ours, and it is this context that we create that fuels the emotional reaction.

This is empowering stuff. But to make it useful, you need to understand which pieces of information process first. When something happens and you experience and emotional reaction, there is no pause to set context, the reaction just happens. You find yourself laughing, or crying, or tense, or afraid. It is only if you take the time to reappraise the situation that you can deconstruct it.

I have noticed that I feel "X"?

What happened that caused me to feel this way?

What context did I build around this that is contributing to this emotional reaction?

Are there any parts of this context that are not serving me well that I can re-frame?

Ford, B. & Mauss, I. B. (2020). Emotion experience and well-being. In R. Biswas-Diener & E. Diener (Eds), Noba textbook series: Psychology. Champaign, IL: DEF publishers. Retrieved from http://noba.to/uk6dvwyf

Rather than being subject to our emotions, they are a form of critical feedback. What we do with that information is up to us. Susan David talks about this, and acknowledges why it takes courage to begin this journey, in this TED Talk:

The skills and personal reflection that Susan advocates for in this talk speak to the learning philosophy for this class. Developing the skills to step back, outside of the immediate event and the emotions of it, and to acknowledge, without judgment, but instead with curiosity, your emotional reactions to new experiences will inform your professional development in this course, and thereafter. Take a few moments to reflect on the video. What does this mean for you?

Being emotional, or sharing your emotions, expressing them, talking about them, even recognizing them, is a culturally charged phenomenon. That is, our culture tells us when it is okay to have emotions, which emotions and people will judge us based on our emotional behaviour.

In western cultures, emotions are feminized. In this way, in general, society tends to better accept when women show emotion than when men do. So while Susan David's points are important for all of us to consider, the degree of change required to truly adopt emotional courage isn't the same for all of us. Our gender identify, and what we have learned from our culture, about emotions and what is acceptable, makes emotional courage more difficult for some.

I won't share the entire documentary here, just a trailer for The Mask You Live In, by the Representation Project, which demonstrates how culture and gender identity shape values and behaviour related to emotions for men and boys in the United States.

You can learn more about the film, and see some other short clips at http://therepresentationproject.org/film/the-mask-you-live-in-film/. If you have a Netflix account, you might be able to find the full documentary there.

Question:

What do you think of the idea of Emotional Courage? Record a few comments about what the videos and the reading assignments have meant for you. You could say:

• why you agree, OR
• why you disagree, OR
• how this aligns with what you read about emotions earlier in the lesson OR
• how this could be useful OR
• why you think this wouldn't be useful OR
• something else related to the video that you want me to know

In your response, be sure to refer to the information presented in the module to support your position. Don't forget to CITE your sources, identify quotes or paraphrased work appropriately. You can compare different references related to this idea and show how they align with one another or are different. You can also compare your personal experiences and outlook on this topic to the resources. You aren't limited to the works that are here. If you would like to integrate other professional or scholarly references into your response you are welcome to. Be sure to cite them if you do.