Emotional labour within occupational therapy | Valeriana Guijo

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Resumo

Emotional labour within occupational therapy

Valeriana Guijo

Nieves Perdiguero

The aim of this paper is to analyse how different studies on emotional labour can be applied to the workplaces of occupational therapists. Emotional labour is understood as the “management of feeling to create a publicly observable facial and bodily display” (Hochschild, 1983:7). The idea behind this definition is that emotions belonging to the private sphere have now become a good to be exchanged at the marketplace.

The work done by occupational therapists requires close and prolonged contact with patients or users, so it is inevitable for the professional to express emotions during these interactions. A therapist assumes that the control and expression of emotions has an impact on the therapeutic intervention and therefore might try to adapt his or her emotions to the objectives or the image he or she might want to project. Emotions, intrapersonal and subjective, then become a requirement of the professional role.

A comprehensive review of the literature has shown that although there has been an increase of studies about emotional labour in the health sector, there are no studies about how emotional labour is performed within occupational therapy or how it affects therapists. 

Based on the existing literature, this paper discusses how different situations – positive or negative, intense or ruled – are determined by the personal characteristics of the therapist –emotional intelligence, self-control, social skills- and how both factors affect the therapist’s emotional display – surface acting, deep acting or genuine. Finally, this paper explores how emotional labour affects the work effectiveness of the therapy as well as the health and welfare of the professional.

Directions for future research are discussed.