Learning the Ropes of Emotion Labor: How are Certified Nursing Assistants Socialized to Manage Emotion?
Abstract
This project explores the organizational socialization of emotion among certified nursing
assistants employed in nursing homes. Six certified nursing assistants in the encounter
phase of organizational socialization participated in this study which seeks to understand
how certified nursing assistants learn the ropes of emotion labor. The results of this study
offer partial support of Scott and Myers (2005) research as results indicate four essential
categories of new certified nursing assistants' experiences: (a) customer service
Ill
expectations, (b) repeated exposure to emotional events, ( c) observational-infonnation
seeking, and (d) being selected for emotion management capacity. Additionally, this study
describes the workplace emotion new certified nursing assistants experience during the
encounter phase of organizational socialization. This study concludes with theoretical and
practical applications and suggests areas for future research.