The Managed Heart

In The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling (1983), Arlie Russell Hochschild explores the concept of emotional labor, or employers’ requirements for employees to manage and display certain emotions as part of their job. She focuses on the commodification of emotions, particularly in service industries, and examines its gendered nature and psychological impacts, revealing the social and economic implications of such demands on workers and society.

This guide refers to the 2003 Twentieth Anniversary Edition published by the University of California Press.

Summary

The Managed Heart examines the concept of emotional labor and its commodification, focusing on the impact of managing emotions in personal and professional contexts, particularly on women. In the Preface and Chapters 1-2, the author examines emotional labor and its implications across personal and professional domains. She reflects on her early observations of diplomatic interactions and the authenticity of emotions, which sparked her interest in how people manage feelings. Influenced by theorists like C. Wright Mills and Erving Goffman, the author delves into how societal norms and cultural expectations shape the different emotional demands on men versus women, using examples in professions like flight attendants and bill collectors. She explores the challenges workers face to maintain a sense of self while performing emotional labor, highlighting the tension between genuine feelings and the need to display “correct” emotions for a wage.