Russell, SV orcid.org/0000-0002-4251-3969 and Victoria, S (2022) Exploring the Emotional Experiences and Coping Strategies of Sustainability Change Agents. In: Humphrey, RH, Ashkanasy, NM and Troth, AC, (eds.) Emotions and Negativity. Research on Emotion in Organizations, 17 . Emerald Publishing , Bingley, UK , pp. 35-61. ISBN 9781801172011
Abstract
Purpose: In this chapter we examine the emotional experience and identity of sustainability change agents and advance understanding of their emotion management strategies. We explore how sustainability change agents experience, manage, and respond to the negative emotions that arise in the course of their jobs. Study Design: We took a mixed-method and multimodal approach to answer our research questions. Using a narrative approach, we collected data using in-depth narrative interviews and supplemented this with quantitative measurement of participants' heart rate and sweat response during the interviews. Findings: Our results confirm that sustainability change agency is an emotionally laden profession. Furthermore, we found that sustainability change agents use three different coping mechanisms including emotion-focused coping (EFC) (“rational avoiders”), problem-focused coping (PFC) (“committed go-getters”), and meaning-focused coping (MFC) (“green philosophers”). Originality: Our research shows that sustainability change agents experienced strong negative emotions in relation to their jobs and they employed one of the three coping styles: EFC, PFC, or MFC. We found that MFC was an isolated cognitive appraisal style, rather than a form of EFC. These findings provide a starting point for further work to help sustainability change agents avoid potential burnout and continue to contribute to the future health of the planet while at the same time maintain their personal well-being.
Metadata
Item Type: | Book Section |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2022 by Emerald Publishing Limited. This is an author produced version of an article published in Emotions and Negativity. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Burnout; Coping; Emotions; Heart rate; Stress management; Sustainability change agents; Sweat response |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number EU - European Union 632035 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 01 Dec 2021 10:30 |
Last Modified: | 30 May 2023 22:36 |
Published Version: | https://books.emeraldinsight.com/book/detail/emoti... |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Emerald Publishing |
Series Name: | Research on Emotion in Organizations |
Identification Number: | 10.1108/S1746-979120210000017009 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:181042 |