Organisational Behavioure - 23151 Words

ROBBMC08.QXD.0132431521 12/15/05 12:25 PM Page 258 Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them. — David Hume Emotions and Moods After reading this chapter, you should be able to: 1 Differentiate emotions from moods. 5 2 Discuss the different aspects of emotions. Discuss the impact emotional labor has on employees. 6 Identify the sources of emotions and moods. Discuss the case for and the case against emotional intelligence. 7 Apply concepts on emotions and moods to OB issues. 3 4 Describe external constraints on emotions. LEARNING 258 OBJECTIVES ROBBMC08.QXD.0132431521 12/15/05†¦show more content†¦What Are Emotions and Moods? Although we don’t want to obsess over definitions, before we can proceed with our analysis, we need to clarify three terms that are closely intertwined: affect, emotions, and moods. Affect is a generic term that covers a broad range of feelings that people experience. It’s an umbrella concept that encompasses both emotions and moods.5 Emotions are intense feelings that are directed at someone or something.6 Moods are feelings that tend to be less intense than emotions and that often (though not always) lack a contextual stimulus.7 Most experts believe that emotions are more fleeting than moods.8 For example, if someone is rude to you, you’ll feel angry. That intense feeling of anger probably comes and goes fairly quickly, maybe even in a matter of seconds. When you’re in a bad mood, though, you can feel bad for several hours. Emotions are reactions to a person (seeing a friend at work may make you feel glad) or event (dealing with a rude client may make you feel angry). You show your emotions when you’re â€Å"happy about something, angry at someone, afraid of something.†9 Moods, in contrast, aren’t usually directed at a person or event. But emotions can turn into moods when you lose focus on the event or object that started the feeling. And, by the same token, good or bad