Introduction
Emotional management is an important concept that can be used to explain certain types of social behaviors. In combination with an appropriate sociological perspective, it can be used to predict the emotional responses of individuals in certain situations. The following essay incorporates sociological imagination to establish a connection between personal experience and emotional management and apply the conflict theory to further substantiate the conclusions using the personal experience obtained during a remote job.
Personal Example
An example of my personal experience relevant to the topic was obtained during a part-time job. The performed tasks had to comply with relatively high standards of quality but were compensated generously, so initially, it created an impression of a fair offer. However, over time I started noticing inconsistencies in the requirements posed by the management. In separation, these inconsistencies could be downplayed, and the received payment was sufficient for tolerating them. Nevertheless, over time it became apparent that these details accumulate into a major detriment to my emotional well-being and, by extension, performance on the job. As a result, I decided to quit the job in question.
Emotional Management
From the emotional management perspective, it is possible to attribute the described scenario to the expected adverse reaction to violations of workplace ethics. An individual is expected to get angry upon encountering the unfair actions, especially those conflicting with the widely accepted practices. By this principle, I started to question the feasibility of the job as soon as the adverse emotional reaction became more apparent than the perception of a fair financial reward.
The concept of emotional management deals with the principles of experience in the context of social expectations and norms. From the emotional management standpoint, individuals tend to respond to emotional triggers in a way that is either expected or acceptable on a social level. In other words, it is reasonable to assume that an emotionally challenging event, such as the termination of a relationship, will trigger certain negative emotions.
Interestingly, the intensity and scale of these emotions are also determined to some extent by social norms and expectations. For instance, in contemporary society, such a course of events is expected to lead to a certain period of mourning which, while not clearly defined, does have its margins.
For this reason, the actions of a person who decides to openly engage in a new relationship soon after ending the previous one will likely be viewed as incompatible with ethical norms (even though no such norms are formulated and no specific time frames exist that can be used as guidelines). Understandably, the norms in question change by the evolution of values in society. Therefore, the occurrence of the scenario above in the European setting in the eighteenth century would probably lead to more dramatic consequences (suicide would be a much more plausible outcome).
Emotional management affects a wide range of responses that are not confined to the personal domain. For example, people in contemporary society react negatively to signs of gender, racial, or cultural inequality, which constitutes a fairly recent social change. While at least some people do so by their values, it would be reasonable to assume that at least some of exhibit this reaction because it is expected of them. In some cases, the phenomenon can be observed on a national scale. For instance, the Japanese are known to feel obliged to perform extra work at the expense of their time. As a result, a significant proportion of the adult population works overtime – not because of the existence of clearly defined requirements, by feeling rules characteristic for their society.
Relevant Theory
At this point, it is reasonable to incorporate the conflict theory into the discussion. The basic principles of the theory include the concept of class conflict – the existence of inequality in privileges between different classes. The theory postulates that over time, disadvantaged classes become aware of the inconsistencies and start seeking ways of bridging the gap in the process known as class consciousness. In this regard, my growing awareness of the violations of the widely accepted principles of workplace ethics can be viewed as a starting point of the conflict.
Consequently, my attempts to negotiate better conditions can be considered an initial response, consistent with the formation of labor unions on a larger scale. Finally, my decision to seek a job with fairer conditions aligns with the expectation that conflict in the workplace contributes to the stabilization of the market. While my actions were triggered by ethical rather than financial inequality, it is fair to conclude that they fall within the expected course of action according to the conflict theory.
Conclusion
As can be seen from the information above, the experience in many domains of life is consistent with the principles of emotional management. The use of sociological imagination in the provided example suggests that the level of integrity that is considered insufficient by the accepted standards can undermine an otherwise acceptable scenario. In certain cases, the situation can be better understood by incorporating the principles of conflict theory.