Emotion management of disaster volunteers: the delicate balance between control and recognition

Abstract

Authorities always need help in disaster situations, and in line with the current trend of community resilience, they see support from active citizens as a promising solution. However, the uncontrolled inflow of spontaneous volunteers and other resources into a disaster area poses serious dilemmas for professional responders. The uniqueness of this study lies in its approach to authorities’ management of spontaneous volunteers from the perspective of the sociology of emotions. Drawing on an interactionist perspective of emotions, the objective is to deepen our understanding of how and why professional responders use interpersonal emotion management in interactions with spontaneous volunteers during disasters. We discuss this issue in relation to a specific disaster operation. Building on findings from interviews with personnel from the fire and rescue services, key officials and volunteers involved in the management of a large-scale forest fire in Sweden, we show that professionals’ emotion management in interactions with volunteers requires a balance between the control and recognition of volunteer activities. Specific emotion management techniques and an overarching rule about expressing gratitude to spontaneous volunteers are identified and discussed in relation to the professionals’ rationale for their emotion management. We argue that emotion management is a crucial aspect of the interaction between professionals and volunteers, with important implications for disaster management and the legitimacy of the authorities in the eyes of citizens.