Emotions and Identity

Abstract

Processes of identity work and identification are neither purely cognitive nor just behavioural matters but intersected by emotions. In providing an overview of current developments, this chapter seeks to highlight the variety of approaches available to identity researchers interested in emotions in organizations. It describes the various conceptual perspectives that identity scholars adopt in order to fruitfully incorporate emotions into their study of identity in organizations by, for example, highlighting the affective aspects of social identification, understanding emotions as discursive resources, and addressing emotional labour as a form of identity work. Discussing areas for future research the chapter investigates how emotions connect the individual and the social, the role of emotions in organizational members’ responses to social influences on their identities, and the emotional aspects of identity work.