Response-focus Emotion Regulation and Individual Well-being

Emotion regulation can threat one s feelings of authenticity and therefore, may have negative outcomes for personal well-being. I argue that surface acting will be more or less stressful, depending on how individuals view their self-concept. Recent literature suggest that individuals identify with one (or more) of three self-concept levels: individual, relational or collective. Individuals with relational and collective identities should view emotional regulation as a mean to affirming their personal identity, and therefore will be more likely to see such behaviour as non-stressful and even rewarding. In contrast, those with strong individual identity will be more likely to see emotion regulation as a threat to personal agency, inducing stress. The study of service sector employees exposed some direct relationships between levels of self-concept, emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction, which may suggest that the interaction of surface acting and levels of self-concept may be significant with a larger sample size. Future research implications for emotion regulation literature and practical suggestion for minimizing job burnout and increasing job satisfaction are proposed.