Evaluate Arlie Hoshschild's Social Therory of Human Emotions

A detailed Summary of Evaluate Arlie Hoshschild's Social Therory of Human Emotions

Evaluate Arlie Hochschild's social theory of human emotions.

The study of emotion is relatively new to the sociological arena. Writers have, in the past touched on the subject in relation to their particular theories. Marx for example uses the concept of alienation as a key part to his meta-theory of society. However, it was not until recently, that a ¥sociology of emotion' had been studied as an isolated concept. The American writer and social theorist, Arlie Hochschild is seen as one of the key writers to address the social aspects of emotion in a more direct way than previous writers. Hochschild's work raises a number of important points that go towards a social study of emotions. ¥Emotion management', ¥feeling rules' and ¥emotional labour' are just some of the concepts Hochschild has brought to the debate.

This paper will attempt to provide a critique of Hochschild's social theory of human emotions. Firstly, the paper will highlight the key concepts and ideas that Hochschild raises in her theory. The second part of the paper will draw on a number of key writers on the subject, in an attempt to bring to light the main problems in her work. These criticisms will be centred on the idea that Hochschild's work is, over-sim

There is also a Marxist element to her work, which rejuvenates his theory of Alienation, this time with reference to ¥emotional' labour. In her analysis of flight attendants she believes that "This labor requires one to induce or suppress feeling in order to sustain the outward countenance that produces the proper state of mind in others". (Hochschild A.R. 1983: 7) In the case of the flight attendants, the emotional labour is used as a ¥tool of the trade' to promote an atmosphere of safety and well being.

An important point that Hochschild makes with regards to the management of emotion is the ¥feeling rules' that govern which emotions are revealed and suppressed at a given time. In the case of the flight attendants, the rules exist as part of the work place, and are there to support the running of it. Of course, feeling rules are not just governed at work, they are both implicit and explicit in all aspects of social and private life. The importance of ¥feeling rules' lie in Hochschild's belief that "the very ways in which we acknowledge feeling rules reflect where we stand on the social landscape." (Hochschild A.R. 1983: 57)

plistic and ahistorical. It will also attempt to show that ¥emotion management' is nothing new to human society that has always, to some degree, relied on the management of emotion.

Another feature of Elias' work is the recognition and importance he puts on the biological aspects human emotion. Although Hochschild does acknowledge them V "Emotions always involve the body but are not sealed biological events" V she in no way puts the required amount of importance on them, in terms of the interaction between biology and society. (Hochschild A.R 1998: 11) This view is reflected in Cas Wouters belief that "On the whole she tends to locate emotional controls outside of the individual". (Wouters C. 1989:103)

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Approximate Word count = 1652
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Science