‘Emotional Labor’ Concept Creep: Sociologist Who Coined The Term Says We’re Using It Too Much

“Really, I’m horrified,” says Arlie Hochschild, who introduced the concept back in 1983 as “the work, for which you’re paid, which centrally involves trying to feel the right feeling for the job … from the flight attendant whose job it is to be nicer than natural to the bill collector whose job it is to be, if necessary, harsher than natural.” Now, she points out, “it’s being used, for example, to refer to the enacting of to-do lists … It’s also being applied to perfectionism: You’ve absolutely got to do the perfect Christmas holiday.”

Article source here:Arts Journal