Affective Events Theory - IResearchNet - Psychology Definition

Affective events theory (AET) is a theory of affect (the broader term for emotional experiences, including emotion and mood) in the workplace. Psychology>Industrial-OrganizationalPsychology>JobSatisfaction>AffectiveEventsTheory Affectiveeventstheory(AET)isatheoryofaffect(thebroadertermforemotionalexperiences,includingemotionandmood)intheworkplace.Inadditiontofocusingonaffect,itencompassescognitions,behavior,attitudes,andothercrucialpsychologicalconstructstoexplainjobbehaviorandperformance.Thetheoryprimarilybuildsonthealreadyestablishedcognitiveappraisalmodelsandhasgatheredsupportfrommanyareasofstudyinthefieldofemotionstocreateamoreencompassingtheoryofworkbehavior. Affectiveeventstheoryproposesthattherearetwopathstojobbehaviors,bothofwhichareatleastpartiallyinfluencedbyaffectivereactionstoeventsatwork.However,cognitiveprocessesplayanessentialroleinthecreationofthesereactions.Thetheorybuildsonpasttheoreticalsuccesseswhilealsoaddingafewnewelements(inparticular,thenotionoftimeisessentialtothemodel,aswellasamoredetailedexplanationofemotionintheworkplace)inexplainingjobbehavior. AssumptionsofAffectiveEventsTheory Affectiveeventstheorymakesseveralassumptionsabouttheworkplaceandtheconstructsthatdescribepeople’sreactionstoeventsthathappenthere.Thefirstisthatjobsatisfactionisdifferentfromaffect.Nevertheless,AETalsoassumesthataffectcontributestojobsatisfactionandcanbeusedtohelppredictjobperformance.Relatedtothat,AETassumesthataffectinfluencesperformance,typicallyinadetrimentalwaybecauseemotionisassumedtodrawresourcesfromotherareas,suchascognitiveprocessing,motivation,andattention,amongothers. AnothermajorassumptionintheAETframeworkisthateventshappenovertime,whichchangesaffectcontinuously.Thoseeventsinfluenceaperson’simmediateaffectivestatebutalsovaryovertimeasneweventsarise.Someeventsarelikelytocreatepositivereactions,othersnegative,andthedegreeofintensitywillalsovaryfromeventtoevent.Becauseaffectiscontinuouslychangingwithinanindividual,itsinfluenceonbehaviorisalsocontinuouslychanging. TheStructureofAffectiveEventsTheory Affectiveeventstheoryproposesthefollowingmodelforpredictingworkplacebehavior.Workenvironmentfeatures(suchasofficefeatures)precedeworkevents(suchasameeting),andthoseworkeventscauseaffectivereactions.Dispositionsinfluencethecausaltransitionfromworkeventstoaffectivereactions,aswellastheaffectivereactionsthemselves.Thoseaffectivereactionstheninfluenceaffect-drivenbehaviors,aswellasworkattitudes.Workattitudesarealsoinfluencedbytheworkenvironment.Workattitudesinturninfluencejudgment-drivenbehaviors. Fromthatmodel,onecanseethatAETproposestwodifferentpathstobehavior,bothofwhichareprecededbyaffectivereactions.Affect-drivenbehaviorsstemdirectlyfromaffectivereactionstoeventsintheworkplace.Judgment-drivenbehaviors,ontheotherhand,arearrivedatbyalongerroute,goingfromaffectivereactionstoworkattitudes(whicharealsoinfluencedbyworkenvironmentfeatures)andthentobehavior.However,thestartingpointforAETistheevent.WithinAET,aneventisdefinedasachangeintheenvironmentalcircumstancesthatoneiscurrentlyexperiencing.Thatchangethenelicitsaffect,whichthencaninfluencebehaviordirectly(affect-drivenbehavior)orgothroughjobattitudestoinfluencebehaviorindirectly(judgment-drivenbehavior). Affect-drivenbehaviorisanalmostinstantaneousreactiontoanevent.Inmanycases,affect-drivenresponseshappenalmostimmediatelyafteraneventoccurs.Anexamplemightbewhen,afterbeingyelledatbytheboss,anemployeequitshisorherjobwithoutanythoughtintheheatofthemoment.Judgment-drivenbehaviors,ontheotherhand,gothroughacognitiveevaluationviajobattitudes.Thisisalongerprocessandisusuallymoredeliberate.Referringbacktotheexample,iftheemployeedidnotquitimmediatelybutwentbacktohisorherdeskandthoughtbrieflyabouttheothercomponentsofthejob,suchashisorhercoworkersandthejobtasks,andthenfactoredthoseconsiderationsintohisorherdecisionandreinterpretedthesituation,theresultwouldbeajudgment-drivenbehavior.Thisprocessmightormightnotleadthepersontoquit.Theresultingbehaviorsofaffect-drivenandjudgment-drivenprocessesmaynotbedifferent,butthedecisionprocessis.Asthetermsthemselvesimply,affect-drivenbehaviorisprimarilyinfluencedbyimmediateemotionalreactionstoaneventandistypicallyregardedasasingle-stepprocess,whereasjudgment-drivenbehaviorisinfluencedbybothemotionandcognitionandisregardedasatwo-stepprocessthatinvolvesareinterpretationoftheoriginaleventandtheemotionassociatedwithit. AffectiveEventsTheoryAppraisalofEventsLeadingToBehaviors Cognitiveappraisaltheoriesarguethatpeoplestrivetomakemeaningofworkevents.Themeaningoftheeventsthensetsthestageforemotionalreactionstotheevent.Therearemanytheoriesonhowpeopleappraisemeaning,butthegeneralideaisthateverysituationhasameaningunderlyingtheeventandthosemeaningsarearrivedatbyaperson’sinterpretationsofthesituation.Differentappraisalsofsituationsleadtodifferentemotionsandthenbehaviorsamongindividuals.Individualsemphasizedifferentappraisalprocesseswhenassigningmeaningtoanevent,andthatiswhyindividualscanhavedifferentemotionalreactionstothesamesituation. Theprocessofappraisingisoftenregardedasatwo-stepmodel.Thefirststep,usuallytermedprimaryappraisal,includesseveralmechanisms,butthebasicideaishowmuchaneventiscongruentorincongruentwithone’sgoals,attitudes,values,andsoforth.Ifaneventisseenascongruent,itisassignedapositivevalue,andifincongruent,theeventisviewednegatively.Theprimaryappraisalmechanismsareconcernedwithwhetherastimulushastodowithaperson’swell-being,whichleadstoabasicassignmentof“good”and“bad”labels.Inmanyinstances,theprimaryappraisalsassignenoughmeaningtothephenomenontoelicitanaffectiveresponse.Examplesoftheseaffectiveresponsescanbepositiveemotions,suchasloveandrelief,butalsoincludenegativeemotions,suchasfrightandanxiety.Afullerexamplewithworkplacebehaviorconsequencesmightbeone’scomputerfreezingup,whichmightleadonetohititoutoffrustrationviaprimaryappraisal,asonlya“bad”labelhasbeenplacedontheeventandthereactionisimmediatewithoutcognitivefactorscontributingtothebehavior. Secondaryappraisalsconsistofmorecognitivelydrivenprocesses,suchasfutureexpectationsormemory,inadditiontotheprimaryappraisal.Manyemotionsoccuronlywhensecondaryappraisalstakeplaceinconjunctionwiththeprimaryappraisal.Anexampleofanegativeemotionthatrequiresbothstagesisanger.Apositiveemotionthatrequiresthesecondarystageofappraisalishappiness.Inbothcases(angerandhappiness),theemotionistargetedataspecificsituationandnotageneralaffectiveresponse,asisthecasewithprimaryappraisals.Inotherwords,secondaryappraisalsleadtotheassignmentofmorecomplexmeaningtotheevent;nolongeristhesituationjust“good”or“bad.”Oncethatgreatermeaningisassignedtoanevent,adiscreteemotionthenemergesthatinfluencesone’sbehaviorinconjunctionwithcurrentjobattitudes.Sointheexampleofacomputerfreezingup,insteadofhittingitimmediatelyinapureaffectivereaction,thepersonwouldpauseforabriefmomentandtheeventwouldbeevaluatedintwostages,firstiftheeventisgoodorbadviaprimaryappraisal,andthenaddingotherinformationtodealwiththesituationviasecondaryappraisal.Affectiveeventstheoryproposesthatifjobattitudesarepositive,onemightnothitthecomputerandwouldinsteadtakethetimetocallatechnicianforhelp.Ifattitudesarenegative,onemightstilljusthitthecomputer. Thesecondaryappraisalprocessthatleadstojudgment-drivenbehaviorismoredeliberativeandrequiresindividualstotakemoretime(althoughitcouldbeonlyafewseconds)toassignthevalueascomparedwithprimaryappraisalsandaffect-drivenbehavior.Primaryappraisalsthatleadtoaffect-drivenbehaviorsarenotcompletelycognition-free,althoughtheyaremoreautomaticreactions.However,ifthestrengthoftheinitialappraisalandtheensuingemotionalreactionisrobustenough,theprimaryappraisalandtheaffect-drivenresponsecanlastforsometime. Foreveryevent,thepossibleresponsesofanindividualtoagivenstimulimayinitiallyseemendless,butonceapersonappraisesthesituation,thebehaviorchoicesbecomenarroweddownbasedontheperson’saffectivereactions.Todate,thereislittleresearchonwhattypesofbehaviorresultfromthedifferentpaths.However,bydefinition,affect-drivenbehaviorsshouldbemoreimpulsiveandlesscontrolledthanjudgment-drivenbehaviors,whichconsidermorefactorsbeforeabehaviorispursued.Therefore,affect-drivenbehaviorsshoulddisruptjobperformancebecauseoftheirpotentiallymoreabrasivesocialnature,aswellastheirabilitytodrawcognitiveresources.Judgment-drivenbehaviorsalsoshouldreducejobperformance,becausetheyreducetimespentonjobtasksaswellasdrawmentalresourcesawayfromthosetasks. AffectiveEventsTheorySummary Affectiveeventstheoryisatheoryofhoweventsintheworkplace(inparticular,thoseeventsthatchangeaperson’saffect)influencebehaviorsatworkovertime.Affecttheninfluencesbehaviorintwopossibleways,thefirstbeingadirectcauseofaffect-drivenbehavior,whichisanalmostautomaticemotionalresponsetoanevent.Thesecondwaybehaviorisinfluencedbyaffectisthroughitsinfluencesoncognitionsandattitudes(inadditiontotheinitialaffectiveresponse),whichinturncausejudgment-drivenbehavior;thisisregardedasamoredeliberateresponsetoaneventorseriesofevents. References: Fisher,C.D.(2002).Antecedentsandconsequencesofreal-timeaffectivereactionsatwork.MotivationandEmotion,26,3-30. Grandey,A.A.,Tam,A.P.,&Brauburger,A.L.(2002).Affectivestatesandtraitsintheworkplace:Diaryandsurveydatafromyoungworkers.MotivationandEmotion,26,31-55. Lazarus,R.S.(1991).Emotionandadaptation.NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress. Lazarus,R.S.,&Cohen-Charash,Y.(2001).Discreteemotionsinorganizationallife.InR.Payne&C.Cooper(Eds.),Emotionsatwork(pp.45-81).NewYork:Wiley. Paterson,J.M.,&Cary,J.(2002).Organizationaljustice,changeanxiety,andacceptanceofdownsizing:PreliminarytestsofanAET-basedmodel.MotivationandEmotion,26,83-103. Weiss,H.M.,&Cropanzano,R.(1996).Affectiveeventstheory:Atheoreticaldiscussionofthestructure,causesandconsequencesofaffectiveexperiencesatwork.ResearchinOrganizationalBehavior,18,1-74. Weiss,H.M.,Suckow,K.,&Cropanzano,R.(1999).Effectsofjusticeconditionsondiscreteemotions.JournalofAppliedPsychology,84,786-794. Seealso: JobSatisfaction Industrial-OrganizationalPsychology PsychologyResearchandReference JobSatisfactionAffectiveEventsTheoryAttitudesandBeliefsBoredomatWorkEmotionalBurnoutEmotionalLaborEmotionsEustressJobSatisfactionMeasurementJobSecurityandInsecurityMoodMoraleOrganizationalCommitmentOrganizationalCynicismOrganizationalJusticePsychologicalContractQualityofWorkLifeRoleAmbiguityRoleConflictRoleOverloadandUnderloadStressConsequencesStressCopingandManagementStressModelsandTheoriesTheoryofPlannedBehaviorUnionCommitmentWork-LifeBalance CustomWritingServices