Theorizing emotional capital

Abstract

Theorizing a sociology of emotion that links micro-level resources to macrolevel forces, this article extends previous work on emotional capital in relation to emotional experiences and management. Emerging from Bourdieu's theory of social practice, emotional capital is a form of cultural capital that includes the emotionspecific, trans-situational resources that individuals activate and embody in distinct fields. Contrary to prior conceptualizations, I argue that emotional capital is neither wholly gender-neutral nor exclusively feminine. Men may lay claim to emotional capital as a valued resource within particular fields. The concept of emotional capital should be seen as distinct from emotion management and felt emotional experience and distinctions between primary and secondary sources of capital clarify the simultaneously durable and evolving nature of capital and the habitus. To illustrate these conceptual refinements, I use interview and diary data from male nurses. Men bring primary emotional capital, developed during primary socialization, to the nursing profession while also developing secondary capital through occupational socialization centered on empathy and compassion. The construct of emotional capital is refined as a structured yet dynamic resource developed through primary and secondary socialization and activated and embodied in everyday emotion practice.

Caring moments and their men: masculine emotion practice in nursing

“…As Theodosius (2006) argues, while emphasizing the role of social forces on the conscious management of emotions has undoubtedly advanced the field, emotion remains narrowly conceptualized. In an effort to re-center sociological attention to the simultaneous embodiment and management of emotion, recent theory has developed an emotion-as-practice approach (Cottingham, 2016;Erickson & Stacey, 2013;Scheer, 2012). Using this framework can help integrate research on emotion with parallel advancements in the study of masculinities.…”

“…Gould's (2009) research on the emotional habitus of gay and lesbian activists and a growing body of work on emotional capital in family and educational settings (Gillies, 2006;Reay, 2000) develop these concepts. Emotional capital is a form of embodied cultural capital that refers to an individual's configuration of emotion-based knowledge, skills, and capacities (Cottingham, 2016). Knowledge about feeling rules (Hochschild, 1979) appropriate to different situations is key to effectively meeting the practical and interactional demands of a situation.…”

“…This distinction is necessary because men in my study (Cottingham, 2016) talk specifically about how they embody care, compassion, and empathy, but the way they express these feelings differs (in their minds) from their female colleagues. They can still activate and embody compassionate concern for another's well-being, while expressing this through body posture, speech, and gestures in ways that differ from women (and other men).…”

“…In past work, I have looked at men's emotional labor in nursing (Cottingham, 2015;Cottingham, Johnson, & Taylor, 2016), as well as how their narratives help us better conceptualize emotional capital (Cottingham, 2016). Turning to their narratives here, my aim is to understand how experiences-as situational encounters with evolving practical demands-can feed back into men's conception of masculinity.…”

“…Compared to national nursing data in the U.S. (Institute of Medicine, 2011), Black/African-American and Asian nurses are underrepresented and Hispanic/Latino nurses are overrepresented in the sample. Participant demographics are displayed in Table 1 (participant recruitment and demographics are also reported in Cottingham, 2016;Cottingham et al, 2016).…”