Mapping the Antecedents and Hidden Costs of Emotional Labor in Higher Education Faculty.

Authors

  • Sara Komal SZABIST Islamabad.
  • Dr. Abdur Rashid SZABIST Islamabad.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47941/japsy.3738

Keywords:

Emotional Labor, Higher Education Faculty, Faculty Well-Being, Qualitative Research

Abstract

Purpose: This study investigates the factors leading to emotional labor in higher education faculty and its impact on their professional life. To explore it few questions were formulated including: 1. what are antecedents of emotional labor in university teachers? 2. How they manage this emotional distress? 3. How this emotional labor impact their professional life?

Methodology: Sample included 20 participants (Lecturer, Assistant and Associate Professors) both male and female. This study employed qualitative approach and interpretive phenomenological research design. Data was collected through semi structured interviews and thematic analysis was used to analyze and transcribe the data.

Findings: Participants described that expectations from their profession were a major source of emotional distress but at the same time this profession is a motivation for emotion regulation because they know being a teacher their emotions will affect their students, colleagues and the environment of their organization.

Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study highlights that presence of organizational support is very important for teachers to regulate their emotions and this emotional labor can have positive impacts for faculty.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Sara Komal, SZABIST Islamabad.

PhD Scholar

Dr. Abdur Rashid, SZABIST Islamabad.

Assistant Professor

References

Bayram, N., Aytac, S. and Dursun, S. (2012), “Emotional labour and burnout at work: a study from Turkey”, Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, Vol. 65, pp. 300-305.

Brotheridge, C. M., & Grandey, A. A. (2002) Emotional labor and burnout: Comparing two perspectives of "people work", Journal of Vocational Behavior, 60: 17-39. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.2001.1815

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Buchanan, J., Prescott, A., Schuck, S., Aubusson, P., Burke, P., & Louviere, J. (2013). Teacher retention and attrition: Views of early career teachers. Australian Journal of Teacher Education (Online), 38(3), 124–141. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2013v38n3.9

Carroll, A., Forrest, K., Sanders O’Connor, E., Flynn, L., Bower, J. M., Fynes-Clinton, S., York, A., & Ziaei, M. (2022). Teacher stress and burnout in Australia: Examining the role of intrapersonal and environmental factors. Social Psychology of Education, 25(2–3), 441–469. https://doi.org/10. 1007/s11218-022-09686-7

Coşkun, B., Katıtaş, S., & Eriçok, B. (2025). Emotional labor, job-related stress, and burnout in school leadership: insights from educational administrators. BMC psychology, 13(1), 818. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02987-4

Chen, C. C., Lan, Y. L., Chiou, S. L., & Lin, Y. C. (2022). The Effect of Emotional Labor on the Physical and Mental Health of Health Professionals: Emotional Exhaustion Has a Mediating Effect. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 11(1), 104. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11010104

Corcoran, R. P., Alan, C.K., Cheung., Kim, E., & Xie, C. (2018). Effective universal school-based social and emotional learning programs for improving academic achievement: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 50 years of research. Educational research review, 25 (56-72). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2017.12.001

Diefendorff, J. M., Meredith, H., Croyle., Robin, H.,& Gosserand. (2005). The dimensionality and antecedents of emotional labor strategies. Journal of vocational behavior, 66 (339-357). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2004.02.001

Gabriel, A.S. and Diefendorff, J.M. (2015), “Emotional labour dynamics: a momentary approach”, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 58 No. 6, pp. 1804-1825.

Greenier, V., Derakhshan, A., & Fathi, J. (2021). Emotion regulation and psychological wellbeing in teacher work engagement: A case of British and Iranian English language teachers. System, 97, 102446. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102446

Grandey, A. A. (2000). Emotional regulation in the workplace: A new way to conceptualize emotional labor. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 5(1), 95–110. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.5.1.95

Han, H., Lee, Y., & Sun, P. (2021). Emotional job demands and their impact on faculty members' well-being. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 13(2), 527-542 [1].

Hashmi A. M. (2021). The challenge of Burnout in Public Medical Teachers in Pakistan: A mixed methods study. Pakistan journal of medical sciences, 37(5), 1268–1275. https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.5.4429

Heffernan, A., Bright, D., Kim, M., Longmuir, F., & Magyar, B. (2022). ‘I cannot sustain the workload and the emotional toll’: Reasons behind Australian teachers’ intentions to leave the profession. Australian Journal of Education, 66(2), 196–209. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 00049441221086654

Hochschild, A. R. (1983). The managed heart: Commercialization of human feeling. University of California Press.

Hong, Y., Huang, J. H., & Zhang, J. (2022). Relationship Between Emotional Labor and Mental Health in Preschool Teachers: Mediation of Psychological Capital. Front. Psychol. 13:707961. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.707961

Han, J., Yin, H., Yang, X., & Wang, F. (2021). Does Emotional Labor Matter for University Teaching? Examining the Antecedents and Consequences of University Teachers' Emotional Labor Strategies. Front. Psychol. 12:731099. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.731099

Hao, D. (2024). An empirical study on the relationship between emotional labor and work performance among university teachers. Front. Psychol. 15:1470436. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1470436

Isenbarger, L., & Zembylas, M. (2006). The emotional labor of caring in teaching. Teacher and teaching education, 22 (120-134). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2005.07.002

Jeung, D. Y., Kim, C., & Chang, S. J. (2018). Emotional Labor and Burnout: A Review of the Literature. Yonsei medical journal, 59(2), 187–193. https://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2018.59.2.187

Kariou, A., Koutsimani, P., Montgomery, A., & Lainidi, O. (2021). Emotional Labor and Burnout among Teachers: A Systematic Review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(23), 12760. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182312760

King, J., Almukhaild, H., Mercer, S., Babic, S., Mairitsch, A., & Sulis, G. (2024). Teacher emotions and the emotional labour of modern language (ML) teachers working in UK secondary schools. IRAL, International review of applied linguistics in language teaching, 62(3), 1213–1235. https://doi.org/10.1515/iral-2024-0080

Ma, P., Zhang, L., Dong, H., & Yu, J. (2023). The relationships between teachers' emotional labor and display rules, trait emotions, exhaustion, and classroom emotional climate. Frontiers in psychology, 14, 957856. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.957856

Munir, S., Anser, M.K., Shah, S.T.H. et al. Emotional intelligence, support, and organizational culture’s impact on decision-making: mediation and moderation analysis in academia. Discov Educ 4, 269 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-025-00720-2

Mahoney, K. T., Buboltz, W. C., Buckner, V., and Doverspike, D. (2011). Emotional labor in American professors. J. Occupat. Health Psychol. 16, 406–423. doi: 10.1037/a0025099

O’Connor, K. E. (2008). “You choose to care”: Teachers, emotions and professional identity. Teaching and teacher education, 24 (117-126). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2006.11.008

Rathi, N., Bhatnagar, D. and Mishra, S.K. (2013), “Effect of emotional labour on emotional exhaustion and work attitudes among hospitality employees in India”, Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality and Tourism, Vol. 12 No. 3, pp. 273-290.

Rodrigues, A., Francisco, M., Oliveira, Í. M., Leite, Â., & Lopes, S. (2025). Conflict Management Strategies as Moderators of Burnout in the Context of Emotional Labor. Societies, 15(3), 63. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15030063

Sui, M., Zhou, M. & Yang, Y. The impact of emotional labor on the mental health of vocational college teachers in China: the mediating role of occupational identity and the moderating role of teacher-student relationships. BMC Psychol (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03817-3

Sun, P., Wang, L., Chen, X., Cui, M., Ma, K., & Yan, L. (2025). How emotional labor leads to turnover intention: the mediating role of job burnout and the moderating role of social support among rural physical education teachers in China. Front. Psychol. 16:1596750. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1596750

Tunguz, S. (2016). In the eye of the beholder: emotional labor in academia varies with tenure and gender. Studies in Higher Education, 41(1), 3–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2014.914919

Vogl, P., Methlagl, M. & Hanfstingl, B. A systematic review of strategies, contexts and outcomes of emotion regulation in teaching. Discov Psychol 5, 74 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44202-025-00417-5

Wang, Y., Zai, F., & Zhou, X. (2025). The Impact of Emotion Regulation Strategies on Teachers' Well-Being and Positive Emotions: A Meta-Analysis. Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 15(3), 342. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15030342

Yin, H., Huang, S., & Chen, G. (2019). The relationships between teachers’ emotional labor and their burnout and satisfaction: A meta-analytic review. Educational Research Review, 28, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2019.100283

Yin, H., & Lee, J. C. (2012). Be passionate, but be rational as well: Emotional rules for Chinese teachers’ work. Teaching and teacher education, 28(56-65). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2011.08.005

Younus, S., Azeem, M., & Mirza, F. (2023). Job Burnout: A Case of Public Organizations in Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 11(3), 3009–3018. https://doi.org/10.52131/pjhss.2023.1103.0589

Yin, H., Huang, S., & Lee, J. C. (2017). Choose your strategy wisely: Examining the relationships between emotional labor in teaching and teacher efficacy in Hong Kong primary schools. Teaching and teacher education, 66 (127-136). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.04.006

Yu, X., & Ying, T. (2024). Under the surface of teacher occupational wellness and effectiveness in higher education: a look into the mediator roles of work passion and emotion regulation via SEM analysis. BMC psychology, 12(1), 166. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01656-2

Zhai, X., Rehman, S., Addas, A., Liu, Q., Rehman, E., & Khan, M. N. (2025). Emotional labor and empathic concern as predictors of exhaustion and disengagement in college teachers. Scientific reports, 15(1), 26281. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-11304-3

Zheng, J., Geng, Y., Gao, J., & Xiang, Q. (2024). Authenticity: Effective emotional labor strategies on teaching efficacy of university teachers in China. PloS one, 19(1), e0297760. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0297760.

Zapf, D. (2002). Emotion work and psychological well-being: A review of the literature and some conceptual considerations. Human resource management review, 12 (237-268). https://doi.org/10.1016/S1053-4822(02)00048-7

Downloads

Published

2026-05-25

How to Cite

Komal, S., & Abdur , R. (2026). Mapping the Antecedents and Hidden Costs of Emotional Labor in Higher Education Faculty. Journal of Advanced Psychology, 8(1), 62–81. https://doi.org/10.47941/japsy.3738

Issue

Section

Articles