Public Relations as Emotional Labour

ISBN-13: 9781138920309 / Angielski / Twarda / 2019 / 226 str.

Liz Yeomans

Opis

Inextricably linked to neoliberal market economies, Public Relations' influence in our promotional culture is profound. Yet many aspects of the professional role are under-researched and poorly understood, such as the impact on workers of manufacturing displays of feeling to elicit a desired emotional response, to earn trust and manage clients. The psychological and emotional demands of this "nice" work are particularly ignored. Using the lens of emotional labour theory, this book aims to fill a significant gap in knowledge by presenting a critical-interpretive exploration of the everyday relational work of account handlers in PR agencies. In doing so, the book draws on a wide range of related contemporary social and cultural theories, as well as critical public relations and feminist public relations literature. Researchers, educators and advanced students in PR and communications studies will gain rich insights into the emotion management strategies employed by public relations workers in handling their professional relationships with clients, journalists and their colleagues, thereby uncovering some of the taken-for-granted aspects of this gendered, promotional work.

Spis treści

1. Introduction and guide to chapters.  2. Emotional labour in a global context: a framework.  3. Promotional culture and the ‘market’ for emotional labour in public relations.  4. Interrogating the ‘pink ghetto’: gender and public relations.  5. ‘Skilled emotion workers’: PRPs’ emotion management in everyday professional relationships.  6. Professional relationships in public relations: agency directors’ perspectives of emotion management.  7. Conclusions.  8. Appendix: researching emotions: from theory to methodology.

O autorze

Liz Yeomans was Reader in Public Relations and Communication at Leeds Business School, Leeds Beckett University, UK, until her retirement in January 2018. She continues to supervise doctoral work and is a peer reviewer for journals in the fields of public relations and communication management. She remains interested in the emotional dimension of organisations and public relations’ role in society and culture, which continues to influence her research and writing projects.