What Is the Relationship Between Socioemotional Behavior and Status in Task Groups?

Abstract

This paper analyzes the way task proceedings engender emotional reactions, the conditions under which these are expressed in positive and negative socioemotional behavior, and their effect on the status hierarchy in informal task groups. In links developments in the sociology of emotions to theories of status and provides a theoretical explanation of the predominance of positive over negative socioemotional behavior in task groups. The analysis indicates that the status herarchy asymmetrically limits the expression of negative socioemotional behaviors arising from disagreements but does not constrain positive socioemotional expressions arising from agreements. Performance expectations determine the causal attributions of disagreement and consequently the emotion felt and the likelihood that negative behavior will result. As a result, the overall level of negative, but not positive, behaviors is reduced, status struggles are contained, and group solidarity is encouraged. Also, low-status members often elicit negative emotions but must absorb rather than respond to them.