Affective events - emotions matrix: a classification of work events and associated emotions

John Basch, Bond University
Cynthia Fisher, Bond University

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John Basch and Cynthia D. Fisher (1998) Affective Events - Emotions Matrix: A Classification of Work Events and Associated Emotions

Presented at the First Conference on Emotions in Organizational Life San Diego, California August 1998

School of Business Discussion Paper ; No. 65, Aug. 1998

© Copyright John Basch, Cynthia D. Fisher and the School of Business, Bond University

Abstract

Extract:

Affective Events Theory (AET) (Weiss and Cropanzano, 1996) proposes that organizational events are proximal causes of affective reactions. "Things happen to people in work settings and people often react emotionally to these events. These affective experiences have direct influences on behaviors and attitudes". Recent research by Fisher (1998) has supported the hypothesized relationship between aggregated moment to moment emotions at work and outcomes such as job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and intention to quit. AET also proposes that stable work environment features such as job scope predispose the occurrence of certain types of affect-producing events. For instance, an enriched job might more often lead to discrete events involving feedback, task accomplishment, and optimal challenge, which may then lead to positive emotions such as pride, happiness, and enthusiasm.