Emotions, Violence, and Counterproductive Work Behavior

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03-Kelloway-4838.qxd 12/19/2005 3:42 PM Page 29 3 E Emotions, Violence, and Counterproductive Work Behavior Paul E. Spector Suzy Fox Theresa Domagalski motion has long played a central role in research and theory concerning human aggression and violence. Thinking in experimental and social psychology has evolved from an initial focus on frustration mainly as a situational condition (Dollard, Doob, Miller, Mowrer, & Sears, 1939) to more modern theories that incorporate a variety of negative emotional states in response to situational frustration and other environmental conditions and events (Anderson & Bushman, 2002; Berkowitz, 1998). Parallel to the social psychology work on human aggression, emotion has also been central in much organizational work on workplace aggression and the broader concept of counterproductive work behavior (CWB). Injustice and stressful conditions have been specifically linked to negative emotions and both aggression and CWB (e.g., Fox, Spector, & Miles, 2001). It has been recognized that aggressive acts can occur for a variety of reasons, and a distinction has been made between affective aggression that is associated with negative emotion and instrumental aggression that is not (Neuman & Baron, 1997). Affective, or “hot,” aggression has as its primary goal the injury of a target, whether physical or psychological, at times impulsively and immediately during the experience of negative emotion in response to provocation. With instrumental, or “cold,” aggression, harm of another may be a means to desired ends. In work organizations, instrumental aggression may be the chosen path toward status, power, perks, assignments, bonuses, promotions, and reputation, that is, “getting ahead” (Neuman & Baron, 2005). Our focus in this chapter will be on affective aggression and CWB, in which harm of another person or an organization is
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