Emotion Regulation and Incivility: keep it civil even though it may not be honest
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incivility
Business
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Emotions are an inescapable a part of our daily experiences and we spend much of our time regulating them either deliberately or subconsciously. While we understand what it means to regulate our emotions and the toll it can take, it remains unclear how another individual’s perceptions of our emotion regulation patterns may vary, especially when our behavior crosses the line into incivility. Building on theories of emotion regulation and incivility, this paper proposes that perceptions of emotion regulation can change based on displays of incivility, which occur when emotion regulation or lack thereof reach an extreme. In a study with a simulated online customer service interaction, this paper finds that (1) civility increases perceptions of trust, (2) angry uncivil behavior is viewed as the most honest but least moral, and (3) angry civil behavior is viewed as particularly benevolent. This research shows how while civility may increase trust, honest and authentic behavior may not always be viewed in a positive manner.