The Emotional Labour of Barristers: An Exploration of Emotional Labour By Status Professionals

Lloyd C. Harris

Journal of Management Studies, 2002, vol. 39, issue 4, 553-584

Abstract: Recent research has confirmed the study of emotion as an important organizational concept in its own right. Central to this claim is the growing body of research into the causes, content and consequences of emotional labour. However, despite a plethora of studies into the emotional labour of front‐line staff, to date, professional groupings have been largely ignored. Notwithstanding occasional anecdotal references to physicians, existing research neglects the emotional facets of professional life. This study is designed to rectify this imbalance through the exploration and description of the extent, content and consequences of emotional labour by barristers. After detailing the research methods employed, the study presents the results of an interview and observation‐based study of barristers at work. The findings suggest that not only do barristers routinely display expected emotions, but also they do so differentially. Insights into the causes and effects of such labour are also presented and discussed. The paper concludes with a series of implications and suggestions for future research.

Date: 2002
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