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Mirele Cardoso do Bonfim is Professor of Psychology at Salvador University, Brazil, and she is psychologist at Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology, Bahia (IFBA). She received her master's degree in Organizational Psychology from Federal University of Bahia. Her primary researches have been focused on emotions at work and emotional labor. C.V.: Available at http://lattes.cnpq.br/2452149954749191

This study inquires into emotion work performed by call center operators. Twelve call center operators were interviewed. Qualitative methodological strategies were utilized, where the focus of the thematic content analysis was on comprehension of the call center operator's work characteristics, the organization's display rules, and the emotional self-management strategies utilized. Two types of emotional self-management strategies were found: cognitive and behavioral. The organization acknowledged that people are not always able to handle the affective cost in relation to emotion work, offering emotional support and models concerning affective self-management strategies to be used. This organizational assistance strongly influenced the choice of strategies, for the call center operators most frequently used strategies taught by the organization. Emotion work was influenced by variables concerning the work context, factors that either favored or made the work, perceptions, evaluations, and the workers and the customers' affective states problematic. Emotion work was crucial in the call center operators' working routine, whenever the customers became aggressive, and social support made the task of displaying predominantly positive feelings less arduous.

The chapters in this volume are drawn from the best contributions to the 2008 International Conference on Emotion and Organizational Life (Emonet VI), complemented by additional invited chapters. The 2008 conference was hosted by INSEAD, beautifully situated within the picturesque surrounds of Fontainebleau, France. We acknowledge INSEAD and especially local hosts Prof. Quy Huy and Ms. Marie-Francoise Piquerez for ensuring a flawlessly organized and superbly resourced conference experience. We also acknowledge the conference paper reviewers (see appendix) whose time and expertise are such an essential part of ensuring the high quality of the Emonet conference and the book series Research on Emotion in Organizations. In the year following publication of this volume, the 2010 conference (Emonet VII) will be held in Canada, and Volume 6 of Research on Emotion in Organizations will be available in print. Readers interested in learning more about the conferences or the Emonet listserv should check the Emonet website at http://www.uq.edu.au/emonet/.