Kirk et al., 2011: Writing thoughts about important work experiences increased emotional intelligence and decreased workplace perpetration of incivility among adults
Reference:
Kirk, B. A., Schutte, N. S., & Hine, D. W. (2011). The effect of an expressive-writing intervention for employees on emotional self-efficacy, emotional intelligence, affect, and workplace incivility. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 41(1), 179-195.
Download PDFSummary:
Working adults were asked to write for 20-minutes a day for 3 days about their “feelings and thoughts connected to events that occurred during their last workday or an especially important workday from the more distant past… Explore whether by analysing your thoughts and feelings you can build confidence in your ability to perceive and manage emotions in yourself and others” or about “any topic related to their ‘non-workday.’” Two weeks later participants in the former condition exhibited higher emotional intelligence, more positive affect, and reported less perpetration of workplace incivility.
Psychological Process:
What Desired Meaning is At Stake?
What is the Person Trying to Understand?
Selves (My Own and Others')Approach to Desired Meaning
What about it?
Changing beliefs about emotions, states, and the valence of the self-conceptHow?
Psychological Question Addressed
Are negative past emotions, states, and experiences ongoing and undermining?Are negative past emotions, states, and experiences ongoing and undermining?Psychological Question Addressed
Are negative past emotions, states, and experiences ongoing and undermining?Psychological Process 2:
Psychological Process 3:
Social Area:
Well-being; Work
Intervention Technique:
Active reflection, on negative experiences