Emotion Work, Commitment, and the Authentication of the Self

Abstract

Whereas previous research on support groups focuses on cognitive aspects of the self-redefinition process central to support group success, this ethnographic study of gay and ex-gay Christian men examines the importance of emotion in the support group process. By analyzing the emotion work done within these groups, we learn how support groups can create and maintain the member commitment necessary for individual transformation and support group success. Specifically, the author shows how members are (1) recruited through an emotional promise, (2) taught emotion management strategies that make participation initially tolerable and later rewarding, (3) encouraged to share emotions that build collective identity, and (4) lead to authenticate new self-meanings via emotional experience. The implications of this study for understanding how emotion work affects recruitment and participation in social movement organizations are also discussed.