Emotional Labour (Brotheridge & Lee)
HR & WorkReliability: Surface alpha 0.91; Deep alpha 0.853 sample items
About this scale
A 6-item measure of two strategies of emotional labour: surface acting (faking emotions) and deep acting (modifying inner feelings to match required display). Foundational in service and care-work research.
Sample item(s)
“I resist expressing my true feelings. (surface)”
“I pretend to have emotions that I don't really have. (surface)”
“I try to actually experience the emotions that I must show. (deep)”
Reliability
Reported internal consistency: Surface alpha 0.91; Deep alpha 0.85. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.
Notes
Surface acting strongly predicts emotional exhaustion; deep acting is less harmful.
Source & citation
Brotheridge, C. M., & Lee, R. T. (2003): Development and validation of the Emotional Labour Scale. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, Vol. 76, No. 3, pp. 365–379.
Brotheridge & Lee (2003): Emotional Labour Scale. JOOP, 76(3), 365–379.
Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.
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