Emotions and Counterproductive Work Behavior

Counterproductive work behavior (CWB) has been a topic of great interest to organizational scientists and practitioners alike. These behaviors have long been recognized as detrimental to the overall well-being of organizations and the people in them. Hence, a profusion of theories and studies have been put forth to increase our understanding of and ultimately aid in controlling these behaviors. The most commonly used models acknowledge the pivotal role that emotion plays in many of these behaviors. This chapter will begin with a general overview of CWB followed by a presentation of the available research on the role played by emotions. The review will be organized in terms of how the research fits into each of two frameworks within the emotion literature: cognitive appraisal theory and emotion regulation. Finally, limitations and suggestions for future research in this area will be discussed