Anger and Moral Emotions in Negotiation: The Effect of Anger Expression on Feelings about the Self

Abstract： 

Previous research on anger in negotiation suggests that anger may be a useful tool in gaining concessions from one’s counterpart (e.g. Sinaceur & Tiedens, 2006; Van Kleef, De Dreu, & Manstead, 2004), which may lead to the widespread use of anger as a negotiation strategy by management students and practitioners. We assert that scholars need to bifurcate clearly the effects of strategic—versus authentic—anger expression in negotiation. We begin by defining strategic anger and differentiating it from its counterpart, authentic anger. We then find, across three studies, that the strategic expression of anger—both written and oral—hurts anger expressers by lowering their overall subjective value (Studies 1 – 3). The data suggest that the moral emotion of guilt (Studies 2 and 3) partially mediate this effect. We integrate the literatures on moral emotions and subjective value to create new theory explaining the connection between strategic anger and intrapersonal subjective value. An agenda for future research on strategic anger is discussed.

Speaker Biography：  

Dr. David Hunsaker is a Global Network Assistant Professor at New York University and an Assistant Professor of Management at NYU Shanghai. Dr. Hunsaker completed his Ph.D. in business administration at the University of Utah before joining the faculty at NYU Shanghai. His research broadly seeks to answer the question of why potentially beneficial relationships fall apart. His research streams touch on issues of overconfidence, apologies in the workplace, subjective value, and emotional expression during negotiation.