Emotions

Some of the key aspects of emotions identified in the movie were Authentic pride, surface acting,
emotional intelligence, cognitive reappraisal

Chris Gardner engages in surface acting during numerous instances of the movie, during his meeting
with doctors as well as investment clients. He has to put on a smile and politely thank them after his
unsuccessful meetings, though he is feeling stressed. Research shows that surface acting occurs
most regularly among sales people and has been shown to improve sales performance as well.
However, surface acting has also been shown to adversely influence a salesperson’s attitudes and
behaviours causing reduced job satisfaction and reduced organizational commitment. But we see
that this did not affect Chris as he ended up getting the job offer from the firm. Research has shown
that higher emotional intelligence attenuated the positive relationship between surface acting and
bad mood at work and somatic complaints 1. We can see many instances in the movie where Chris
exhibited a high degree of emotional intelligence, for example even under great pressure he
balances his role as a father and a stock broker trainee and even makes his son comfortable in the
railway station, by finding a “cave” to sleep in for the night.

1. MIKESKA J, HAMWI GA, FRIEND SB, RUTHERFORD BN, JUNGKUN PARK. Artificial Emotions
among Salespeople: Understanding the Impact of Surface Acting. Marketing Management
Journal. 2015;25(2):54-70
2. Prati, L. M., Liu, Y., Perrewé, P. L., & Ferris, G. R. (2009). Emotional Intelligence as
Moderator of the Surface Acting—Strain Relationship. Journal of Leadership &
Organizational Studies, 15(4), 368–380. https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051808328518
3.