Emotion, Social Action, and Agency: A Case Study of an Intercultural, Technical Communication Intern

ABSTRACT

This article reviews literature on emotions within communication settings and proposes that emotions serve as motivations to accomplish social action; these motivations also serve as opportunities to negotiate agency within unfamiliar workplace settings. To exemplify the way this process develops, the author presents a case study of a technical communication intern as she works full-time for a German sales and distribution company. Through reflective self-narratives, the intern describes specific emotions she experiences as she adjusts to this German workplace. These emotions connect directly to decisions the student makes that help her negotiate agency from a “powerless” position, resulting in effective workplace relationships and a competent persona.

KEYWORDS:

• Affect
• emotions
• intercultural communication
• internships
• reflection

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank the anonymous reviewers who provided feedback on previous drafts of this manuscript. This research was supported by a noninstructional leave provided by Tennessee Technological University. This case study was approved as exempt by the author’s institutional review board.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kristin Pickering

Kristin Pickering is Professor of English at Tennessee Technological University, where she directs the Professional and Technical Communication Program. She has published articles in Technical Communication Quarterly, Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, the Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, and Programmatic Perspectives. Her research interests include activity theory, interdisciplinary communication, identity construction, and ethics in technical communication.