ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at collegial emotional labour, which relates to the relationships nurses have with each other and within the multidisciplinary team. Because it is not directly concerned with patients or their relatives, its character is different from that of therapeutic and instrumental emotional labour. Personal differences between colleagues are more significant in collegial emotional labour because issues of status and place are more fluid. Thus, the link between emotional labour and personal identity is more apparent. This chapter analyses the nature of Kate’s collegial emotional labour described in Vignette 9. The vignette, taken from the second half of her audio diary, documents Kate’s personal feelings over ten days. It provides a unique opportunity to examine her inner dialogue and explore how personal and social identity are intertwined and expressed through her collegial emotional labour. From this, authenticity of self in emotional labour is evaluated.
