Emotion regulation of sustainability professionals facing adversity

• Published in: Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. Zeitschrift für angewandte Organisationspsychologie 2024-06, Vol.55 (2), p.167-174
• Main Authors: Johannessen, Vilde, Giæver, Fay, Efstathiou, Sophia, Russell, Sally
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Behavioral Science and Psychology; Consulting; Hauptbeiträge – Thementeil; Industrial and Organizational Psychology; Psychology; Supervision and Coaching
• ISSN: 2366-6145; 2366-6218
• DOI: 10.1007/s11612-024-00734-8

In this Group. Interaction. Organizations. (GIO) article, we view Norwegian regenerative farmers as sustainability professionals and explore their emotions and emotion regulation strategies as they face adversity at work. Working with sustainability is intense work as it implies addressing economic, sustainability, and social needs. Regenerative farmers experience heightened stress and strains due to limited resources in farming. We did a qualitative study based on participant observation and interviews and found that regenerative farmers reported emotions such as guilt, pride, frustration, joy, sadness, and loneliness in their work. They regulated their emotions by a) redefining and accepting problems as challenges; b) creating meaning from their work; c) seeking community through exchange of knowledge and care; and d) protecting their philosophy and practice. This study identifies how sustainability professionals might regulate their emotions over transitions to more sustainable practices. We found that it is essential to facilitate social connections between sustainability professionals for their wellbeing, and mental health.