Psychoanalytic contributions to the study of the emotional life of organizations

In light of increasing interest in organizational emotions, this article argues for a reintegration of psychoanalytic scholarship into the study of organizations. A brief presentation of social constructionist approaches to emotions in organizations is followed by a presentation of major psychoanalytic contributions to the study of emotions at individual, group, and organizational levels. The author argues for a rapprochement between constructionist views which emphasize the cultural character of emotional displays, and psychoanalytic views which explore the origins, vicissitudes, and communication of emotional experiences within individual or group biographies.