Expanding Deep Acting: Effects of Engagement and Disengagement Deep Acting on Emotional Exhaustion

Despite a well-supported and consistent link with surface acting, emotional exhaustion has routinely displayed an unclear and mixed relationship with deep acting. The purpose of this study was to gather insight into this ambiguity. Using a multiphasic sample (n = 207) and drawing upon the process model of emotion regulation, we tested whether deep acting may encompass two distinct dimensions, namely engagement regulation (i.e., connecting with the emotional source) and disengagement regulation (i.e., avoiding the emotional source), and whether these two distinct strategies could explain the inconsistent linkages with emotional exhaustion. Results from Hotelling–Williams comparisons, confirmatory factor analysis, and regression show support for a three-factor model of engagement, disengagement, and surface acting, particularly as these relate to emotional exhaustion. The appropriateness, measurement, and insights provided by a more nuanced and modern approach to emotional labor strategies are discussed.