Looking in From Outside: Dual Effects of Observers’ Perceived Dirtiness on Behavioral Responses to Dirty Workers

Abstract: Dirty work encompasses tasks and occupations that are perceived by society as ‘disgusting’ or ‘degrading.’ Although observers perceive dirtiness, reactions to dirty workers are rarely considered in empirical research despite their importance to the social dynamics in the workplace. Based on appraisal theories of emotion, this paper posits that observers’ perceived dirtiness affects their behavioral responses to dirty workers through the mediation of admiration and disgust, alongside the moderation of perspective-taking. Using two sets of multiwave data collected in China, our results largely support our hypotheses and provide new theoretical directions for dirty work research.