The Role of Emotions in the Breach of the Ideological Psychological Contract

It is widely established in the rich literature on psychological contract (PC) breach that perceived breach is associated with negative emotions, often referred to as psychological contract violation. However, scholars are yet to systematically theorize on the nature of discrete emotions following PC breach and consider how these emotions may trigger specific behavioral outcomes. Focusing specifically on the ideological psychological contract (I-PC) and drawing on the affect theory of social exchange, I illustrate how I-PC breach can trigger specific emotions. I propose that the degree of organizational identification and the salience of ideological currency – the commitment to a cause – shape employees’ emotional reactions to breach with distinct behavioral outcomes. Furthermore, I suggest that the employees with strong organizational identification and especially those who anthropomorphize their employer organization are particularly susceptible to personal strain in the case of ideological contract breach. The paper contributes to a more nuanced understanding of psychological contract breach by integrating emotional responses. Implications to theory and avenues for further research are discussed.