EMOTIONS AND UNLEARNING IN AMWAY RECRUITING TECHNIQUES - PROMOTING CHANGE THROUGH SAFE AMBIVALENCE

Based on an ethnography of recruiting methods, this article explains w hy Amway distributors attempt to generate strong and conflicting emoti ons among recruits (i.e. ambivalence) to facilitate learning. Case dat a are used to construct a three-stage model of the full unlearning and relearning cycle that is triggered by felt ambivalence. Thus, emotion is seen as a core element in changing the cognitions and behaviors of individuals and organizations. The micro- and macro-level implication s of bridging the research on emotion and learning theories are discus sed.