Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

As artificial intelligence (AI) disrupts workplaces, the question is no longer whether organizations will adopt these technologies, but how individuals will emotionally navigate their arrival. Among emerging emotions, fear is a potent yet often overlooked aspect in mainstream models of AI integration. In this future-scoping essay, we propose a narrative framework for understanding AI-related fear, drawing on Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey. Rather than viewing fear as an obstacle, we frame it as a vital emotional signal that can hinder or catalyze adaptation. Interpreting AI integration as a transformational journey, we offer a psychologically grounded, emotionally resonant map that treats fear not as pathology but as a compass. Our framework links the stages of Campbell's monomyth to the emotional arc of AI integration, showing how fear can be reframed through storytelling. This approach expands the tools available to organizations by blending emotional insight, narrative theory, and practical strategy for human-centric AI transformation.

Keywords

fear emotion artificial intelligence integration Joseph Campbell Hero's Journey

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Ashkanasy

N. M.

(2003). Emotion in organizations: A multi-level perspective. In Multi-Level issues in organizational behavior and strategy (world; vol. 2, p. 9–54). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Ashkanasy

N. M.

Dorris

A. D.

(2017). Emotions in the workplace. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4(2017), 67–90. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032516-113231

Ayanwale

M. A.

Sanusi

I. T.

Adelana

O. P.

Aruleba

K. D.

Oyelere

S. S.

(2022). Teachers’ readiness and intention to teach artificial intelligence in schools. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 3, 100099. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2022.100099

Ayyagari

Grover

Purvis

(2011). Technostress : Technological antecedents and implications. MIS Quarterly, 35(4), 831–858. https://doi.org/10.2307/41409963

Breutner

Roth

(2024). How employees perceive planned organizational change: Insights from a workspace change project in the German insurance industry. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 61(3), 573–613. https://doi.org/10.1177/00218863241290892

Brynjolfsson

McAfee

(2014). The second machine age : Work, progress, and prosperity in a time of brilliant technologies (p. 306). W W Norton & Co.

Burrell

(2016). How the machine ‘thinks’ : Understanding opacity in machine learning algorithms. Big Data & Society, 3(1), 2053951715622512. https://doi.org/10.1177/2053951715622512

Campbell

(1949). The hero with a thousand faces. Pantheon Books.

Caviola

Everett

J. A. C.

Faber

N. S.

(2019). The moral standing of animals : Towards a psychology of speciesism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 116(6), 1011–1029. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000182

10.

de Fátima Nery

Franco

K. S.

Neiva

E. R.

(2020). Attributes of the organizational change and its influence on attitudes toward organizational change and well-being at work: A longitudinal study. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 56(2), 216–236. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886319865277

11.

De Freitas

Agarwal

Schmitt

Haslam

(2023). Psychological factors underlying attitudes toward AI tools. Nature Human Behaviour, 7(11), 1845–1854. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01734-2

12.

Dekker

Salomons

van der Waal

(2017). Fear of robots at work: The role of economic self-interest. Socio-Economic Review, 15(3), 539–562. https://doi.org/10.1093/ser/mwx005

13.

Del Giudice

Scuotto

Orlando

Mustilli

(2023). Toward the human – centered approach. A revised model of individual acceptance of AI. Human Resource Management Review, 33(1), 100856. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2021.100856

14.

Denning

(2010). The Leader’s guide to storytelling : Mastering the art and discipline of business narrative | Wiley (Jossey-Bass). https://www.wiley.com/en-us/The+Leader's+Guide+to+Storytelling%3A+Mastering+the+Art+and+Discipline+of+Business+Narrative-p-9780470893906

15.

Detert

J. R.

Edmondson

A. C.

(2011). Implicit voice theories: Taken-for-granted rules of self-censorship at work. Academy of Management Journal, 54(3), 461–488. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2011.61967925

16.

Dietvorst

B. J.

Simmons

J. P.

Massey

(2018). Overcoming algorithm aversion : People will use imperfect algorithms if they can (even slightly) modify them. Management Science, 64(3), 1155–1170. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2016.2643

17.

Edmondson

(1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383. https://doi.org/10.2307/2666999

18.

Ford

J. K.

Lauricella

T. K.

Van Fossen

J. A.

Riley

S. J.

(2021). Creating energy for change: The role of changes in perceived leadership support on commitment to an organizational change initiative. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 57(2), 153–173. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886320907423

19.

Frenkenberg

Hochman

(2025). It’s scary to use it, it’s scary to refuse it: The psychological dimensions of AI adoption—anxiety, motives, and dependency. Systems, 13(2), 82. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13020082

20.

Füller

Tekic

Hutter

(2024). Rethinking innovation management—how AI is changing the way we innovate. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 60(4), 603–612. https://doi.org/10.1177/00218863241287323

21.

Fung

Etienne

(2023). Confucius, cyberpunk and Mr. Science : Comparing AI ethics principles between China and the EU. AI and Ethics, 3(2), 505–511. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-022-00180-6

22.

Ghosh

Wilson

H. J.

Castagnino

(2023). GenAI will change how we design jobs. Here’s how. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2023/12/genai-will-change-how-we-design-jobs-heres-how

23.

Golgeci

Ritala

Arslan

McKenna

Ali

(2025). Confronting and alleviating AI resistance in the workplace : An integrative review and a process framework. Human Resource Management Review, 35(2), 101075. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2024.101075

24.

Gray

J. A.

(1987). The psychology of fear and stress (2nd ed., p. x, 422). Cambridge University Press.

25.

Guggemos

(2024). To fear or not to fear – human resource development professionals’ positioning towards artificial intelligence with a focus on augmentation. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 7, 100260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2024.100260

26.

Houdet

(2024). IA : Apocalypse ou évolution ? Comment la peur de l’intelligence artificielle transforme Le Monde du travail. Forbes. https://www.forbes.fr/technologie/ia-apocalypse-ou-evolution-comment-la-peur-de-lintelligence-artificielle-transforme-le-monde-du-travail/

27.

Kelly

Kaye

S.-A.

Oviedo-Trespalacios

(2023). What factors contribute to the acceptance of artificial intelligence? A systematic review. Telematics and Informatics, 77, 101925. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2022.101925

28.

Larmagnac-Matheron

(2023). “IA-anxiété” : La grande peur de l’intelligence artificielle | Philosophie magazine. https://www.philomag.com/articles/ia-anxiete-la-grande-peur-de-lintelligence-artificielle

29.

Lazarus

R. S.

(1991). Emotion and adaptation. In Pervin

L. A.

(Ed.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research (pp. 609–637). Guilford.

30.

Lazarus

R. S.

Folkman

(1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer.

31.

Lazarus

R. S.

Folkman

(1987). Transactional theory and research on emotions and coping. European Journal of Personality, 1(3), 141–169.

32.

LeDoux

J. E.

(1996). The emotional brain : The mysterious underpinnings of emotional life (p. 384). Simon & Schuster.

33.

Leonard

Tyers

(2023). Engineering the revolution? Imagining the role of new digital technologies in infrastructure work futures. New Technology, Work and Employment, 38(2), 291–310. https://doi.org/10.1111/ntwe.12226

34.

Leonard-Barton

(1988). Implementation as mutual adaptation of technology and organization. Research Policy, 17(5), 251–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/0048-7333(88)90006-6

35.

LePine

J. A.

Podsakoff

N. P.

LePine

M. A.

(2005). A meta-analytic test of the challenge stressor–hindrance stressor framework: An explanation for inconsistent relationships among stressors and performance. Academy of Management Journal, 48(5), 764–775. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2005.18803921

36.

Longoni

Bonezzi

Morewedge

C. K.

(2019). Resistance to medical artificial intelligence. Journal of Consumer Research, 46(4), 629–650. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucz013

37.

Marks

I. M.

(1987). Fears, phobias, and rituals: Panic, anxiety, and their disorders (p. xvii, 682). Oxford University Press.

38.

Morrison

E. W.

Milliken

F. J.

(2000). Organizational silence : A barrier to change and development in a pluralistic world. Academy of Management Review, 25(4), 706–725. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2000.3707697

39.

Mou

(2023). Uniqueness neglect on consumer resistance to AI. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 41(6), 669–689. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-11-2022-0505

40.

Newman

Donohue

Eva

(2017). Psychological safety: A systematic review of the literature. Human Resource Management Review, 27(3), 521–535. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2017.01.001

41.

Oreg

(2003). Resistance to change : Developing an individual differences measure. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(4), 680–693. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.4.680

42.

Pérez

G. R.

(2024). Workers fear the age of robots : Will a machine take my job? EL PAÍS English. https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2024-11-17/workers-fear-the-age-of-robots-will-a-machine-take-my-job.html

43.

Phelps

E. A.

LeDoux

J. E.

(2005). Contributions of the amygdala to emotion processing : From animal models to human behavior. Neuron, 48(2), 175–187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2005.09.025

44.

Reich

Kaju

Maglio

S. J.

(2023). How to overcome algorithm aversion: Learning from mistakes. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 33(2), 285–302. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1313

45.

Spencer

D. A.

(2018). Fear and hope in an age of mass automation: Debating the future of work. New Technology, Work and Employment, 33(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/ntwe.12105

46.

Tuckey

M. R.

Searle

B. J.

Boyd

C. M.

Winefield

A. H.

Winefield

H. R.

(2015). Hindrances are not threats: Advancing the multidimensionality of work stress. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 20(2), 131–147. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038280

47.

Van Zelderen

A. P.

Koszo

Menges

J. I.

(2025). When AI gets personal: Employee emotional responses to anthropomorphic AI agents in a virtual workspace. Computers in Human Behavior Artificial Humans, 5, 100189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbah.2025.100189

48.

H. T.

Lim

(2022). Effects of country and individual factors on public acceptance of artificial intelligence and robotics technologies : A multilevel SEM analysis of 28-country survey data. Behaviour & Information Technology, 41(7), 1515–1528. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2021.1884288

49.

Whiting

(2023). Is AI making you suffer from FOBO? Here’s what can help. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2023/12/ai-fobo-jobs-anxiety/

Answering the Call: Reclaiming the Hero's Journey for Human Agency in an AI-dominated World

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References