The psychologist Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks of the University of Michigan studies what he calls Protestant Relational Ideology. He describes it as “a deep-seated belief that affective and relational concerns are considered inappropriate in work settings.” A university release summarized it as a “widespread American belief that personal relationships and emotions in the office are inappropriate and unprofessional.”
He traces the belief to the ascetic Protestants who founded early American communities. One of his chapters is subtitled “an American Anomaly.”