Emotional Intelligence - A way to perfect emotions

Define Emotions

What is Emotions?

We are simply aware of emotions like love, happiness, sadness etc. Suppose I like a girl that is my emotions. I like someone that also a part of my emotion.

And how we manage Emotions in our life and in others to reach desired outcomes that is Emotional Intelligence.

Simply we can say it is the ability to understand the emotions as they happen, and using the emotions positively and effectively to achieve your goal.

History

Now we will know about history of Emotional Intelligence.

In elementary classes we have read about Charles Darwin (England Naturalist) who gave the scientific theory on evolution of species and diversity of life. First time in year 1900 he used the term Emotional expression for survival and second adaptation that how species use their expressions for surviving and adapting the environment. Traditional definitions of Intelligence focused on the aspects of memory and problem solving skills. However, some influential researchers believed that the Intelligence study had begun to recognize the importance of the emotional feelings.

For instance, as early as 1920, E.L.Thorndike (An American Psychologist who was the President of the American Psychological Association in 1912) used the term Social Intelligence to describe the skill of understanding and managing other people.

Similarly, in 1940 David Wechsler (Another American Psychologist who developed well known intelligence scale) described the influence of feeling factors on intelligent behavior, and further argued that our model of intelligence would not be complete until we could adequately describe these factors.

In 1983, Howard Gardner’s (An American development psychologist) who gave the theory of multiple intelligence introduced the idea of multiple intelligences which included both interpersonal intelligence such as the capacity to understand the intentions, motivations and desires of other people and second intrapersonal intelligence, the capacity to understand oneself, to appreciate one’s feelings, fears and motivations.  In Gardner’s view traditional types of intelligence failed to fully explain cognitive ability or feeling ability.  But there was a common belief that traditional definitions of Intelligence were lacking in ability to fully explain performance outcomes.

The first use of the term Emotional Intelligence is usually attributed to Wayne Payne’s Doctoral thesis, a study of Emotion: Developing Emotional Intelligence from 1985. In 1990 Peter Salovey (The Professor in Stanford University) and John Mayer (Personality Psychologist in the University of Hampshire), and in 1995 Daniel Goleman (The Author, Psychologist and Science Journalist in The New York Times) put an EI model for understanding the Emotional Intelligence.

Various models and definitions have been proposed of which these EI model are widely accepted in the Scientific Literature.

Salovey and Mayer Ability Model of Emotional Intelligence.

Salovey and Mayer proposed a model that identified four different factors of Emotional Intelligence:

1.  The perception of emotions:The first step in understanding emotions is to accurately perceive them. In many cases, this might involve understanding nonverbal signals such as body language and facial expression.

2.  The ability reason using emotions:The next step involves using emotions to promote thinking and cognitive activity. Emotions help prioritize what we pay attention and react to; we respond emotionally to things that garner our attention.

3.  The ability to understand emotions:  The emotion that we perceive can carry a wide variety of meanings. Suppose if someone is expressing angry emotions, the observer must interrupt the cause of their anger and what it might mean.

For example, if your boss acting angry, it might mean that he is dissatisfied with your work, or it could be because he got a speeding ticket on his way to work that morning or he has been fighting with his wife.

Another example, A boy named (Ashraf) met his girlfriend and his girlfriend was angry, it might be possible that Ashraf was late at that point of time, or he was meeting her after a long period of time or he was not giving specific reasons to justify the situation or he was unable to satisfy her needs in other manners.

4.  The ability to manage emotions: The ability to manage key emotions effectively is a key part of emotional intelligence. Regulating emotions, responding appropriately and responding to the emotions of others all important aspect of emotional management.

Dr Daniel Goleman Mixed Model of Emotional Intelligence

The Mixed model of Emotional Intelligence introduced by Dr. Daniel Goleman that focuses on EI as a wide array of competencies and skills that drive leadership performance. Goleman’s model outlines five constructs that are divided into two sides/competencies.

The two sides of Emotional Intelligence

Personal Competence- How we manage ourselves

Self Awareness- The ability to Knowing your strength and weakness recognize their impact on others while using gut feeling to guide decisions.

Self Regulation- Trustworthiness, Responsibility, Adaptability or involves controlling or redirecting one’s disruptive emotions and impulses and adapting to changing circumstances.

Motivation- Drive, Commitment initiative, Optimism, Charisma. Drive yourself to achieve your goal.

Social Competence- How we handle relationships

            Empathy- Considering other people’s feelings especially when making decisions

Social Skills- Such as communication, Cooperation and leadership to managing relationships to move people in the desired direction.

Measurement  of Emotional Intelligence

According to John Mayer Ability testing is the only adequate method to utilize. Intelligence is ability, and is directly measured only by having people questions answers and evaluating the correctness of those answers.

And there are other methods to measurement Emotional Intelligence

1. Reuven Bar-On (LAW) Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i): A self-report test designed to measure competencies including awareness, stress tolerance, problem solving, and happiness. According to Bar-On, “Emotional intelligence is an array of non-cognitive capabilities, competencies, and skills that influence one’s ability to succeed in coping with environmental demands and pressures.”
2. Multifactor Emotional Intelligence Scale (MEIS): An ability-based test in which test-takers perform tasks designed to assess their ability to perceive, identify, understand, and utilize emotions.
3. Seligman Attribution Style Questionnaire (SASQ):  Originally designed as a screening test for the life insurance company Metropolitan Life, the SASQ measures optimism and pessimism.
4. Emotional Competence Inventory (ECI): Based on an older instrument known as the Self-Assessment Questionnaire, the ECI involves having people who know the individual offer ratings of that person’s abilities on a number of different emotional competencies.

Examples for Measurement  of Emotional Intelligence

Q1. You are in a meeting when a colleague takes credit for the work you have done. What do you do?

A.     Immediately confront the colleague saying that you did the research?

B.   After the meeting, take the colleague aside & tell him/her that in the future you would appreciate credit for the work you did.

C.      Nothing. It’s best not to embarrass colleagues in public.

D.    After the colleague speaks, publicity thanks him/her for referencing your work & provides additional details about the work.

Q2. You find out that the promotion you were hoping for was given to someone else. Your Response:

A.      You forget about it. You didn’t want the job that much anyway.

B.      You lock yourself in your office and cry.

C.   You obsess over what the other person had that you didn’t and compare yourself to him or her unmercifully.

D.     You continue to do your best; you know the next promotion is yours.

Q3. You are a college student who had hoped to get an A in a course that was important to your future career aspirations. You have just found out you got a C minus on the midterm. What do you do?

A.    Sketch out at specific plan for ways to improve your grade and resolve to follow through.

B.     Decide you do not have what it makes to make it in that career.

C.   Tell yourself it really doesn’t matter how much you done in the course, concentrate instead on other classes

D.    Go see the professor and try to talk her into giving you a better grade.

Q4. Suppose a boy going to propose a girl on Valentine day and on that day if girl rejected his proposal then what will he do?

A.      Will he choose another girl to show his love?

B.      Will he be getting depressing emotions for some time?

C.      Will he be creating problem for the girl and try to annoy her?

D.     Will he advise girl to be as friend if she can’t continue relation as GF-BF.