Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence (otherwise known as emotional quotient or EQ) is the

ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in positive ways to
relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome
challenges and defuse conflict. Emotional intelligence helps you build stronger
relationships, succeed at school and work, and achieve your career and personal
goals. It can also help you to connect with your feelings, turn intention into action,
and make informed decisions about what matters most to you.

Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to perceive, interpret, demonstrate,

control, evaluate, and use emotions to communicate with and relate to others
effectively and constructively. Some experts suggest that emotional intelligence
is more important than IQ for success in life.

Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to perceive, interpret, demonstrate,

control, and use emotions to communicate with and relate to others effectively and
constructively. This ability to express and control emotions is essential, but so is
the ability to understand, interpret, and respond to the emotions of others.

Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to identify and manage one’s own
emotions, as well as the emotions of others. Emotional intelligence is generally
said to include a few skills: namely emotional awareness, or the ability to identify
and name one’s own emotions; the ability to harness those emotions and apply
them to tasks like thinking and problem solving; and the ability to manage
emotions, which includes both regulating one’s own emotions when necessary and
helping others to do the same.

Definitions:

1. “Emotional intelligence is your ability to recognize and understand

emotions in yourself and others, and your ability to use this awareness to
manage your behavior and relationships” (Bradberry & Greaves, 2009).

2. “Emotional Intelligence refers to the capacity for recognizing our own

feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing
emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships” (Goleman, 1998).
3. “Being able to monitor and regulate one’s own and others’ feelings, and to
use feelings to guide thought and action” (Salovey & Mayer, 1990).

We define Emotional Intelligence (or EI) as the ability to:

 Recognize, understand and manage our own emotions and;

 Recognize, understand and influence the emotions of others.

In practical terms, this means being aware that emotions can drive our behavior
and impact people (positively and negatively), and learning how to manage those
emotions – both our own and others. Managing emotions is especially important in
situations when we are under pressure. For example, when we are…

 Giving and receiving feedback

 Meeting tight deadlines

 Dealing with challenging relationships

 Not having enough resources

 Navigating change

 Working through setbacks and failure

Emotional intelligence will help you be more successful at:

 Managing behavior
 Navigating change, new trends, and social complexities
 Developing many skills associated with high performers
 Making personal decisions
 Achieving positive results and increasing productivity

Nature of Emotional Intelligence

 It is the ability to control others’ emotions including groups, an
individual and closed one.
 It is a process of knowing what feels good or bad and how to get from
bad to good.
  It (unlike cognitive intelligence) is liable to developed or damaged as a
result of one’s life experiences.
 It is not fixed genetically, rather it is largely learned and continued to
develop throughout life.
 It develops with increasing age and experience, as a person progresses
from childhood to adulthood.
 Men and women have a personal profile of strength and weaknesses in
Emotional intelligence abilities. Women tend to be stronger
in competencies based on empathy and social skills whereas men do
better in those based on self-regulation.

Signs of Emotional Intelligence

 An ability to identify and describe what people are feeling

 An awareness of personal strengths and limitations
 Self-confidence and self-acceptance
 The ability to let go of mistakes
 An ability to accept and embrace change
 A strong sense of curiosity, particularly about other people
 Feelings of empathy and concern for others
 Showing sensitivity to the feelings of other people
 Accepting responsibility for mistakes
 The ability to manage emotions in difficult situations
 You seem to have high Emotional Intelligence if you can empathize with
others, collaborate with others, and read and regulate emotions.
 If you have Emotional Intelligence, you can address conflict, concerns, and
needs in a much calmer, straightforward manner, which will improve your
communication and relationships with others, whether professional or
personal.
 Being able to recognize that someone is struggling, excited, angry, or going
through any emotions, and supporting them and trying to give them what
they need, demonstrates that you are very Emotionally Intelligent.
 Closed-ended questions can be answered in a single word, whereas open-
ended questions must be highlighted. Asking open-ended questions can
indicate that you have higher Emotional Intelligence as it indicates that you
are eager to learn.
 Having good social skills and setting boundaries when communicating
assertively shows you are Emotionally Intelligent.
Why Emotional Intelligence is Important

It’s a scientific fact that emotions precede thought. When emotions run high, they
change the way our brains function…diminishing our cognitive abilities, decision-
making powers, and even interpersonal skills. Understanding and managing our
emotions (and the emotions of others) helps us to be more successful in both our
personal and professional lives.

At a personal level, emotional intelligence helps us:

 Have uncomfortable conversations without hurting feelings

 Manage our emotions when stressed or feeling overwhelmed

 Improve relationships with the people we care about

At work, emotional intelligence can help us:

 Resolve conflicts

 Coach and motivate others

 Create a culture of collaboration

 Build psychological safety within teams

Components of Emotional Intelligence

1. Perceiving emotions: The first step in understanding emotions is to perceive

them accurately. In many cases, this might involve understanding nonverbal
signals such as body language and facial expressions.

2. Reasoning with 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. Understanding emotions: The emotions that we perceive can carry a wide

variety of meanings. If someone is expressing angry emotions, the observer
must interpret the cause of the person's anger and what it could mean. For
example, if your boss is acting angry, it might mean that they are dissatisfied
 with your work, or it could be because they got a speeding ticket on their
way to work that morning or that they've been fighting with their partner.

4. Managing emotions: The ability to manage emotions effectively is a crucial

part of emotional intelligence and the highest level. Regulating emotions and
responding appropriately as well as responding to the emotions of others are
all important aspects of emotional management.

Impact of Emotional Intelligence

 Thinking Before Reacting:-Emotionally intelligent people know that
emotions can be powerful, but also temporary. When a highly charged
emotional event happens, such as becoming angry with a co-worker, the
emotionally intelligent response would be to take some time before
responding. This allows everyone to calm their emotions and think more
rationally about all the factors surrounding the argument.
 Greater Self-Awareness:-Emotionally intelligent people are not only good
at thinking about how other people might feel but they are also adept at
understanding their own feelings. Self-awareness allows people to consider
the many different factors that contribute to their emotions.
 Empathy for Others:-A large part of emotional intelligence is being able to
think about and empathize with how other people are feeling. This often
involves considering how you would respond if you were in the same
situation.
How to Use Emotional Intelligence

 Being able to accept criticism and responsibility

 Being able to move on after making a mistake

 Being able to say no when you need to

 Being able to share your feelings with others

 Being able to solve problems in ways that work for everyone

 Having empathy for other people

 Having great listening skills

  Knowing why you do the things you do

 Not being judgemental of others

Emotional intelligence affects:

 Your performance at school or work. High emotional intelligence can
help you navigate the social complexities of the workplace, lead and
motivate others, and excel in your career. In fact, when it comes to gauging
important job candidates, many companies now rate emotional intelligence
as important as technical ability and employ EQ testing before hiring.
 Your physical health. If you're unable to manage your emotions, you are
probably not managing your stress either. This can lead to serious health
problems. Uncontrolled stress raises blood pressure, suppresses the immune
system, increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes, contributes to
infertility, and speeds up the aging process. The first step to improving
emotional intelligence is to learn how to manage stress.
 Your mental health. Uncontrolled emotions and stress can also impact your
mental health, making you vulnerable to anxiety and depression. If you are
unable to understand, get comfortable with, or manage your emotions, you'll
also struggle to form strong relationships. This in turn can leave you feeling
lonely and isolated and further exacerbate any mental health problems.
 Your relationships. By understanding your emotions and how to control
them, you're better able to express how you feel and understand how others
are feeling. This allows you to communicate more effectively and forge
stronger relationships, both at work and in your personal life.
 Your social intelligence. Being in tune with your emotions serves a social
purpose, connecting you to other people and the world around you. Social
intelligence enables you to recognize friend from foe, measure another
person's interest in you, reduce stress, balance your nervous system through
social communication, and feel loved and happy.
 Models of Emotional Intelligence (EI)
1. THE ABILITY-BASED MODEL:-Salovey and Mayer's conception of EI
strives to define EI within the confines of the standard criteria for a new
intelligence. Following their continuing research, their initial definition of EI was
revised to "The ability to perceive emotion, integrate emotion to facilitate thought,
understand emotions and to regulate emotions to promote personal growth."
However, after pursuing further research, their definition of EI evolved into "the
capacity to reason about emotions, and of emotions, to enhance thinking. It
includes the abilities to accurately perceive emotions, to access and generate
emotions so as to assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional knowledge,
and to reflectively regulate emotions so as to promote emotional and intellectual
growth."

The ability-based model views emotions as useful sources of information that help
one to make sense of and navigate the social environment. The model proposes that
individuals vary in their ability to process information of an emotional nature and
in their ability to relate emotional processing to a wider cognition. This ability is
seen to manifest itself in certain adaptive behaviors.

 Emotions, according to the ability-based model, are useful sources of

information that aid in making sense of and navigating the social
environment.
 Individuals differ in their ability to process emotional information and their
ability to connect emotional processing to broader cognition, according to
the model.
 Certain adaptive behaviours are seen to demonstrate this ability.

The model claims that EI includes four types of abilities:

a) Perceiving emotions – the ability to detect and decipher emotions in faces,

pictures, voices, and cultural artifacts—including the ability to identify one's
own emotions. Perceiving emotions represents a basic aspect of emotional
intelligence, as it makes all other processing of emotional information
possible.
 b) Using emotions – the ability to harness emotions to facilitate various
cognitive activities, such as thinking and problem-solving. The emotionally
intelligent person can capitalize fully upon his or her changing moods in
order to best fit the task at hand.

c) Understanding emotions – the ability to comprehend emotion language and

to appreciate complicated relationships among emotions. For example,
understanding emotions encompasses the ability to be sensitive to slight
variations between emotions, and the ability to recognize and describe how
emotions evolve over time.

d) Managing emotions – the ability to regulate emotions in both ourselves and

in others. Therefore, the emotionally intelligent person can harness
emotions, even negative ones, and manage them to achieve intended goals.

2. THE MIXED MODEL

 The Mixed Model of Emotional Intelligence is another popular Emotional
Intelligence model. This model of Emotional Intelligence, developed by
Daniel Goleman, is heavily focused on defining Emotional Intelligence
using a wide range of skills and competencies that affect leadership
performance.
 As a result, the Mixed Model is frequently used to train and evaluate
management potential and skills in a corporate or other professional setting.
Five key Emotional Intelligence constructs are outlined in the Mixed Model:
1. Self-awareness – the ability to recognise and understand one's own emotions,
strengths, weaknesses, drives, values, and goals, as well as their impact on others,
while relying on gut feelings to make decisions.

2. Self-regulation / Self-management entails controlling or redirecting

disruptive emotions and impulses, as well as adapting to changing circumstances.

3. Social ability – the ability to manage relationships in order to move people in

the desired direction

4. Empathy – taking into account the feelings of others, especially when making
decisions.

5. Motivation – the desire to succeed solely for the sake of succeeding.

• Within each construct of EI, Goleman includes a set of emotional
competencies. Emotional competencies are learned capabilities that must be
worked on and can be developed in order to achieve exceptional performance.
Individuals are born with a general emotional intelligence, according to Goleman,
which determines their ability to learn emotional competencies.

• The ability to express or release one's inner feelings is referred to as emotional

competence (emotions). Emotional capital refers to a person's set of personal and
social emotional competencies that serve as a resource for personal, professional,
and organisational development, as well as contributing to social cohesion and
personal, social, and economic success.

• Emotional capital should also be taken seriously by public and educational

policymakers and businesses because of its impact on performance (at work), well-
being (life satisfaction, health, etc.) and social cohesion and citizenship.

3. THE TRAIT MODEL

• Konstantin Vasily Petrides is the creator of this model. It distinguishes
emotional intelligence from emotional intelligence as an ability-based construct by
stating that people have emotional traits or emotional self-perceptions as part of
their personality.

• Trait emotional intelligence is defined as a set of emotional self-perceptions

found at the bottom of personality hierarchies that can be measured using the trait
emotional intelligence questionnaire.

• Trait EI refers to a person's self-perceptions of their emotional abilities in

layman's terms. In contrast to competencies, mental abilities, or facilitators, the
trait EI facets are personality traits.

• This definition of EI includes behavioural tendencies and self-perceived

abilities, and it is self-reported, as opposed to the ability-based model, which refers
to actual abilities that have proven difficult to measure scientifically.

• EI as a trait should be investigated within the context of a personality

framework. Emotional experience is inherently subjective, according to trait EI.
The Goleman model is subsumed by the trait EI model, which is more general.
• Trait emotional self-efficacy is another name for the same construct. The extent
or strength of one's belief in one's own ability to complete tasks and achieve goals
is known as self-efficacy.

Emotional intelligence is commonly defined by four attributes:

1. Self-management – You're able to control impulsive feelings and
behaviors, manage your emotions in healthy ways, take initiative, follow
through on commitments, and adapt to changing circumstances.
2. Self-awareness – You recognize your own emotions and how they affect
your thoughts and behavior. You know your strengths and weaknesses,
and have self-confidence.
3. Social awareness – You have empathy. You can understand the emotions,
needs, and concerns of other people, pick up on emotional cues, feel
comfortable socially, and recognize the power dynamics in a group or
organization.
4. Relationship management – You know how to develop and maintain
good relationships, communicate clearly, inspire and influence others,
work well in a team, and manage conflict.