Emotional Intelligence

MS. SANA SHAHEEN

 Definition

 “The mental process involved in the recognition, use, understanding and management of one’s
own and other’s emotional states to solve problems and regulate behavior”. (Mayer and
Salovey 1990, 1997)
 Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to diagnose, understand, and manage emotional
cues.
 These abilities are not inherent but can be developed and improved. Unlike IQ, for example,
which remains relatively constant over a lifetime, emotional intelligence can be enhanced with
practice. With concerted effort, you can change your level of emotional intelligence.
 Ability Model of Emotional Intelligence

Mayer, Caruso and Salovey’s Ability Model of Emotional Intelligence: According to Mayer, Caruso and
Salovey’s (2000) ability model, emotional intelligence refers to the abilities used to process information about
one’s own emotions and the emotions of others). This model has been predicated on the belief that skills needed
to reason about emotions and to use emotional material to assist reasoning can be learned. Within the ability
model, there are four branches/four core elements:
1. Emotional Perception- Appraisal
2. Emotional Integration- Expression
3. Emotional Understanding- Utilization
4. Emotional Management- Regulation
 Ability Model of Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Perception : The first of these—emotional perception—is the ability to register, attend to and decipher
emotional messages as they are expressed in a variety of contexts including facial expressions, tone of voice and
works of art. Branch 1 of the model involves skills needed to perceive and express feelings. More specifically,
perception of emotions requires picking up on subtle emotional cues that might be expressed in a person's face or
voice. For example, when chatting with a friend about an emotionally charged political topic, a person skilled in
perceiving emotions can determine what aspects of the discussion are safe or unsafe territory based on the friend's
nonverbal behavior.
Emotional Integration: The second branch of emotional intelligence in this model—emotional integration— refers to
the ability to access and generate feelings which facilitate thought. Emotions can enter the cognitive system as explicit
thoughts about specific feelings, such as ‘I am happy’, and as altered cognitions which are congruent with the
emotional state, such as when a happy person thinks ‘Today everything will go my way’. Thus emotions can facilitate
thought by giving information about our mood state—letting us know if we are happy, sad, frightened or angry—and
by making us think in a way that is congruent with our mood states.
 Ability Model of Emotional Intelligence

 Simply stated, people who are emotionally intelligent harness emotions and work with them to improve problem
solving and to boost creativity. Physiological feedback from emotional experience is used to prioritize the demands
on our cognitive systems and to direct attention to what is most important (Easterbrook, 1959; Mandler, 1975). In
this regard, imagine that a person has to make an important decision about a relationship. Should she invest more
energy in a friendship that has been on the rocks, or should she cut her losses and end the friendship in a civil
manner? How she feels physically and emotionally when she thinks about continuing or ending the friendship can
provide some clues about how to proceed. This emotional information thus turns attention to alternatives about how
to handle the friendship. Also, the more the emotions are used in efforts to make good decisions, the greater the
increase in emotional intelligence.
 Ability Model of Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Understanding: The third branch of emotional intelligence in this model—emotional understanding— is
the ability to comprehend the implications of emotions. People with well-developed emotional understanding can
understand how one emotion leads to another, how emotions change over time, and how the temporal patterning of
emotions can affect relationships. For example, imagine the emotional struggle of a person who is placed in the
awkward situation of being asked by a close friend to betray the confidence of a classmate or work colleague. He
might feel disappointment or disgust that the friend asked him to behave in an inappropriate manner. If he were
tempted to break the trust, he might experience a wave of shame. Understanding these complex emotions then might
help him choose the right course of action at that time.

Emotional Management: The fourth branch of emotional intelligence in this model—emotional management— is
the ability to regulate emotions, to choose to be open to experiencing emotions and to control the way in which these
are expressed. A person with well-developed emotional management abilities has the option of choosing to experience
emotions, or blocking the experience of them.
 Ability Model of Emotional Intelligence

 Similarly, the regulation of emotion in other people is less likely to involve the suppressing of others’ emotions but
rather the harnessing of them, as when a persuasive speaker is said to “move” his or her audience. Individuals use a
broad range of techniques to regulate their moods. Thayer, Newman, and McClain (1994) believe that physical
exercise is the single most effective strategy for changing a bad mood, among those under one’s own control.
 Other commonly reported mood regulation strategies include listening to music, social interaction, and cognitive self-
management (e.g., giving oneself a “pep talk”). Pleasant distractions (errands, hobbies, fun activities, shopping,
reading, and writing) also are effective. Less effective (and, at times, counterproductive) strategies include passive
mood management (e.g., television viewing, caffeine, food, and sleep), direct tension reduction (e.g., drugs, alcohol),
spending time alone, and avoiding the person or thing that caused a bad mood.
 In general, the most successful regulation methods involve expenditure of energy; active mood management
techniques that combine relaxation, stress management, cognitive effort, and exercise may be the most effective
strategies for changing bad moods Central to emotional self-regulation is the ability to reflect upon and manage one’s
emotions; emotional disclosure provides one means of doing so.
 Bar-On Model of Emotional Intelligence

E.Q AS PERSONALITY TRAIT: Bar-On (2000) defines emotional intelligence as an array of non-cognitive
capabilities, competencies, and skills that help us deal with the demands of the environment, but the related
inventory, the EQ-I (Bar-On, 1997), primarily measures personality and mood variables such as self-regard,
empathy, tolerance, and happiness. Reuven Bar-On (2000) presented a personality trait model of emotional
intelligence which comprises of five domains:
 Intrapersonal
 Interpersonal
 Adaptability
 Stress Management
 General Mood
 Self Determination Theory

 Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is developed by Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan. This theory
concerns with human motivation, personality, and optimal functioning. Rather than just the amount of
motivation, self-determination theory focuses on different types of motivation.
 SDT claims that people have three innate psychological needs that are considered as universal necessities.
1. Competence
2. Autonomy
3. Relatedness
 Self determination theory serves as a motivation as well. The need for relatedness and the concept of
emotional intelligence lead to another motivation known as Altruistic Motivation.
 Interventions to Improve Emotional Intelligence

 Education: With the availability of materials suggesting how teachers can cultivate emotional intelligence
in school children, there has been an increasing interest in the last decade in developing school-based
programs focused on these abilities. For example, in a guidebook for developing emotional intelligence
curricula for elementary school students, Schilling (1996) recommends units on self-awareness, managing
feelings, decision making, managing stress, personal responsibility, self-concept, empathy, communication,
group dynamics, and conflict resolution. As should be obvious, the emotional intelligence rubric is being
applied quite broadly to the development of a range of social emotional skills. As a result, many of the
school-based interventions designed to promote emotional intelligence are better classified under the more
general label Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)programs.
 Interventions to Improve Emotional Intelligence

 Workplace: Possible interventions to increase emotional intelligence also can be found in the workplace.
Emotional intelligence is widely recognized as a valuable skill that helps improve communication,
management, problem-solving, and relationships within the workplace. It is also a skill that researchers
believe can be improved with training and practice. An organization which is emotionally intelligent has staff
who are:
 Motivated, productive, efficient, aligned with the business, and committed.
 Effective, confident, likable, happy, and rewarded.