Emotional intelligence: Encyclopedia II - Emotional intelligence - Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence - Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence - Mayer and Salovey and emotional intelligence

In the early 1990s, John D. Mayer and Peter Salovey published a series of papers on emotional intelligence. (Salovey and Mayer 1990) (Mayer and Salovey 1993) They suggested that the capacity to perceive and understand emotions define a new variable in personality. The Mayer-Salovey model defines emotional intelligence as the capacity to understand emotional information and to reason with emotions. More specifically, they divide emotional intelligence abilities into four areas -- in their four branch model:

1. The capacity to accurately perceive emotions.
2. The capacity to use emotions to facilitate thinking.
3. The capacity to understand emotional meanings.
4. The capacity to manage emotions.

These four abilities are assessed by criterion-based (or abilities-based) tests (the researchers have introduced several versions, the latest of which is the MSCEIT V2.0).

Emotional intelligence - Goleman and emotional intelligence

Daniel Goleman popularized his view of emotional intelligence in the 1995 best-selling book: Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. (Goleman 1995) Goleman generalized the Mayer/Salovey research and adapted it to a general public audience. In doing so, he altered the meaning of the term and added claims that the original theory never made. Goleman drew together research in neurophysiology, psychology and cognitive science. Much of his book is based on Mayer and Salovey's original 1990 article. However, he modified (Mayer 2005b), emotional intelligence, as conceived by Mayer and Salovey, with other observations based on other scientific findings, including:

• A part of the human brain called the amygdala or reptilian brain (because it has similar functions to those of reptiles) does most of the processing of human emotional responses. These responses mostly occur automatically, as in the case of the familiar flight-or-attack response triggered by threatening situations. Humans have evolved in such a way that a "neural-hijacking" takes place that provides a quick answer to life's critical situations.
• In humans, the reptilian brain has links with the neocortex, which can accordingly exert some control over the largely automatic responses of the reptilian brain.
• The amount of control has a genetic component; yet one can learn to control emotions to a certain degree. Most people do learn this at some point. Further, it is possible to hone the skill, achieving greater abilities to manage emotions. Therefore, Goleman believes that emotional intelligence is learnable.
• Goleman points out there is not a strong correlation between the Intelligence quotient (IQ) and success in life. While popular opinion is that IQ predicts success, there is little conclusive evidence. There is research showing IQ is linked to completion of high school, attainment of higher education, avoidance of dependence on welfare, avoidance of criminal conviction, there is not proof that IQ predicts these outcomes. In 1995 Goleman asserted that EQ is the missing link; in the last 10 years researchers have found that emotional intelligence is an important predictor of grades, promotions, health, and relationship quality.

Goleman's popularized definition of emotional intelligence at first displaced the more careful scientific definition of Mayer and Salovey in the public imagination. However, recent interests have turned back, in part, toward Mayer and Salovey's definition, providing a compelling case for their conception. Nevertheless, Goleman brought attention to the fact that emotions play a crucial role in everyday life, and that so-called "normal" people can enhance their emotional competency. Many other books on emotional intelligence have appeared in the train of Goleman's work.

Goleman divides emotional intelligence into the following five emotional competencies:

1. The ability to identify and name one's emotional states and to understand the link between emotions, thought and action.
2. The capacity to manage one's emotional states — to control emotions or to shift undesirable emotional states to more adequate ones.
3. The ability to enter into emotional states (at will) associated with a drive to achieve and be successful.
4. The capacity to read, be sensitive, and influence other people's emotions.
5. The ability to enter and sustain satisfactory interpersonal relationships.

In Goleman's view, these emotional competencies build on each other in a hierarchy. At the bottom of his hierarchy "1" is the ability to identity one's emotional state. Some knowledge with "competency 1" is needed to move to the next competency. Likewise, knowledge and/or skill in the first three competencies, is needed to achieve successful relationships with others ("competency 4"), to read and influence positively other people's emotions. The first four competencies lead to increased ability to enter and sustain good relationships ("competency 5").

Goleman observes that emotions always exist — we always feel something. Organizations of all kinds often prize "being rational", whereas they do not esteem "being emotional." But even in the most "rational" of decisions, emotions persist: how else do we decide which criteria to use for evaluating the options in making a decision? — pace experience and statistical probabilities. Emotions also play a role in making a final decision between equally good choices — pace random chance. Goleman also laments gender role idiosyncrasies: Western society usually sees it as acceptable for women to show their emotions, but not for men.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Emotional intelligence", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki