Emotional Intelligence Samim P M

1. Introduction The concept of emotional intelligence was first brought into scientific terms in 1990 by Jack Mayer and Peter Salovey. Their work was built off of the previous concepts of social intelligence introduced by Nancy Cantor and John Kihlstrom in the late 1980's. Mayer and Salovey viewed emotional intelligence as a true form of intelligence that needed to be scientifically measured. Recently another psychologist, Daniel Goleman, proposed a theory on emotional intelligence that centered around five which play a major role in determining one's EQ. He also took from Howard Gardner's theories of multiple intelligence, classifying the first three traits as intrapersonal intelligence, and the last two as interpersonal intelligence (Muchinsky, 2006). Gardner relates interpersonal to our ability to work in cohesion with others, and intrapersonal to our ability for self-regulation (Gardner, 1993) .Developments has also been made on measuring emotional intelligence, and analyzing it's correlation with an individual's level of success.<br /> Daniel Goleman states that “emotional intelligence is the display of how effectively people perceive and understand their own emotions, and the emotions of others, while managing their emotional behavior” (Masito, A. & Morris, C. (2005). Psychology, (12th edition) P122). Goleman contended that IQ tests could not accurately predict one's level of success, as he felt that IQ tests did not take into consideration emotional competence (Masito & Morris, 2005).A more extensive definition would show emotional intelligence as the capacity to reason about emotions, and of emotions to enhance thinking, including the ability to perceive and generate emotions to assist in thought, while understanding emotions and emotional knowledge with regulations conducive to facilitating intellectual growth (Mayer, Salovey, Caruso, 2004). Measurement of Emotional Intelligence Another facet of EQ lies in its measurement. It is a highly debatable issue of whether emotional intelligence can or even should be measured. The argument against lies within the idea of putting a numerical value to represent a person's quality, especially when related to emotion. The other side views one's self knowledge to be an essential human value. Psychological tests are developed to be impartial, accurate, and efficient in evaluating a person’s attributes. First it must be said that because of the variables in place, no test can be viewed as empirical when it comes to measuring emotional intelligence. However, many of these tests are viewed as generally being valid. Arguments include the fact that both people with high and low levels of EQ can be highly successful in life. Albert Einstein is an example as he was someone who had a high IQ, but no social skills. The point is that despite his lack of high emotional intelligence, Einstein continued his research, his passions, and pursued knowledge. His low emotional intelligence did not help or hinder him from the pursuit of knowledge. Consequently, someone with a low emotional quotient can still be intelligent and pursue knowledge, like Albert Einstein. <br /> There are two main forms of testing for emotional intelligence. The first is a spatial ability test. This test is said to measure specific abilities associated with emotional intelligence, such as the ability to accurately identify emotions among faces. An example of such a test is the Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy 2-- Adult Facial Expressions. The second is a general integrative test, which measure across a number of specific emotional intelligence skills to determine an overall view of one's emotional intelligence. Examples of general integrative tests include the Assessment of Children's Emotional Skills, and the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test.Implications of Emotional Intelligence and Personality TraitsMost significantly EQ can be used as a means to make predictions towards a person’s life outcomes; however it is never to be viewed as a means to determine the person’s chance at achieving a successful life. Personality traits consistently influence a person's social interactions and are therefore a major factor in one's EQ, and tend to remain consistent over time (ex: a person who is an introvert tends to remain an introvert throughout his life). Such traits influence how a person handles themselves, in accordance to their actions and behaviors, which therefore influence the person’s social development. Therefore people with a high level of emotional intelligence may be prawn to have better social support systems, making them less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, or partake in fights or arguments. Also the modern workplace is characterized by open communication, team work, and a mutual respect among employees and their supervisors. Possessing emotional intelligence allows managers to better understand and motivate people they supervise. So EQ helps in business. <br />Controversies of EQ As mentioned previously, the greatest argument against emotional intelligence is that is in no such way a predictor of life success. However we have seen that a lack of emotional success can be harmful to the development of the individual and his relationships with others (Weakening of family ties). It is believed that the popularization of emotional intelligence has rested too much power upon it, taking away from its found significances. It has also been argued that the drives caused by emotion have a more complex meaning than just a level of EQ. Some have viewed it is a failure due to its unreliability in predicting future success, and does not provide a clear path towards behaving in a more cohesive manner. Another downside is that EQ is only set to evaluate one area of an individual's personality, leaving not only a positive effect, but in certain cases, a negative effect as well. There are also a great number of successes in life that are completely unrelated to emotional intelligence. Others argue that life experiences lead to differences in procedural knowledge, which can directly affect one's level of EQ. Many also view emotional intelligence as being too encompassed in other types of intelligence to be clearly distinguished. Sources of data linking similar emotions have also been weakly presented in the past. <br />Summary Impression The study of emotional intelligence has left many unanswered questions in various minds. It appears that even its most supporting advocates cannot provide empirical evidence of its relevance. Another major concern of EQ is that the supporters of the latter seem to weaken their case for EQ when they even agree that it is not reliable in predicting future success. This raises the question over its true worth. Their also seems to be a level of high tension between different schools of thought on EQ. Mayer seems to downplay the significance of Goleman's writings. Also the most intriguing part is that EQ could be used to determine such things as a person’s likeliness to abuse drugs or alcohol, and partake in arguments or fights. Managers are beginning to understand its significance in business. Much of the problems facing today's youth deal with drug consumption and use, as well as gang related violence, and generally acting out in a violent manner. If these kids can be helped maximize their emotional competence and skills; it will make the challenges that they face a little bit easier to overcome.<br />