The Construct Emotional Intelligence

The theory of emotional intelligence was first introduced in 1990 by John Mayer and Peter Salovey. They developed various ways to measure emotional intelligence abilities, if it improved with age, and if emotional intelligence abilities formed a unified intelligence (Mayer, 2009). Mayer and Salovey found that if all criteria were met, than it was said to be a true intelligence. As described by Mayer (2009), emotional intelligence can be defined as one’s capability to reason about emotions and emotional information, and of emotions to enhance thought. Those with high emotional intelligence can accurately perceive emotions in other’s faces. They also know how to use specific emotional times within

Emotional Intelligence is defined as a ‘type of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and other’s emotions, to discriminate among them and to use the information to guide one’s thinking and actions’ (Salovey and Mayer, 1990: 189). According to Goleman (2001), ‘emotional intelligence comprises of 4 key components which are, Self

The book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0, provides an alternative approach to how a person achieves success. This book does not focus on the conventional determinant of success, such as formal education and training, experience, and intelligence level (IQ). Although all these components contribute greatly to ones achievement of success, these factors are not the only factors to be considered in whether a person will be successful or not. This book focuses on the concept that it refers to as emotional intelligence (EQ), which is one’s ability to recognize and effectively understand his/her emotions in a productive and rational manner.

There are also limitations of how useful emotional intelligence is in the modern organisation. Morris and Feldman (1996) suggest that emotional facilitation could lead to increased levels of stress and cognitive dissonance in the workplace. This could arise from conflicting emotions or complex, contradictory ideas that would otherwise not cause any distress. It should also be considered that somebody who is emotionally intelligent in the aspect of recognising emotions would not necessarily be able to implement any behavioural changes. An understanding of complex emotions, the transition of emotions and mixed emotions can be considered as emotional intelligence (reference). On the other hand, this can also be seen as theoretical knowledge with no practical application; i.e. it does not necessarily mean that the individual would be able to effectively regulate his or her emotions, even though

With the publication of Daniel Goleman’s book Emotional Intelligence in 1995, the business world got an answer to a question that had been plaguing it for decades: “Why did some people of a high IQ struggle at managing teams while other leaders of lower IQ excel at it”? Goleman asserted that the traditional measurement of IQ (intelligence quotient) was not enough to determine a good leader. Schools and universities concentrated on developing the cognitive and analytical part of the brain, while the teaching of how the emotional side of the brain worked was ignored. Goleman defined this “emotional intelligence” of a human being as a set of competencies that distinguish how one manages

Research using the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) supports the Mayer et al (2008) model and has shown that emotional intelligence increases with age, suggesting it can be learned. The test also has predictive value (McEnrue & Groves, 2006), for example, relating to leadership potential. However, it seems to measure some factors better than others and its validity for different cultures, ages and ethnic groups has not as yet been tested. Emotional intelligence tests use self-assessment methods, which may not capture the

The book “Working with Emotional Intelligence” by Daniel Goleman deals with the emotional assets and liabilities of individuals in organizations. Emotional intelligence is traits that go beyond academic achievement or IQ. As a matter of fact he points out that high academic intelligence can sometimes stand in the way of emotional intelligence. Broadly speaking, emotional intelligence determines how well we handle difficult situation, which cannot be solved by logic, but more by a “feel” for the situation. These attributes are very hard to measure, which is why many standardized tests, whether academic or for employment, fail to measure these attributes, even though these are the one which determine

     In the book Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, the central thesis that he tries to point out is that emotional intelligence may be more important than I.Q. in determining a person’s well being and success in life. At first I didn’t know what Goleman was talking about when he said emotional intelligence, but after reading the book I have to say that I agree completely with Goleman. One reason for my acceptance of Goleman's theory is that academic intelligence has little to do with emotional life. To me, emotions can be just as intelligent as your I.Q. In this essay I hope to provide sufficient evidence to show why I agree with Goleman’s thesis on emotional intelligence.

“Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage our emotions and those around us, therefore, this quality gives individuals a variety of skills, such as the ability to manage relationships, navigate social networks, influence and inspire others. Every individual possesses different level, but in order for individuals to become effective leaders, they will need a high level of emotional intelligence. In today’s workplace, it has become a highly important

Bennett, L. L. (2009). Emotional intelligence---an overview and applications in business. (Order No. 1478645, University of Alaska Anchorage). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, , 43-n/a. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/305138160?accountid=34526. (305138160).

The general concept of emotional intelligence (EI) is partly rooted in Thorndike’s (1920) idea of ‘social intelligence’ and Gardner’s (1983) theory of multiple intelligences (especially ‘intrapersonal’ and ‘interpersonal’ intelligence). In the current context, EI asa construct was discussed in a dissertation by Payne (1986), even though as a term it had appeared in the literature much earlier (Leuner, 1966). Salovey and Mayer (1990) put forward a theoretical model that viewed the construct as a subset of social intelligence and Goleman (1995) provided a broad and highly influential account that has nonetheless attracted concerted criticism for its unsubstantiated claims about the vital importance of EI in people’s personal, social and professional lives. The fact that the field still lacks a universally accepted operational definition has contributed significantly to the emergence of inconsistent and sometimes, contradictory findings that have often been discussed in the scientific literature (e.g. Davies, Stankov, & Roberts, 1998; Epstein, 1998; Mathews, Zeidner, & Roberts, 2002).

Emotional intelligence is the ability of a person to recognize and assess their, and others’ emotions. It enables an individual to distinguish between the different sentiments they exhibit and being able to label them. The theory of Emotional Intelligence (EI) was originally developed by psychologists Howard Gardner, Peter Salovey and John Mayer. Later, a science journalist, Daniel Goleman identified and came up with five domains of emotional intelligence:

In this write-up, attempt is made to provide conceptual clarifications on the subject matter, “Emotional intelligence”, an overview of the theories of emotional intelligence, including a brief discussion about how important the role of emotional intelligence can be in leadership, performance (both educational and work place settings) and in wellbeing.

Since the emergence of emotional intelligence, many theorists have contributed to the understanding and development of the concept. Of those, Mayer and Salovey were the first to introduce emotional intelligence as a skill; recognizing it as the capacity to identify, reason, problem solve, and enhance thinking through the use of emotion (Mayer and Salovey, 1990). Termed as the ability theory, the model also proposes that individuals vary in their emotional processing abilities and that they are able further develop and refine these skills promoting both emotional and intellectual growth (Akerjordet and Severinsson, 2007). By using the four branches of emotional ability, individuals are able to improve the management of emotions and interpersonal connections (Mayer, Salovey, and Caruso, 2011).

Slovey & Mayer (1990) says that Emotional intelligence is a kind of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own emotions, to discriminate among them and to use the information to guide one’s thinking and actions. For Goleman emotional intelligence help us to get success at the highest levels, in leadership positions, emotional competence accounts for virtually the entire advantage. As we know, it’s not the smartest people that are the most successful or the most fulfilled in life. Perhaps we are well-acquainted to the fact that people who academically brilliant and yet are socially inept and unsuccessful at work or in their personal relationships. Intellectual intelligence or IQ isn’t enough on its own to be successful