Know About What Is Emotional Intelligence in 2024?
What Is Emotional Intelligence – Researchers Peter Salovey and John Mayer coined the phrase “emotional intelligence” (EI) in their 1990 journal on imagination, cognition, and personality. Dan Goleman later made it well-known in his 1996 book Emotional Intelligence.
A person who has social intelligence is able to detect their own sentiments as well as those of others and utilize this knowledge to help them navigate a situation, according to Salovey and Mayer, who coined the term at the time.
It entails understanding the motivations behind our actions and behaviors in daily life and being able to manage our emotions in a way that is constructive toward both ourselves and other people.
When someone expresses emotions, such as anger, an emotional intelligent person can recognize and comprehend why they are doing so. They can then assist them in making a switch to a pleasant emotion.
Various Emotional Intelligence Types
Four distinguishable and interconnected emotional intelligence qualities were established by Mayer and Salovey.
Let’s examine Mayer and Salovey’s theory before considering those that emulate and build upon it.
Emotional Perception and Expression
The ability to perceive one’s own and others’ emotions, as well as to recognize concealed emotions and feelings that someone is harboring, is the first skill in the emotional intelligence paradigm.
Using Feelings to Promote Thought
An someone who possesses emotional intelligence may also use specific emotions to decide, identify cognitive patterns, and rationalize a process.
Emotional Understanding and Analysis
This characteristic should not be mistaken with the second kind because it pertains to understanding the motivations behind specific emotions and moods. It involves dissecting and examining the reasons behind someone’s rage in a certain circumstance.
This kind of emotional intelligence may be able to prevent an argument from starting or a situation from getting out of hand.
Reflective Emotional Control
After recognizing and addressing attribute number three, the final element—having the capacity to control one’s emotions and those of others to promote development and growth—is addressed.
The Importance of Emotional Intelligence
Like all forms of intelligence, emotional intelligence (EI) is significant in both intimate and professional settings and has many advantages for both the person who possesses it and those with whom they come into contact.
The following are some examples of how emotional intelligence can be useful:
Managing change – A new job role, for instance, could be overwhelming and elicit a wide range of new emotions. Recognizing and controlling these emotions can be facilitated by emotional intelligence.
Improve a person’s capacity to handle stressful situations – A person will encounter stressful events frequently in both their personal life and their place of employment.
They will be able to recognize emotions as they emerge and use them to speed up their mental process by using the characteristics of emotional intelligence.
Giving and receiving constructive criticism – If a manager needs to provide an employee with feedback, emotional intelligence can assist them anticipate any feelings their advice might arouse.
From there, they may plan and choose the best course of action. Equally, a worker could feel angry or disappointed after receiving an appraisal. EI will assist them in recognizing their emotions and choose how to learn from the event.
Aiding in social interactions – It might be simple to perceive a new person’s interaction with you negatively when you meet them for the first time.
Knowing how a person is feeling and understanding the potential causes of their feelings will be possible with the use of emotional intelligence. They could be extremely reserved but come out as distant, or they might be grave but be upset.
What Role Does Emotional Intelligence Play in the Workplace?
In the workplace, emotional intelligence can be useful in a variety of ways. Here are only two examples to help you better understand why it’s crucial.
Figure 1
In a team, a guy and a woman get along well. They frequently have lunch together and constantly help one another out with job responsibilities.
At work, the male all of a sudden becomes quite reclusive, avoiding the woman, and showing little effort. The candidate for a promotion appears to be oblivious to the alteration in her coworker.
Their boss notices the man’s mood changing right away and calls him in for a casual conversation to address it. He notices that the man’s altered demeanor appears to be directly related to the possibility of the lady getting promoted, so he advises him to be open and honest with her about his feelings.
The issue is resolved, and the working relationship between the two parties remains favorable.
The manager had the emotional intelligence to understand others’ feelings and make use of this to move the situation along and find a solution.
It’s possible that someone with poor emotional intelligence allowed things to get out of hand.
Figure 2
A CEO may inspire their staff and raise spirits by using emotional intelligence.
For instance, a business had to lay off a lot of workers, which made the remaining staff members anxious about their own careers and saddened by the departure of their coworkers.
The CEO recognizes this attitude among the workforce and employs techniques to uplift the spirit and convince workers that their jobs are secure.
This could involve having email and in-person conversations with each employee or organizing a team-building activity to raise spirits.
The CEO would not have known what the staff required if she lacked emotional intelligence.
What Are Some Ways to Boost Emotional Intelligence?
To ensure that you can profit from emotional intelligence in life and at work, here are some techniques to raise it:
Think ahead – It would be wise to make plans in advance on how to handle unpleasant emotions if you believe a project or new procedure at work may do so.
Use methods – Try to use techniques like mindfulness and exercise to help you control your own emotions. Even if you are not feeling anxious or disturbed, it could be a good idea to use one or more of these strategies to manage your emotions.
Proactively consider other people’s sentiments and how they may respond to particular news and information. After that, you can spot potential problem spots.
Identify patterns – Consider identifying your emotional patterning. In this manner, you may effectively regulate them and catch them early.
Final Reflections
Even if everyone has some of the characteristics of emotional intelligence, it can always be beneficial to hone them. Emotional intelligence is equally as significant as other types of intellect.
Emotional intelligence has many advantages in all facets of life, and with regular development and awareness, those qualities can be used to produce favorable outcomes.
