What is emotional intelligence?
Emotional Intelligence as a psychological theory was originally developed by Peter Salovey and John Mayer. They described it as “the ability to perceive emotions, to access and generate emotions so as to assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and to reflectively regulate emotions so as to promote emotional and intellectual growth,” (Mayer & Salovey, 1997).
Since then, Dr. Daniel Goleman, a science journalist and author, has written numerous books on emotional intelligence.
He has also developed The Five Components of Emotional Intelligence. Below are these 5 components:
- Self-awareness -The ability to recognize and understand personal moods, emotions and drives, as well as their effect on others. Self-awareness depends on one’s ability to monitor one’s own emotional state and to correctly identify and name one’s emotion.
- Self-regulation- The ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses and moods, and the propensity to suspend judgment and to think before acting.
- Internal Motivation – A passion to work for internal reasons that go beyond status – which are external rewards, such as an inner vision of what is important in life, a joy in doing something, curiosity in learning, a flow that comes with being immersed in an activity; a propensity to pursue goals with energy and persistence.
- Empathy- The ability to understand the emotional makeup of other people; a skill in treating people according to their emotional reactions. It is important to note that empathy does not necessarily imply compassion. Empathy can be ‘used’ for compassionate or cruel behavior.
- Social skills-Proficiency in managing relationships and building networks, and an ability to find common ground and build rapport.
To learn more, check out this video where Dr. Goleman talks about emotional intelligence.
Written by: Porsha Jones
