Emotional Intelligence : Basic Overview (Part – 1)

In casual discussion with one of my friends on the correlation between “feelings” and “maturity”, I conclude the discussion with a statement that “feelings never get matured but the expression of feelings gets matured as people grown up and gain the so called maturity.” It may or may not right, it is my personal opinion… that’s it. Referring to this I found it is quite convincing to incorporate the similar concept through Emotional Intelligence. In psychology, emotion is often defined as a complex state of feeling that results in physical and psychological changes that influence thought and behavior. According to author David G. Meyers, human emotion involves “…physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience.” According to Palto , “Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge.” So, here comes the game that is to be played with emotion. In this world we need behavior (professional particularity) to attach people with our goals. Management means getting things done through, by and with other people….. if so then Emotional Intelligence will make it own space in management because it will help the management to mold people’s behavior to work as they want.

What is Emotional Intelligence?

Different people have different personalities, different wants and needs and usually choose different ways of showing our emotions based on personality. Navigating through this all takes tact and cleverness – especially if we hope to succeed in life. This is where emotional intelligence becomes important.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize your emotions, understand what they’re telling you, and realize how your emotions affect people around you. Emotional intelligence also involves your perception of others: when you understand how they feel, this allows you to manage relationships more effectively.

• • Emotional awareness, including the ability to identify your own emotions and those of others;
  • The ability to harness emotions and apply them to tasks like thinking and problems solving;
  • The ability to manage emotions, including the ability to regulate your own emotions, and the ability to cheer up or calm down another person.

The Four Branches of Emotional Intelligence

Salovey and Mayer proposed a model that identified four different factors of emotional intelligence: the perception of emotion, the ability reason using emotions, the ability to understand emotion and the ability to manage emotions.

1. Perceiving Emotions

The first step in understanding emotions is to accurately perceive them. In many cases, this might involve understanding nonverbal signals such as body language and facial expressions.

2. Reasoning With Emotions

The next step involves using emotions to promote thinking and cognitive activity. Emotions help prioritize what we pay attention and react to; we respond emotionally to things that garner our attention.

3. Understanding Emotions

The emotions that we perceive can carry a wide variety of meanings. If someone is expressing angry emotions, the observer must interpret the cause of their anger and what it might mean. For example, if your boss is acting angry, it might mean that he is dissatisfied with your work; or it could be because he got a speeding ticket on his way to work that morning or that he’s been fighting with his wife.

4. Managing Emotions

The ability to manage emotions effectively is a key part of emotional intelligence. Regulating emotions, responding appropriately and responding to the emotions of others are all important aspect of emotional management.

People with high emotional intelligence are usually successful in most things they do. Why? Because they’re the ones that others want on their team. When people with high EI send an email, it gets answered. When they need help, they get it. Because they make others feel good, they go through life much more easily than people who are easily angered or upset.

Next Part: Emotional Intelligence : Characteristics and Components (Part – 2)

Last Part: Emotional Intelligence: Techniques to Achieve High Level of Emotional Intelligence (Last Part)