Emotional Intelligence/Quotient - உணர்வுசார் நுண்ணறிவு

Everyone of us may be aware of ' Intelligent quotient ( IQ) , even, some of us might have found out our own IQ during our childhood or at a later date. It is a belief in the society that higher IQ individuals are sure to succeed in life. But few question this wisdom, like the one in the Tamil film song "புத்தியுள்ள மனிதரெல்லாம் வெற்றி காண்பதில்லை. வெற்றி பெற்ற மனிதரெல்லாம் புத்திசாலி இல்லை". (Simple translation: All intelligent people are not successful and all people who are successful are not intelligent)

Another intelligence/quotient which is currently discussed in the society, which, measures one's ability to recognize, understand , manage and use emotions in social interactions is called 'Emotional Intelligence/quotient ( EQ). Unlike IQ , EQ is dynamic in nature. Good thing is that EQ can be developed and improved over time.

This blog is my earnest effort to introduce to our readers such an important current topic ' Emotional Intelligence/Quotient ( EQ).

1. What is Emotional Intelligence/ Quotient ( EQ) :

Elements of Emotional intelligence / Quotient ( EQ)

Every human being experiences emotions in their day today life in one way or other in various intensities. Psychologists recognize that, emotions, are complex and vary in intensity and nuance in every human being. Though, it is difficult to enumerate and categorize all the emotions across individuals, cultures and regions, Psychologists broadly listed them as basic or primary emotions. Happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise and disgust falls under this category.

Psychologists also listed/ categorizes secondary emotions which are mainly a combination of two or more primary emotions. Envy, jealously, guilt, contempt and shame are the few complex secondary emotional states.

Key elements of Emotional intelligence ( EQ) includes

• Self awareness: Ability to recognize and understand ones' own emotions, its causes and effects on ones' thoughts and behavior.

• Self regulation : Ability to stay calm under pressure, resist impulsive reactions and adapt to changing situations.

• Empathy : Ability to understand and share the feelings of others.

• Social skills: Ability to read social cues, understand social dynamics and navigate social situations accordingly.

• Motivation : Ability to set and achieve goals, ability to persist in the face of setbacks.

2. History and development of Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

The concept of Emotional Intelligence is developed over the years and not before early 20th century. American psychologist, Howard Gardner in his book, in 1983, included interpersonal and intra personal intelligences as forms of intelligence related to social and self awareness, but not coined the word, Emotional intelligence.

That credit goes to American Psychologists , Peter Salovey and John Mayer. In 1990, they coined the term 'Emotional Intelligence' and defined the concept as the ability to perceive, understand, manage and use emotions effectively.

Daniel Goleman, an American author, psychologist and science journalist popularized Emotional Intelligence through his book,' Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ, in 1995.

Later , many universities and research institutions take up the research in Emotional Intelligence

3. Why do we need Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

Emotional Intelligence is a valuable skill set which is essential for both personal and professional life.

• Improved relationship : EQ will help improve personal relationship, friendship and workplace relationship by improving the ability to understand and connect with others on an emotional level

• Effective communication : Understanding the emotions and intentions behind the words of others will lead to more effective and empathetic communication.

• Conflict resolution : By remaining calm and empathetic will enable individuals to navigate conflicts and preventing escalation.

• Leadership : EQ will help to understand team dynamics and making decisions by considering the emotional well being of team members.

• Stress Management : EQ will help recognize and address ones own emotions.

• Decision making : EQ helps individuals to consider both facts and emotions to make more balanced and informed choices.

4. How to improve Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

Developing and improving EQ is a gradual and continuous process and consistent practice and self awareness will help making significant progress in enhancing one's EQ. Here are few strategies which can help improve EQ.

• Self awareness : Explore your thoughts, feelings and reactions to different situations. Honest feed back from trusted friends , family members and colleagues will help you improve self awareness.

• Self regulation : Mindfulness and meditation help you to become more aware of your emotional reactions and improve to manage them.

• Empathy : Pay close attention to others when they speak, with out interrupting or judging. Put yourself in others' shoes to gain insight into their emotions.

• Social skills: Pay attention to facial expressions and posture to better understand the emotions of people around you. Be aware of cultural differences in emotional expression and communication styles.

• Motivation : Identify specific areas/elements of EQ which needs improvement and set achievable goals for yourself and work towards that.

• Seek professional help : If you find difficult to develop self awareness of your own , consider seeking the help of a therapist or a counselor.

5. Tools to measure EQ :

EQ tests or emotional intelligence assessments are multidimensional and provides scores or feedbacks on various aspects of EQ. It is different from IQ which is measured based on standardized testing and provide a single numerical score.

Some well known assessments are as below:

• Emotional Intelligence Appraisal ( EIA) : Award winning authors of the best selling book, ' Emotional Intelligence 2.0 , and the co founders of the global consultancy, TalentSmart, Jean Graves and Travis Bradberry developed this assessment tool. It provides score on a scale for the emotional Intelligence skills. https://youtu.be/auXNnTmhHsk?si=mDyUAHkpoNNApsjx - The power of Emotional Intelligence by Travis Bradberry

• Mayer-Salovey- Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) : Psychologists who coined the term ' Emotional Intelligence' developed this assessment tool which measures' emotional intelligence based on a person's ability to solve emotional problems and understand emotional information.

• In addition to the above two assessment tools, there are other assessment tools in the market like ' Bar-on Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-I) and Genos Emotional Intelligence Assessment.

6. Funny faces of primary emotions :

Funny face of happiness

Funny face of sadness

Funny face of fear

Funny face of anger

Funny face of surprise

Funny face of disgust

In India also there are many research papers submitted recently . One such paper ' A study on the Emotional Intelligence of Higher Secondary School Students '

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1256012.pdf is attached herewith.