UNIT 2 CONCEPT, HISTORICAL

DEVELOPMENT AND
COMPONENTS OF EMOTIONAL
INTELLIGENCE*
Structure
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Objectives
2.3 Concept of Emotional Intelligence (EI)
2.3.1 Definition of Emotional Intelligence
2.3.2 What Emotional Intelligence ‘is’ and is ‘not’

2.4 Historical Development of Emotional Intelligence

2.5 Components of Emotional Intelligence
2.6 Intelligence and Emotional Intelligence: Relationship between IQ and EQ
2.7 Benefits of Emotional Intelligence
2.8 Let Us Sum Up
2.9 Key Words
2.10 Answers to Self Assessment Questions
2.1 Unit End Questions
2.12 Answers to Unit End Questions
2.13 References
2.14 Suggested Readings

2.1 INTRODUCTION
Emotional intelligence (EI) reflects the current view in modern neuroscience wherein
emotions are framed as sources of useful data about our environment, rather than
hindrances or disruptors in rational thinking. Using emotions intelligently can provide
competitive advantage in a world where technical knowledge and “booksmarts”
may be in abundance, but the ability to deal with uncertainty, frustration, conflicts
and interpersonal relationships may be scarce. In a volatile, uncertain, complex
and ambiguous (VUCA) social reality, being attuned to one’s own and others’
emotions can help us tap into a unique kind of resource to navigate the world.
While many of us are already familiar with general or cognitive intelligence given
the emphasis placed on Intelligence Quotient (IQ) in academic and professional
contexts, emotional intelligence is a relatively new concept that is still under
development and research. This unit will introduce the construct and provide
context and background for its emergence. It will also examine why IQ is
not sufficient to ensure success in today’s world and why EI is receiving so much
attention across domains.
*Nitasha Singh Borah , Ph.D. Scholar, Discipline of Psychology, SOSS, IGNOU, New Delhi 23
Introduction to Emotional
Intelligence (EI) 2.2 OBJECTIVES
After studying this unit, you will be able to:
 Understand the concept of emotional intelligence;
 Trace the historical developments that led to the formulation of the concept;
 Describe the components of emotional intelligence; and
 Distinguish between intelligence quotient and emotional quotient

2.3 CONCEPT OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Ashwin is a very sharp and technically gifted researcher. He has numerous
world- class research publications and is the star of his research and
development team. However, despite his excellent individual performance,
working with others in the team has always been a challenge for him. He
finds it easier to work in isolation because he feels awkward around his
teammates and is unable to initiate and carry out engaging conversations.
It is difficult for him to tell when someone is bored with what he is saying.
Two of his colleagues recently walked off after he commented on the
mediocrity of their work, even though his intention was to provide honest
feedback. They haven’t spoken to him since. Ashwin is also frequently confused
about why he feels so irritated and impatient in team discussions and is
barely able to hide his contempt for the ideas that usually emerge out of
these. He feels trapped and stuck in his current role and cannot see a way
out since most organisations today have moved to team- based work.
Based on the vignette above, what do you think is getting in the way of
Ashwin’s success? If your first thoughts upon reading about Ashwin’s situation
were related to his ability to recognise and manage his emotions and interact
appropriately with other people, you would be focusing on what we call
emotional intelligence.
The term emotional intelligence can be broken down into two concepts- emotions
and intelligence. If one is asked about emotions in general terms, the first responses
are likely to constitute a perspective on emotions that is inherently restrictive.
Most commonly, emotions are seen to make us inefficient, are a sign of weakness,
a distraction and obstacle to good judgment and decision making. The two
words in the term emotional intelligence can then be seen to contradict each other,
if viewed from this lens. However, modern neuroscience has served to debunk
these myths and highlighted several important functions that emotions serve. We
now know that emotions provide vital feedback and information about our world,
spark creativity, aid decision making, enhance reasoning and strengthen trust and
connection- all of which are crucial if we are to not just function but thrive as
human beings.
The adaptive function of emotions has been highlighted by Levenson (1994) as
follows:
“Emotions are short-lived psychological-physiological phenomena that
represent efficient modes of adaptation to changing environmental demands.
24 Psychologically, emotions alter attention, shift certain behaviors upward in
response hierarchies, and activate relevant associative networks in memory. Concept, Historical
Physiologically, emotions rapidly organize the responses of disparate biological Development and Components
of Emotional Intelligence
systems including facial expression, somatic muscular tone, voice tone,
autonomic nervous system activity, and endocrine activity to produce a
bodily milieu that is optimal for effective response. Emotions serve to establish
our position vis-à-vis our environment, pulling us toward certain people,
objects, actions and ideas, and pushing us away from others. Emotions also
serve as a repository for innate and learned influences, possessing certain
invariant features, and others that show considerable variation across
individuals, groups, and cultures”.
In fact, the word emotion itself derives from the Latin word “motere” or
“movere” meaning “to move” (Dozier, 1998), to stir up, to agitate or to
excite. Emotional intelligence leverages and expands on these ideas by
proposing that thinking (including memory, judgment, reasoning) and
emotions go together. Emotions assist thinking and thinking can be used to
analyse and regulate emotions. For example, anger signals the presence of
an obstacle and gives one energy to fight. Fear is a survival emotion that
protects from danger by taking our attention to possible threats. Trust flags
the presence of a sense of safety and motivates one to open up to connections.
Thus, while emotions may be seen to disrupt thinking in some situations,
they also signal where one’s attention needs to be directed in a given situation.
Some basic principles about emotions that are relevant to emotional
intelligence are :
1. Emotions are information and present useful data about our worlds.
2. Decisions must incorporate emotions in order to be effective and lead
to intended outcomes. For example, Reinhard & Schwartz (2012) have
found that people in a less positive or even negative mood perceive
truthful information more effectively than those in a positive mood.
3. We can try to ignore emotions but it doesn’t work, especially over long
periods of time. Suppressing and hiding emotions takes up valuable
mental energy that could have been directed at an important task and is
highly stressful when continued for long.
4. We can try to hide emotions but are not as good at it as we might think.
Most people are able to read tiny, fleeting changes in emotional
expressions and interpret them correctly, such as identifying a fake
smile by noticing the lack of movement of the eye muscles while smiling.
Given the above, dismissing or ignoring emotions may not be a realistic goal
if we are to function healthily. Instead, it may be worthwhile to consider
how we might use emotions intelligently so that they help us thrive.

2.3.1 Definition of Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence (EI) is a set of emotional and social skills that influence
the way we perceive and express ourselves, develop and maintain social
relationships, cope with challenges, and use emotional information in an
effective and meaningful way. Several definitions of emotional intelligence have
been proposed over the years.
25
Introduction to Emotional One of the most popular definitions is “Emotional intelligence is the capacity for
Intelligence (EI) recognising our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for
managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships” (Goleman, 1998).
This definition emphasises that knowledge about emotions can be used to make
sense of our internal and social worlds and arrive at decisions accordingly. Others
like Reuven Bar-On (2002) have emphasised the adaptive function by EI by
defining it as “an array of non-cognitive abilities, competencies and skills that
influence one’s ability to succeed in coping with environmental demands and
pressures”.
Salovey & Mayer (1990) initially defined emotional intelligence as a sub-set of
social intelligence - “ the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and
emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one’s
thinking and actions”. Later, this definition was revised to make it more
comprehensive. Mayer, Salovey & Caruso (2004) define it as “the capacity to
reason about emotions, and of emotions to enhance thinking. It includes the
abilities to accurately 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.”
This perspective emphasises the synthesis of emotions and intelligence and is
shared by other theoretical frameworks as well (Ciarocchi, Chan & Caputi,
2000; Roberts, Zeidner & Matthews, 2001).
Just as intelligence is quantified and measured through Intelligence Quotient (IQ)
emotional intelligence is indicated by Emotional Quotient or EQ. Bradberry &
Greaves (2009) consider EI as the ‘missing piece’ in conceptualising a complete,
whole person; personality and intelligence comprising the other two key
components. Over decades of research, it has been established that EI is a
distinct ability that does not share attributes with either personality or intelligence.
Having certain personality traits does not automatically predispose one to have
high or low emotional intelligence. For example, while extroverts may feel energised
by interacting with people and introverts share a preference for solitude, it does
not automatically imply that extroverts are more emotionally intelligent than introverts.
Similarly, having an ability to process information cognitively or intelligence, does
not indicate one’s level of EI. In addition, while personality and intelligence are
relatively stable and resistant to change after the age of 18-20 years, EI comprises
a dynamic component that has the potential to evolve and grow over time, as well
as with targeted interventions.
Glossop and Mitchell (2005) highlighted this as: “Emotional intelligence is learned.
Unlike IQ, which is essentially fixed within narrow parameters at birth, EQ can
be developed and enhanced. In other words, temperament is not destiny. Empathy
and the capacity to understand the emotions of others can be nurtured.” In fact,
several studies have shown that older participants tend to score higher on EI
measures and may indicate that EQ increases with age and maturation (Bar-On,
2000).
Thus, in order to consider ‘the whole person’, emotional intelligence must be
considered alongside personality and intelligence.
2.3.2 What Emotional Intelligence ‘is’ and is ‘not’
To have an accurate understanding of the concept of emotional intelligence, it is
important to draw clear distinctions between what it covers and refers to and
which aspects of it are untrue or inaccurate.
26
What emotional intelligence ‘is’: Concept, Historical
Development and Components
 Being aware of oneself of Emotional Intelligence

 Being able to manage emotions

 Being socially aware
 Ability to manage interpersonal relationships by using emotions
 A field of scientific study
What emotional intelligence is ‘not’:
 Ignoring or suppressing emotions
 Allowing emotions to dominate thinking and decision making
 A permanent trait
 An indicator of cognitive and academic intelligence
 A person’s aptitude or interest
 Avoidance of conflict
 Best predictor of success in life
Thus, emotional intelligence refers to the non-cognitive abilities of a person that
includes the ability to be aware of the emotions of oneself and others and also
to be able to manage these emotions. In common words, it can be said to denote
‘street smartness’ or the ‘common sense’ (Stein & Book, 2006). It is the practical
knowledge that one needs to have to be effective in any field even if the knowledge
acquired from the academic arena is average. As Aristotle has put it, “ Anyone
can become angry – that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the
right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way
– that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy. Hence, getting aware of
the emotions, and knowing proper ways to express emotions are crucial for
success in life.
Self Assessment Questions 1
1. State whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F):
i Human beings often succeed at suppressing negative
emotions such as anger and anxiety without any
impact on productivity.
ii) Decision making can be more effective if emotions are
not involved.
iii) Emotional intelligence means being devoid of emotions
and being able to think purely in a rational and
logical manner.
iv) Personality and intelligence are flexible and can
be modified over time.

27
Introduction to Emotional 2. Define emotional intelligence.
Intelligence (EI)
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
3. How is emotional intelligence measured?
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................

2.4 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
The concept of emotional intelligence has its roots in early psychologists’
conceptualisation of intelligence. Thorndike in 1920 proposed that intelligence
is comprised of three distinct domains or classes: (i) Abstract, analytic or
verbal; (ii) Mechanical, performance and visuo-spatial; (iii) Social or practical.
Thorndike, thus, expanded on the traditional view of ‘intelligence’ as being
purely cognitive by identifying several other kinds of intelligences.
Specifically, his social/practical intelligence component indicates emotional
intelligence aspect. Howard Gardner (1983) further identified eight different
abilities: musical-rhythmic, visual-spatial, verbal- linguistic, bodily-
kinesthetic, logical-mathematical, intrapersonal, interpersonal and naturalistic.
Here, the intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligences are related to aspects
of emotional intelligence. Another psychologist, Sternberg (1985) talked about
three types of intelligence such as analytical, creative and practical intelligence.
In all these notions of intelligence, we can see the building blocks of emotional
intelligence - social intelligence, intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligences,
and practical intelligence can all be said to reflect emotional intelligence
abilities.
Gardner’s description of personal intelligences- intra and interpersonal focuses
directly on feelings:
“The core capacity at work here is access to one’s own feeling life- one’s
range of affects or emotions: the capacity instantly to effect discriminations
among these feelings and, eventually, to label them, to enmesh them in
symbolic codes, to draw upon them as a means of understanding and guiding
one’s behaviour. In its most primitive form, the intrapersonal intelligence
amounts to little more than the capacity to distinguish a feeling of pleasure
from one of pain…At its most advanced level, intrapersonal knowledge allows
one to detect and to symbolise complex and highly differentiated sets of
feelings…..to attain a deep knowledge of…..feeling life”.
Salovey & Mayer are widely credited with first using the term ‘emotional
intelligence’ in 1990. However, they themselves acknowledge that the term
was used much earlier in passing in the 1960s in literary criticism and
psychiatry and eventually in a dissertation by Payne in 1986 (Mayer, Salovey
& Caruso, 2004). The construct remained largely unknown until it attained
28
popularity when Daniel Goleman published his book on the subject in 1995 Concept, Historical
and argued that ‘people with the highest levels of intelligence (IQ) outperform Development and Components
of Emotional Intelligence
those with average IQs just 20 percent of the time, while people with average
IQs outperform those with high IQs 70 percent of the time’. His assertion
that EI could predict job performance and success held intuitive appeal and
since then, the concept has become extremely mainstream and received
international attention among several domains such as mental health, business,
education etc.

2.5 COMPONENTS OF EMOTIONAL

INTELLIGENCE
Broadly, emotional intelligence can be viewed as having four interrelated
components:

EMOTIONAL
INTELLIGENCE

Perceiving Understanding Managing Using

Emotions Emotions Emotions Emotions

Let us explain each of these components below.

1. Perceiving emotions: This is the basic ability to register and recognise
emotions in ourselves and other people. People who are high in emotional
intelligence are able to identify when they are experiencing a particular
emotion and able to use their vocabulary to label the feeling. For example,
experiencing the sensation of “butterflies in the stomach” and knowing
that they are feeling nervousness or anxiety. They are also sensitive to
other people’s emotions and are able to see when someone is feeling
angry, sad, happy or a range of other feelings by reading their facial
expressions and body language. This is a fundamental skill because
without recognising the experience of an emotion, it is very difficult to
understand it or change it in any way.
2. Understanding emotions: This component refers to using the specific
information that various emotions provide and knowing how that might
affect their behavior. As discussed earlier, each emotion conveys distinct
data to individuals about their environment and energizes one for action
in a particular direction. Emotionally intelligent people are able to
‘read’ this information and use it to guide their behaviour. For example,
understanding that one’s anger at their friend may be a result of
feeling unfairly treated by them. Understanding emotions in others is
similar- observing that a sibling is hanging their head low and has reduced
their interactions with others might indicate they are upset or sad about
something.
29
Introduction to Emotional The following descriptive statements about persons ‘X’ and ‘Y’ may help to
Intelligence (EI)
illustrate the above two components of perceiving and recognising emotions:
Example 1: “During challenging and difficult social situations, X is very
conscious of the pitch of his voice and hand gestures. He recognises
when the intensity of his anger is rising and makes the effort to behave
in an assertive way rather than give in to aggression”.
Example 2: “Y is usually unaware of being triggered by an unorganised
desk or a delayed project. He almost instantly responds with undue
aggression without realising what language or tone of voice he is using
with someone. He sounds very offensive at times”.
In the first example, being aware about one’s pitch and the bodily
gestures draws one’s attention to the intensity of the emotion one is
experiencing. This awareness then leads to appropriate action in the
individual. The second example points out the consequences when we
are not aware about how our emotions are linked to various factors.
This awareness of generation of emotions will give us a control over
how we respond to different situations.
3. Managing emotions: When one recognises their emotions quickly and
understands their meaning, it becomes relatively easier for them to
think about the next steps regarding how to change them. This applies
to the self as well as others. Recognising that one is feeling low and
wanting to change that emotion may encourage one to make plans to go
out for a movie or meet a friend they enjoy talking to or just talk to the
person over phone. A desire to reduce one’s anger may also lead to the
use of deep breathing and relaxation strategies to calm oneself down.
Similar tools may be used to help change emotions in others as well.
For example, saying sorry or apologising to an angry friend may reduce
anger or sadness. Listening to a sibling who is feeling sad may improve
their mood.
The following descriptive statements about persons ‘X’ and ‘Y’ may
help to clarify how this skill is observable:
Example 1: “X is a great example of patience and restraint when meetings
become heated up and emotionally- charged. While others are shouting
and calling others names around her, she responds by listening carefully
and responding with well - thought out points rather than reacting
impulsively”.
Example 2: “Y calls incessantly when I don’t answer the first time he
calls. He reacts out of panic and assumes the worst. Unanswered calls
are often accompanied by accusatory messages and rants that he later
regrets.”
Here in the above examples we can see that we can better manage the
emotions either in ourselves or in others when we become aware of the
emotions and the situation giving rise to such emotions.
4. Using emotions: The ability to use one’s emotions is more than just
dealing with or managing emotions. It involves the skill of leveraging
emotions to enhance our thinking, decision-making and relationships.
30
 For example, concealing one’s nervousness about public speaking by using Concept, Historical
Development and Components
body language and hand gestures to show excitement instead so that the
of Emotional Intelligence
audience is more engaged. Channelizing anger at perceived injustice towards
fighting for one’s legitimate rights is another example of using emotions and
has been used extensively to bring about social changes and reforms for
centuries.
The capacity to use emotions is illustrated by the following descriptions:
Example 1: “X has a very good capacity to initiate and maintain relationships.
She shows a lot of empathy and connects very quickly with people. Even
when she does not like someone, she finds a way to be cordial and professional
with them so that tasks succeed”.
Example 2: “Y is mistrusting and this shows when we interact with her. She
does not like including new friends in the group and is very possessive about
us. It can sometimes be suffocating to be around her”.
As can be seen from the examples above, people do not share identical
abilities in each of the above domains. One may be good at controlling their
own anger but not have the skills to calm another angry person. Similarly,
one may recognise own sadness but not possess well-developed strategies to
change or manage sadness. Developing these skills is a matter of practice
and sometimes requires structured coaching and experience.
Self Assessment Questions 2
1. List the four components of emotional intelligence.
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
2. Differentiate between the skills of understanding emotions and managing
emotions.
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
3. Amish is a very good negotiator. He often displays high assertiveness to
increase positive outcomes for himself, even though does not consider himself
as an assertive person on the whole. This is an example of
........................................... component of emotional intelligence.
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................. 31
Introduction to Emotional
Intelligence (EI) 2.6 INTELLIGENCE AND EMOTIONAL
INTELLIGENCE: RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN IQ AND EQ
When we use the word “intelligence”, usually we refer to cognitive intelligence or
academic intelligence. However, there are other types of intelligences also such as
social and emotional intelligence. The most well known and referenced definition
of intelligence is probably that of Wechsler’s - “intelligence is the aggregate or
global capacity of the individual to act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal
effectively with his environment” (1958). The highest level of cognitive mental
abilities is called general mental ability or ‘g’, which is thought to predict learnability
and performance across domains. ‘g’ is further classified into fluid and crystallised
forms of intelligence (Cattel,1971). Fluid intelligence is a measure of the abilities
of information processing and reasoning. Crystallized intelligence has to do with
acquiring, retaining and organising information and is different from information
processing. Furnham et al. (2007) have explained this with the help of an analogy.
If cognitive intelligence is a computer, fluid intelligence would be the information
processor (computer chip) while crystallised intelligence is analogous to the
information stored in memory (hard drive).
Sternberg, one of the pioneers in the field of intelligence stated its definition as
“Intelligence comprises the mental abilities necessary for adaptation to, as well as
shaping and selection of, different environments” (1997). In this regard, Wechsler
acknowledged that “individuals with identical IQs may differ very markedly in
regard to their effective ability to cope with the environment”(1940).
Later, Goleman (1995) famously claimed in his book that ‘emotional intelligence
can be as powerful, and at times more powerful, than IQ’ and in fact could be
the unnoticed factor that may explain why the smartest, and technically gifted
people may not necessarily be the most successful. Pfeiffer (2001) extended
Sternberg’s definition to emotional intelligence by proposing that it is also a type
of intelligence because acting ‘intelligently’ does not involve only successful
adaptation to the environment but also the act of moulding and changing it so that
one’s needs are met adequately.
Thus, viewing intelligence as a simple, one-dimensional construct that refers to an
ability to process information and thus predicts academic and career performance,
may be seen as a somewhat narrower framework. It does not take into account
the several other kinds of abilities that inform an individual’s capacity to adapt to
his or her environment and succeed across various domains. Emotional intelligence
is a kind of “hot intelligence”- part of a group of capabilities of dealing with
personally relevant information (Mayer, Salovey & Caruso, 2004).
As stated earlier, cognitive intelligence, measured via Intelligence Quotient (IQ)
and Emotional Intelligence measured through Emotional Quotient (EQ) are distinct
constructs. Having a high IQ does not automatically indicate a high EQ, while
having a high EQ may indicate a high or average IQ at least and predict success
at work better than IQ alone. While IQ can predict academic success, it may not
necessarily lead to success in life; whereas EQ predicts success and effectiveness
in life. Given the importance of emotional intelligence, it may be noted here that
unlike intelligence, emotional intelligence can be increased through training at any
age.
32
In a study by Mount (2006), EQ was found to be more than twice as predictive Concept, Historical
Development and Components
of business performance than purely cognitive intelligence and better
of Emotional Intelligence
predictive of business performance than employee skill, knowledge and expertise.
While academic intellectual capacities are important, they are not enough on their
own. Many other studies have reported similar findings (Clarke, 2010; Godse
& Thingujam, 2010). More recently, researchers are moving to a more integrated
way to studying the impact of IQ and EQ. Since emotional intelligence is the sum
of two concepts- emotion and intelligence, it makes sense to study their combined
impact on performance and success. Kidwell et al., (2011) and Agnoli et al.,
(2012) have shown that emotional intelligence further enhances or boosts the
relationship between general intelligence and job performance, especially when
tasks are conducted in social contexts involving interaction and collaboration such
as customer service, team work etc. Thus, although cognitive and emotional
intelligences are different from each other, they also share a close relationship in
terms of operating together to influence performance and success.
IQ can therefore be considered a minimum requirement or “threshold competence”
(Emmerling & Goleman, 2003), for example, in getting into an academic institute
through an entrance exam or a job in an organization on the basis of degrees and
certifications attained. Success thereafter, is determined by many more varied
skills that must be built upon this. Emotional competence needs to supplement
intellectual competence. A sub-set of emotional intelligence, emotional competence
is defined as “a learned capability based on emotional intelligence that results in
outstanding performance at work” (Goleman, 1998). For example, one may have
adequate baseline emotional intelligence but will still need to learn the specific
competency of empathy to influence relationships with peers or superiors for
success. Goleman has proposed five emotional competencies such as Self
awareness, Motivation, Self-regulation, Empathy and Social skills. This
emotional competence framework is presented in greater detail in Unit 3.

2.7 BENEFITS OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

The concept of emotional intelligence has become very popular and is steadily
gaining traction because of the many benefits it purports to offer to these
who have this capacity. Some of these benefits are:
1. Allows individuals to tap into not just thinking capacities, but also
leverage information and strengths that emotions bring.
2. Takes a realistic and practical view of emotions as opposed to traditional
notions that encourage leaving emotions out of certain contexts and
encourage unhealthy suppression.
3. Facilitates understanding of self and others, beyond superficial
information.
4. Encourages and enables empathy so that the quality of interpersonal
interactions improves.
5. Adds competitive advantage over just cognitive intelligence and technical
skills so that individuals are able to pursue excellence and success
using a range of intelligences.
6. Allows individuals more agency and control over which emotions they would
33
Introduction to Emotional like to experience more of and which ones they consider undesirable in a
Intelligence (EI) given situation and would like to switch from.
Thus the benefits of emotional intelligence have implications across a wide range
of our life from personal relationship to professional contexts and settings.

2.8 LET US SUM UP

Emotional intelligence has emerged as an exciting domain of study over the last
30 years or so, even though usage of the term and recognition of related skills
has been around for several decades. The term is composed of two units- emotion
and intelligence and arises out of the synthesis of these seemingly incompatible
domains. Emotions can influence thinking and in turn, thinking can be used to
make sense of and employ emotions effectively. It is now well established that the
abilities that comprise emotional intelligence and are concerned with recognising,
regulating and using emotions to drive effective decision-making are crucial to
adaptive functioning and optimal performance. There has been much debate about
its distinctiveness as a construct and mixed evidence for its exponential impact on
performance when compared with cognitive intelligence. However, when taken
together with cognitive intelligence, especially in social tasks, emotional intelligence
can boost the impact of the former and yield tangible results. The present Unit
explained the concept of emotional intelligence and highlighted the historical
development of the concept. Further, the different components of emotional
intelligence were explained.

2.9 KEY WORDS

Emotional Intelligence : Emotional intelligence is the capacity for
recognising our own feelings and those of
others, for motivating ourselves, and for
managing emotions well in ourselves and in
our relationships (Goleman, 1998).
Emotional Quotient : Emotional quotient or EQ is a measure of
emotional intelligence.

2.10 ANSWERS TO SELF ASSESSMENT

QUESTIONS
Self Assessment Questions 1
1. (i) F, (ii) F, (iii) F, (iv) F
2. Emotional intelligence is the capacity for recognising our own feelings
and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions
well in ourselves and in our relationships (Goleman, 1998).
3. Emotional intelligence is measured quantitatively through emotional
quotient (EQ).
Self Assessment Questions 2
1. The four components of emotional intelligence are perceiving emotions,
understanding emotions, managing emotions and using emotions.
34
2. Understanding emotions refers to using the specific information or data that Concept, Historical
various emotions provide and knowing how that might affect one’s behavior. Development and Components
of Emotional Intelligence
For example, being aware about one’s pitch and the bodily gestures during
an anger episode draws one’s attention to the intensity of the emotion one
is experiencing. This awareness may then lead to appropriate action in the
individual.
3. Using emotions

2.11 UNIT END QUESTIONS

1. Can the ability to recognise and regulate emotions be called an intelligence?
Why or why not?
2. Why is emotional intelligence considered important?
3. Why is the ability to understand emotions in self and others important?

2.12 ANSWERS TO UNIT END QUESTIONS

1. The ability to recognise and regulate emotions can be considered as a type
of intelligence because it allows the use of thinking capacities to understand
and reason with emotional information. Moreover, the capacity to adapt to
changing environmental needs is one of the hallmarks of cognitive intelligence.
Emotional intelligence not only enables this process, it also brings the additional
advantage of helping an individual alter aspects of the environment to suit his/
her needs.
2. Emotional intelligence is considered important because it has the potential to
create a lot of impact for individuals and groups. It has been linked to
superior performance at work, especially in social contexts and when combined
with cognitive intelligence. The capacity to recognise and manage one’s
emotions allows individuals to not only understand themselves but also present
themselves in a certain way to the outside world. A higher than average
ability for social awareness can help individuals connect to others and build
bonds so that interpersonal relationships can be a source of personal fulfilment
and also be leveraged for superior teamwork.
3. The ability to understand self and others is fundamental to all other emotional
intelligence strengths. Recognising the experience of emotions and being able
to assign an identifying label to them brings clarity to the human experience.
Without recognising what emotion one might be feeling, it would be nearly
impossible to know which strategies would be helpful in managing it. For
example, the coping and responding strategies for anxiety and sadness are
different. Anxiety generally responds well to relaxation and calming strategies
while intense sadness is helped by engaging with activities and other people.
If a person to unable to understand whether they are feeling sad or anxious,
they would not be able to respond to the experienced emotion with an
appropriate emotion regulation strategy. Similarly, using the skills of observation
and listening, emotions in other people can also be identified. This is crucial
for two reasons- to experience empathy, without which genuine connection
with others is not possible and secondly, reading others’ emotions yields
important information about the most suitable way to respond to others.
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Introduction to Emotional
Intelligence (EI) 2.13 REFERENCES
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Bar-On, R. (2002). EQ-I: Bar-On emotional quotient inventory technical manual.
Toronto, Canada: Multi-Health Systems.
Bradberry, J. & Greaves, J. (2009). Emotional intelligence 2.0. San Diego, CA:
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Clarke, N. Emotional intelligence and its relationship to transformational
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Dozier, R. W. (1998). Fear itself: the origin and nature of the powerful
emotion that shapes our lives and our world. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
Emmerling, R.J. and Goleman, D. 2003. Emotional intelligence : issues and
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Goleman, Daniel (1995). Emotional Intelligence, Why it can matter more than IQ.
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Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. New York, NY: Bantam. Concept, Historical
Development and Components
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RJ, editors. The nature of emotion: Fundamental questions. New York: Oxford.
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2.14 SUGGESTED READINGS

Emmerling, R.J. and Goleman, D. 2003. Emotional intelligence : issues and
common misunderstandings. [Online.] Available WWW: www.eiconsortium.org/
research/ei_issues_and_common_misunderstandings. htm
Goleman, Daniel (1995). Emotional Intelligence, Why it can matter more than IQ.
New York: Bantam Books.
Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. New York, NY: Bantam.
Mangal S.K & Mangal S. (2015). Emotional Intelligence: Managing emotions to
win in life. Delhi: PHI Learning.
Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. R. (2004). Emotional intelligence: Theory,
findings, and implications. Psychological Inquiry, 60, 197–215.

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