You are on page 1of 4

Emotional Intelligence: What it is and Why it Matters We all need emotional intelligence to help us through our emotionally demanding

days. Even if we are not emotionally intelligent ourselves, we may rely on those higher in emotional intelligence to guide us. The main questions here are Guide us to what? What is it that people high in emotional intelligence can see that so many others are blind to? The key to this lies in what those high in emotional intelligence are particularly good at doing themselves. They are particularly good at establishing positive social relationships with others, and avoiding conflicts, fights, and other social altercations. They are particularly good at understanding psychologically healthy living and avoiding such problems as drugs and drug abuse. It seems likely that such individuals, by providing coaching advice to others, and by directly involving themselves in certain situations, assist other individuals and groups of people to live together with greater harmony and satisfaction. Human emotions spring up in response to stimuli that may or may not be relevant to the job at hand. Even if relevant, the emotional reactions are not necessarily proportional to the importance of the stimulus that caused it. Emotional Intelligence is the ability to maintain awareness of emotions and their relative strengths without allowing them to take control. We all know that it is not the smartest people that are the most successful or the most fulfilled in life. You probably know people who are academically brilliant and yet are socially inept and unsuccessful at work or in their personal relationships. Intellectual intelligence is not enough on its own to be successful in life. Yes, your IQ can help you get into college, but it is your EQ that will help you manage the stress and emotions when facing your final exams. Let us face the fact that emotional intelligence really affects certain things such as our performance at work, physical health, mental health and relationships. How does it affect these things? ! Performance at work. Emotional intelligence can help you navigate the social complexities of the workplace, lead and motivate others, and excel in

your career. In fact, when it comes to gauging job candidates, many companies now view emotional intelligence as being as important as technical ability and require EQ testing before hiring. ! Physical health. If you are unable to manage your stress levels, it can lead to serious health problems. Uncontrolled stress can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute to infertility, and speed up the aging process. The first step to improving emotional intelligence is to learn how to relieve stress. ! Mental health. Uncontrolled stress can also impact your mental health, making you vulnerable to anxiety and depression. If you are unable to understand and manage your emotions, youll also be open to mood swings, while an inability to form strong relationships can leave you feeling lonely and isolated. ! Relationships. By understanding your emotions and how to control them, you are better able to express how you feel and understand how others are feeling. This allows you to communicate more effectively and forge stronger relationships, both at work and in your personal life.

from: faculty.txwes.edu!

We can see in the diagram in the previous page that there are four categories/attributes of Emotional Intelligence. Self-awareness is when you recognize your own emotions and how they affect your thoughts and behavior, know your strengths and weaknesses, and have self-confidence. Selfmanagement is when you are able to control impulsive feelings and behaviors, manage your emotions in healthy ways, take imitative, follow through on commitments, and adapt to changing circumstances. Social awareness is when you can understand the emotions, needs, and concerns of other people, pick up on emotional cues, feel comfortable socially, and recognize the power dynamics in a group or organization. Lastly, Relationship management is when you know how to develop and maintain good relationships, communicate clearly, inspire and influence others, work well in a team, and manage conflict. Anyone can improve in these areas if a commitment is made to growth and learning. Reflective analysis of past incidents where emotional reactions played a critical role can help to provide material for study of ones own EQ and the areas in which one may wish to develop further. At each level of awareness and management anyone can find a wealth of personal anecdotes to reflect upon. After fully remembering the incident, try out alternative responses or emotional management techniques in the imagination to find ways that may seem more mature, intelligent, or wise for dealing with the usual conflicts and incidents of life. Reflective analysis and imaging of alternatives, if practiced on a regular basis can contribute substantially to increasing your emotional intelligence. In addition to this, using reflection and analysis, one can increase ones ability to become aware of the nature of emotional reactions when they occur. Thus, EQ is one of the characteristics of a successful leader in any arena of life.

References: Cherniss, C. Emotional Intelligence: What it is and Why it Matters. New Segal, J., Ph.D., and Smith, M.A. (Last updated: March 2013). Retrieved

Orleans, LA, April 15, 2000. from http://www.helpguide.org/ emotional_intelligence.htm. November 20, 2013

You might also like