Emotional Intelligence
What is Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional intelligence or emotional quotient is to identify and manage your own emotions, along with the emotion of others. Some experts are of the view that it is more important than IQ.
It is the ability to recognize your emotions, on what they are telling you and how those emotions affect the people who are around you. In hindsight, it involves your perception to others and allows you to manage relationships in a better way.
Ways to Enhance your Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is a controversial, but widely discussed an alternative to traditional IQ. It is fundamental to your life experience and determines how successful we are in our professional or personal lives.
1. Practice the Art of How You Feel
In the task of meeting one deadline after another, many of us tend to lose track of our emotions. When we pay attention to how we feel, we learn to trust our emotions.
2. Pay Attention to Your Behavior
When you practice emotional awareness, pay attention to your own behavior as well. When you experience certain emotions, see to it that how it effects the communication with the people around you.
3. Take Responsibility for Your Actions
It is known as one of the challenging but equally helpful steps also. Your behavior and emotions come from within you and not from any others around you.
4. Respond Rather than React
There are hardly a few differences between responding and reacting. When we experience an emotional trigger, we react in an unconscious way and hurt the people around us.
5. Practice the Art of Empathy
Empathy is the art of understanding on why certain people behave in a particular manner. It applies to us also and when you practice this trait your emotional intelligence will improve.
6. Positive Environment
As far as possible, create a positive environment that enhances the quality of life and it rubs on to the people around you as well.
7. Reduce Negative Emotions
When you feel bad something about someone’s behavior, do not jump to negative conclusions straight away. Instead, take a varied approach to the situation.
Characteristics of Emotional Intelligence
People with a higher level of emotional intelligence are successful in most of the things they do in life. They are the ones who the others require in their team. The main characteristics of emotional intelligence are as follows
1. Self Awareness
People with higher levels of emotional intelligence are self-aware. They understand their emotions and because of this reason, others do not rule them.
2. Self Regulation
People who self-regulate do not allow themselves to become too jealous and do not take impulsive decisions. They think before they act and have a certain degree of control over their actions.
3. Motivation
People with a high level of emotional intelligence are usually self-motivated. They love challenges, are highly productive in nature. They are efficient in whatever activity they undertake.
4. Empathy
It is one of the most important qualities of an intelligent, emotional person. People with empathy are more considerate towards the feelings of others, even though they may be not that obvious.
5. Social circles
It is usually good to talk to people who have high social skills. They focus on their own success and help others develop around them.
History of Emotional Intelligence
- 1930 to 1950- In 1930, the concept of social intelligence to get along with people was described by Edward Thorndike. In 1940, it was suggested by David Wechsler that effective component of intelligence is necessary for success in life. In 1950, Abraham Maslow suggested ways to enhance emotional intelligence
- 1975 to 1987- In 1975, the book titled ‘The Shattered Mind’ was published by Howard Gardner. It described the concept of multiple intelligences. In 1985, the term emotional intelligence was introduced by Wayne Payne. It dealt with the study of emotion along with self-integration. This was followed in 1987 by Keith Beasley who used the term emotional quotient
- 1990 to 1997- in 1990, the landmark article “Emotional intelligence” was published by John Mayer and Peter Salovey. This concept gained momentum in the year 1997 with Daniel Coleman’s book Emotional intelligence.
Emotional Intelligence Attributes
When people have a high level of emotional intelligence, they understand their own emotions and understand the emotional needs of others. The primary attributes of emotional intelligence are as follows.
1. Self-awareness
Understand how your mood swings along with actions affect others. To identify this, you need to identify your own emotions.
2. Internal Motivation
Interest in learning pursues internal motivation. In hindsight, it is self-improvement regarding wealth along with status.
3. Perceptive
You need to understand the emotion of others and take an active interest in them. But here it is notable that a careful balance needs to be achieved.
4. Proactive
You are able to anticipate the needs of someone and take appropriate actions based on that.
5. Curious
They have a great sense of curiosity and wonder, which makes them great people to be around with. They explore the possibilities and do not judge in any way.
6. Balanced
Being self-aware, they have a balanced approach to life which shows the importance of having an important personal along with professional lives.
7. Gracious
People with a higher level of emotional intelligence are courteous. They are pretty aware of what things they need to thank for and see the positive aspects towards life.
Skills that Build Emotional Intelligence
One of the best pieces of news about emotional intelligence is that it can be developed and learned. So what are the skills that build emotional intelligence, let us understand them?
- Observe on how people react to you and do? Do not rush to judgment without seeing all the facts.
- Look at the environment around you? Do you seek attention for your accomplishments? In fact, humility can be an incredible quality.
- Do a self-evaluation of sorts? Try to look at your weakness and are you willing to accept the fact that you are not perfect and work on those gray areas.
- Examine on how you to react to those stressful situations? Do you blame others around you or you become upset when things do not go your way?
- Examine how your actions will affect the people around you? Before you take a decision, see to it that on how it will affect the people around you.
- You are responsible for your actions. If you have committed a mistake, then apologize directly and do not ignore or avoid that person.
- Listen to others point of view but take your own decision- When you give a patient hear others, it shows that you value them.
To sum it up Emotional intelligence is a lifetime process, it is not something that you will develop and drop. It is possible to keep improving and even after you have mastered the tricks of it, the key is to keep on practicing it.
