For about the past hundred years or so, scientists have been using tests of various types of tests to measure people’s cognitive intelligence (which simply means their ability to understand things, to remember things and to be quick on the uptake) by using IQ (Intelligence Quotient) tests of various forms. These test results are sometimes to predict performance like educational achievement, leadership ability and success in the workplace.
Emotional Intelligence
But nowadays another concept, that of Emotional Intelligence (EI) has come into the picture. EI is defined as ‘the ability monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions- and to use this information to guide one's thinking and interactions with others’ .
In simple terms, Emotional Intelligence is the quality that is concerned with effectively understanding oneself and others, and with relating well to people. It also influences one’s ability to adapt to, and to cope with, the situations one finds one self in. In simple terms, EI is what helps us to get on with others.
Professor Reuven Bar-On, a former Major in the Israeli Defence Force Psychological Service and today a leading authority in the field of Emotional Intelligence, was one of the early psychologists to postulate that there is something other than raw cognitive intelligence that can explain success. His theory was that those individuals with higher than average EI would in general be more successful in meeting outside demands and pressures. He also observed that a deficiency in EI can mean a lack of success because of one’s inability to communicate to others what one is able to achieve with one’s cognitive intelligence. A person’s Emotional Intelligence is often explained as comprising of four different components:
- Emotional Perception:
The ability to accurately perceive emotions – to understand, for example, the facial expressions and body language of those we deal with.
- Using Emotional Perception to Reason:
This involves utilizing our emotional perceptions to influence our thinking and cognitive activity. In most of us, our emotions help to prioritise what we pay attention and react to. If we stop to think about this, even when we listen to somebody (whether it is a teacher or a politician) we respond emotionally to the things that garner our attention. If we listen to a leader or a politician who does not connect with us on an emotional level, we have tuned off from their message even before we have listened to it! Studies have shown that when students listen to a lecture, most of what they take in is non-verbal; much of the take home message is conveyed not by the words themselves but by the way the words are used by the lecturer – and only a small part of what they retain consists of the actual words used.
- Understanding Emotions:
It is important that we appreciate that the emotional reactions we perceive in those whom we come into contact with can be the result of several possible causes. If we find our boss appearing angry at the office, we need to use our emotional sensitivity to interpret what might be (or what cannot be) causing them to be angry.. For example, our first reaction may be to assume that the boss is angry because of some inferior work that we may have done. However, it is equally likely that their anger has nothing to do with us – it may simply be that he or she was pulled up by a traffic cop on the way to work, or perhaps even that he or she had a major argument with the spouse before leaving home that morning!
- Managing Emotions:
Being able to manage emotions effectively is a key part of Emotional Intelligence. Controlling our own emotions and responding appropriately to the emotions of others are all important aspects of emotional intelligence. In broad terms, being intellectually smart and doing well on an IQ test are not enough to succeed in this world.
It would be true to surmise that a person’s ability to succeed in life and to achieve his or her full potential are influenced by both Emotional Intelligence and Cognitive Intelligence among other forms of intelligence.
Sanjiva Wijesinha - Dr. Sanjiva Wijesinha, Associate Professor at Monash University medical school, writes on health, travel and medical topics.
