Emotional Intelligence

What is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional intelligence refers to people's ability to monitor their own and other people's emotional states and to use this information to act wisely in relationships. Emotional intelligence has five parts:

1. Self-awareness: recognizing internal feelings.
2. Managing emotions: finding ways to handle emotions that are appropriate to the situation
3. Motivation: using self-control to channel emotions toward a goal
4. Empathy: understanding the emotional perspective of other people
5. Handling relationships: using personal information and information about others to handle social relationships and to develop interpersonal skills

Researchers are beginning to develop tests that can measure emotional intelligence. Scientists who study emotions generally believe that people with high emotional intelligence usually work well in cooperative situations and are good at motivating and managing others. People with low emotional intelligence often misinterpret emotional signals and have difficulty with relationships. Although emotional intelligence probably has an inherited component, many psychologists believe that people can be guided into making better use of the emotional intelligence that they possess.

Resources
Goleman, Daniel. Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam Books, 1997. This book introduced the idea of emotional intelligence to the public.
LeDoux, Joseph The Emotional Brain: The Mysterious Underpinnings of Emotional Life. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1998. This book examines the connection between physical responses and emotions.
Mackler, Carolyn. Love and Other Four-Letter Words. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell, 2000. Young adult fiction that addresses trying to make sense of the strong emotions that occur during adolescence.

http://www.humanillnesses.com/Behavioral-Health-Br-Fe/Emotions.html