© 2017 IJRTI | Volume 2, Issue 5 | ISSN: 2456-3315

A Study on Emotional Intelligence

1
B.MANIKANDAN, 2R.SASIKUMAR
1
Assistant Professor, 2MBA Scholar
Bharath Niketan Engineering College
Theni, Tamilnadu

Abstract: Emotional intelligence can greatly impact your work life and career, so it’s important to understand exactly
what it is and why it is so important. Every workplace is comprised of people with different strengths, personalities and
emotions, which can greatly affect the way they work. Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage your
emotions as well as the emotions of others. Emotional intelligence is typically factored into the everyday decisions
employers make, such as hiring, firing and promoting employees. Many hiring managers study candidates’ emotional
intelligence by asking specific questions during the hiring process, in order to identify those who have a higher degree of
emotional intelligence. They also analyze the emotional intelligence of their current employees to determine leadership
potential. In addition, when promotions and pay raises are being considered, emotional intelligence is typically factored
into the decision.

Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, Organization

Introduction

Emotional Intelligence (EI) describes the ability, capacity, skill or, in the case of the trait EI model, a self-perceived ability, to
identify, assess, and manage the emotions of one's self, of others, and of groups.

Emotional Intelligence is a general term used for our level of competence in our personal and interpersonal skills. In work
environments research reveals that that mastery of these personal and interpersonal skills is the single most important determinant
of our performance success. It is also a major determinant in how we feel, think and act. Emotional Intelligence will determine
how well you know and manage yourself, how well you handle what happens to you and how well you interact and handle others.

Emotional intelligence includes a broad array of sub-skills including how we monitor our own and others feelings and emotions,
how we discriminate and assess and how we use this knowledge to guide our thinking and actions. It includes assertiveness,
impulse control, adaptability, motivation and optimism.

Definition

Emotional Intelligence is “the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves and for
managing emotions effectively in others and ourselves”.

Emotional Intelligence often measured as an Emotional Intelligence Quotient describes an ability, capacity, skill or (in the case of
the trait EI model) a self-perceived ability, to identify, assess, and manage the emotions of one's self, of others, and of groups. It is
a relatively new area of psychological research. The definition of EI is constantly changing.

Evolution of the concept

The earliest roots of emotional intelligence can be traced to Darwin’s work on the importance of emotional expression for
survival and second adaptation. In the 1900s, even though traditional definitions of intelligence emphasized cognitive aspects
such as memory and problem-solving, several influential researchers in the intelligence field of study had begun to recognize the
importance of the non-cognitive aspects. For instance, as early as 1920, E. L. Thorndike used the term social intelligence to
describe the skill of understanding and managing other people.

Similarly, in 1940 David Wechsler described the influence of non-intellective factors on intelligent behavior, and further argued
that our models of intelligence would not be complete until we can adequately describe these factors. In 1983, Howard Gardner's
Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences introduced the idea of Multiple Intelligences which included both
Interpersonal intelligence (the capacity to understand the intentions, motivations and desires of other people) and Intrapersonal
intelligence (the capacity to understand oneself, to appreciate one's feelings, fears and motivations). In Gardner's view, traditional
types of intelligence, such as IQ, fail to fully explain cognitive ability. Thus, even though the names given to the concept varied,
there was a common belief that traditional definitions of intelligence are lacking in ability to fully explain performance outcomes.

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The first use of the term "Emotional Intelligence" is usually attributed to Wayne Payne's doctoral thesis, A Study of Emotion:
Developing Emotional Intelligence from 1985. However, prior to this, the term "emotional intelligence" had appeared in Leuner
(1966). Greenspan (1989) also put forward an EI model, followed by Salovey and Mayer (1990), and Goleman (1995).

As a result of the growing acknowledgement by professionals of the importance and relevance of emotions to work outcomes,
the research on the topic continued to gain momentum, but it wasn’t until the publication of Daniel Goleman's best seller
Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ that the term became widely popularized. Nancy Gibbs' 1995 Time
magazine article highlighted Goleman's book and was the first in a string of mainstream media interest in EI. Thereafter, articles
on EI began to appear with increasing frequency across a wide range of academic and popular outlets.

Concept of Emotional Intelligence

There are a lot of arguments about the definition of EI, arguments that regard both terminology and operationalizations. One
attempt toward a definition was made by Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer (1990) who defined EI as “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.”

Despite this early definition, there has been confusion regarding the exact meaning of this construct. The definitions are so varied,
and the field is growing so rapidly, that researchers are constantly amending even their own definitions of the construct. Up to the
present day, there are three main models of EI:

• Ability EI models

• Mixed models of EI

• Trait EI model

Characteristics of Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence can be compared and contrasted with a number of other parts of personality. These other parts are
distinct from emotional intelligence both conceptually and empirically. Moreover, although a person may be high in emotional
intelligence, they may be high or low in many of these other characteristic.

 Empathy: including a feeling for others, sympathetic reactions to their feelings, and imaginative involvement in how the
other person might be feeling.
 Emotional self-efficacy: a person’s belief that he or she possesses empathy and assertiveness as well as elements of
social intelligence, personal intelligence, and ability emotional intelligence.
 Socio-emotional effectiveness: an individual’s capacity to navigate the social world in an effective manner,
accomplishing his or her goals as needed.
 Socio-emotionally effective behaviour: the observable acts of the individual the lead to emotional and social
effectiveness of interactions with others.

Characteristics of Low And High EQ People

A person with High EQ

 Expresses his feelings clearly and directly with three word sentences beginning with "I feel..."
 Does not disguise thoughts as feelings by the use of "I feel like...." and "I feel that...." sentences.
 Is not afraid to express her feelings.
 Is able to read non-verbal communication.
 Lets his feelings lead him to healthy choices and happiness.
 Balances feelings with reason, logic, and reality.
 Acts out of desire, not because of duty, guilt, force or obligation.
 Is independent, self-reliant and morally autonomous.
 Is intrinsically motivated.
 Is not motivated by power, wealth, status, fame, or approval.
 Is emotionally resilient.
A person with Low EQ
 Doesn't take responsibilities for his feelings; but blames you or others for them. Can't put together three word sentences
starting with "I feel..."
 Can't tell you why she feels the way she does, or can't do it without blaming someone else.
 An attack, blames, commands, criticize, interrupts, invalidates, lectures, advises and judges you and others.

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Dimension of Emotional Intelligence

The dimensions of Emotional Intelligence are

 Inter personal

 Adaptability

 Stress management

 General mood

 Intra personal

Intrapersonal

• Emotional self-awareness
It is the ability to be aware of one’s feelings and emotions, to be able to differentiate between them, to know what one is feeling
and why, and to know what caused the feelings. Thrive on open, honest, compassionate feedback.

• Assertiveness
It is the ability to express feelings, beliefs, and thoughts and defend one’s rights in a non destructive manner. Assertive people
are not over controlled or shy. They can express themselves without being aggressive or abusive.

• Self-regard
The ability to accept one’s perceived positive and negative aspects as well as one’s limitations and possibilities. This person
possesses inner strength and self-confidence.

• Self-actualization
It is the ability to realize one’s potential capacities. Involved in pursuits that lead to a meaningful, rich, and full life. Self-
actualization is an ongoing, dynamic process of striving toward maximum development of one’s abilities, capacities, and talents.
This person persistently tries to improve oneself in general.

• Independence
It is the ability to function autonomously versus needing protection and support. These people have self-confidence, inner
strength, and a desire to meet expectations and obligations, without becoming a slave to them.

Interpersonal

• Empathy
It is the ability to be aware of, to understand, and to appreciate the feelings of others. It is “tuning in” (being sensitive) to what,
how, and why people feel the way they do. Being empathetic means being able to “emotionally read” other people.

• Interpersonal relationship
It is the ability to establish and maintain mutually satisfying relationships that are characterized by intimacy and by giving and
receiving affection. This component is not only associated with the desirability of cultivating friendly relations with others, but
with the ability to feel at ease and comfortable in such relations.

• Social responsibility
It is the ability to demonstrate oneself as a cooperative, contributing, and constructive member of one’s social group. This
ability involves acting in a responsible manner, even though one may not benefit personally. This person takes on community-
oriented responsibilities.

Adaptability

• Problem-solving
It is the ability to identify and define problems as well as to generate and implement potentially effective solutions. This person
logically and methodically goes through a problem and picks the best solution. This skill is also linked to a desire to do one’s best
and to confront problems, rather than avoiding them.

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• Reality testing
It is the ability to assess the correspondence between what is experienced and what objectively exists. This person searches for
objective evidence to confirm, justify, and support feelings, perceptions, and thoughts. In simple terms, reality testing is the
ability to accurately “size up” the immediate situation.

• Flexibility
It is the ability to adapt to unfamiliar, unpredictable, and dynamic circumstances. Flexible people are agile, synergistic, and
capable of reacting to change, without rigidity. These people are able to change their minds when evidence suggests that they are
mistaken. They are generally open to and tolerant of different ideas, orientations, ways, and practices.

Stress management

• Stress tolerance
It is the ability to withstand adverse events and stressful situations without “falling apart” by actively and positively coping with
stress. Also involves problem-solving, optimism, knowledge of stress coping strategies, and practice using them.
People who have good stress tolerance tend to face crises and problems, rather than surrendering to feelings of helplessness and
hopelessness.

• Impulse control
It is the ability to resist or delay an impulse, drive, or temptation to act. Problems in impulse control are manifested by low
frustration tolerance, impulsiveness, anger control problems, abusiveness, loss of self-control, and explosive and unpredictable
behaviour. Sometimes this skill is also called self-regulation or delaying gratification. It involves self-control and the ability to
handle our emotions.

General mood

• Happiness
It is the ability to feel satisfied with one’s life, to enjoy oneself and others, and to have fun. Happy people often feel good and at
ease in both work and leisure; they are able to “let their hair down,” and enjoy the opportunities for having fun. Happiness is a by-
product and/or barometric indicator of one’s overall degree of emotional intelligence and emotional functioning.

• Optimism
Optimism is the ability to look at the brighter side of life and to maintain a positive attitude, even in the face of adversity.
Optimism assumes a measure of hope in one’s approach to life. It is a positive approach to daily living. Optimism is the opposite
of pessimism, which is a common symptom of depression.

Branches of Emotional Intelligence:

Salovey and Mayer proposed a model that identified four different factors of emotional intelligence: the perception of emotion,
the ability reason using emotions, the ability to understand emotion and the ability to manage emotions.
1. Perceiving Emotions:
The first step in understanding emotions is to accurately perceive them. In many cases, this might involve understanding
nonverbal signals such as body language and facial expressions.

2. Reasoning With Emotions:

The next step involves using emotions to promote thinking and cognitive activity. Emotions help prioritize what we pay
attention and react to; we respond emotionally to things that garner our attention.

3. Understanding Emotions:
The emotions that we perceive can carry a wide variety of meanings. If someone is expressing angry emotions, the
observer must interpret the cause of their anger and what it might mean. For example, if your boss is acting angry, it might mean
that he is dissatisfied with your work; or it could be because he got a speeding ticket on his way to work that morning or that he's
been fighting with his wife.

4. Managing Emotions:
The ability to manage emotions effectively is a key part of emotional intelligence. Regulating emotions, responding
appropriately and responding to the emotions of others are all important aspect of emotional management.

Six Principles of Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence begins with these six principles:

1. Emotion is information.

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2. We can try to ignore emotion, but it doesn’t work.

3. We can try to hide emotions, but we are not as good at it as we think.
4. Decisions must incorporate emotion to be effective.
5. Emotions follow logical patterns.
6. Emotional universals exist, but so do specifics.

How EQ Helps In Success?

Emotional Intelligence is increasingly relevant to organizational development and developing people, because the EQ principles
provide a new way to understand and assess people's behaviors, management styles, attitudes, interpersonal skills, and potential.
Emotional Intelligence is an important consideration in human resources planning, job profiling, recruitment interviewing and
selection, management development, customer relations and customer service, and more. It also brings compassion and humanity
to work.
Research has shown that what separates successful people from their less successful counterparts is not necessarily IQ but EQ!

EQ proves to be a powerful strategic tool in accomplishing your business goals in the following areas:

Hiring / Screening
By incorporating EQ competencies in your hiring strategies, you are ensuring that the people who come to work for your
company will already possess a high degree of emotional intelligence that will help them perform their job.

Training
All training on customer service, sales, supervisory development, leadership, career development, and team interactions should
include EQ awareness and skills training. By helping employees focus on the areas of EQ that they can improve, you are
providing them with tools that will help the business and improve their job satisfaction.

Coaching
As an HR professional, you may often be involved in coaching others in the organization, in both crisis situations and daily
interactions. You can bring incredible value to your one on one coaching experiences as you model and encourage others to
understand how EQ can be used as a tool for solving their current and future dilemmas.

Competency models / Succession plans

HR can assist the organization by developing competency models and succession plans that incorporate EQ competencies. This
action will ensure that the organization of the future will be built based on competencies that have the greatest potential to deliver
business goals.

Performance Development Reviews

Performance and development reviews that reflect EQ competencies will ensure that employees are aware of developmental
needs in the emotional intelligence area.

Profit to the business

Emotional Intelligence leads to:
 Reduction of lost-time accidents.
 Reduction in formal grievances.
 Increase in productivity.

Who Could Benefit From EI Skill Enhancement?

 Executives
 Achieve Maximum Success
 Higher Productivity
 High Potential People

Why Improve Your Emotional Intelligence Skills?

 Enhance Your Career - Enhance your career and success potential.

 Improve Productivity - Improve your personal productivity
 Increase Job Satisfaction
 Manage Demanding Clients - Work easily with demanding clients and team members.
 Improve Work/Life Balance - Improve work/life balance so you can enjoy your personal life.
 Managers / Supervisors

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Conclusion

Emotional Intelligence is increasingly relevant to organizational development and developing people, because the EQ principles
provide a new way to understand and assess people's behaviours, management styles, attitudes, interpersonal skills, and potential.
Emotional Intelligence is an important consideration in human resources planning, job profiling, recruitment interviewing and
selection, management development, customer relations and customer service, and more. At the individual level, I has the
potential to increase our understanding of how individuals behave and adapt to their social environment, so it is very important to
understand about this topic.

References

[1] Bar-On, R. (1997). The Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-I): A test of emotional intelligence.
[2] Conger, J.A. & Kanungo, R.N. Charismatic leadership in organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1998.
[3] Damasio, A.R. Descartes' error. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1994
[4] Fineman, S. (Ed.) Emotion in organizations. London: Sage, 1993/
[5] Gardner, H. (1983) Frames of mind. New York: Basic Books.
[6] Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence New York: Bantam Books.
[7] Petrides, K V., Furnham, A. 2000. On the dimensional structure of emotional intelligence. Personality and Individual
differences , 29: 313-320
[8] Salovey, P., Grewal, D. 2005. The Science of EI. American Psychological Society, 14(6):281-285.
[9] Salovey, P, Mayer, J (1990), "Emotional intelligence", Imagination, Cognition and Personality, Vol. 9 pp.185- 211.

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