Emotional Intelligence - Ideal mind's search of mystery

Though new in the field of psychology, Emotional Intelligence is a topic two decades too late to write about. It was major discussion in the mid-nineties. Today, this article is an attempt to improve our understanding of the subject.

Let us understand the prevailing concepts around emotion and intelligence before we join these two words – emotional intelligence

Emotion simply means strong feeling. Etymology describes its origin to - Greek word amyno (push away), Lithunian mauti (push on), Sanskrit kama-muta (move by love), Latin movere (move), Vulgar Latin exmovere (move by love), Old French esmovoir (to excite), French emotion (emotion). The year 1579 AD saw a first recorded definition of emotion – a physical, moving, stirring, agitation.

Without the ‘word’ definition the essence of the meaning was notably captured by Aristotle (342-322 BC), when he wrote about human ethics and mentioned anger[1].

There are different interpretations of emotions – are evolutionary adaptations[2], subjective feelings that dictates moods, a response to stimuli, increased heartbeat and perspiration[3], largely unconscious machinery, pleasant or unpleasant state organized by limb systems[4], physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation[5] etc. Psychologist Robert Plutchik (1928-2006) comprehensively classifies emotions in eight categories – anger, fear, sadness, joy, disgust, curiosity/ interest, surprise, acceptance – each emotion relating to a behavior with survival value. Scientists have found similar physiological movements and responses present in the microscopic organisms too.

Intelligence means thinking, reasoning, acquiring and applying knowledge. Etymology suggests its Latin origin from two words inter (inter) and legere (to choose). Intelligence is used as an umbrella term. Many researchers, prominent in field of psychology, learning, and mathematics and engineering have offered innumerable definitions of intelligence.

But the most influential approach in understanding intelligence is based on psychometric testing – Intelligent Quotient (IQ). But as IQ were organized to predict (mainly) educational achievement, that had its limitations. This studies lead to development of multiple alternative theories – multiple intelligence[6], triarchic intelligence[7], social intelligence[8], emotional intelligence[9] etc.

Darwin’s early work in 1900 drew importance of emotional expression for survival and adaptation. The term emotional intelligence appeared in writings as early as 1966[10]. First use of its work is found in a 1985 doctoral thesis – A study of emotions: Developing emotional intelligence[11]. It was after the publication of the best-seller book by Daniel Goleman Emotional Intelligence – Why it can matter more than IQ that the concept became widely popularized.

Emotional Intelligence describes an ability, capacity or skill to perceive, assess and manage the emotions of one’s self, of others, and of groups. It includes four types of abilities:
Perceive emotions
Using emotions
Understanding emotions
Managing emotions

The most current measure used by Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) is based on series of emotional based problem solving items. The models around emotional intelligence outline four main constructs:

Self-awareness
Self-management
Social awareness
Relationship management

There is also a wide criticism of EI – because there is no unifying definition, and scholars challenge the basic assumption of considering emotions as a type of intelligence. Apart from EI providing academic and research interest still the field is not that developed and is perceived as a theory rather than providing predictive value for anything substantive. The uses of EI in market research and consumer surveys also have not shown successful results to adopt the method or model on a commercial scale. The general notion is that people proposing EI normally abuse or misuse it to further their interests.

Keeping this basic framework in mind, let us try dissecting the concept.

Humans have defined the words emotional and intelligence.

We have to use the word emotion which in itself is a combination of many different factors. For sake of simplicity to understand – let us consider emotions defined in two main kinds of factors[12] – one that are core emotions, coming out naturally as a form of organism’s survival mechanism; whereas the other one is – learned emotions, coming out through what a person learns from the surrounding environment, society and culture s/he is born within.

Intelligence in today’s world is more of academic achievement of a person – mathematics, chemistry, physics, statistics etc. The other school of thought rejects the above definition and says that intelligence of a person is measured by how happy a person can be. Some factors of those have given rise to the subject of emotional intelligence, where other factors apart from IQ are used to measure intelligence.

I think humans have derived a term emotion without fully understanding the roots of it and still searching the meanings of its roots. The first part of the definition of an ability, capacity or skill to perceive ones emotions seems to be quite okay. Where the things start becoming muddier is when one starts using the mind to assess and manage emotions. The question is - can we manage it?

The first simplistic part of the emotion is – the natural form - why should we try to manage a natural form of reaction like that? As all human interventions, by trying to assess and manage the natural process of reactions – we humans would create more mess around the world than solve it – as is the case is with each and every human intervention that has come from intelligence.

The second simplistic part of emotion is – the learned form – which can be, to a very little extend, understood because it is what each and every one of us are taught from the day we are born. We react in a certain way because of our surrounding, upbringing, culture, society and environment. So why focus on the person to manage the emotions and not on the society. And is it feasible to work on assessing a person and asking the person to manage something s/he has learned from society – ingrained as part of the genes structure?

So both ways the exercise of looking into emotional intelligence seems futile only because of the mysteries surrounding the sources of emotions.

Yes, like many well funded research scientists of developed countries, who have enough time and money on hand to lubricate their ideal juices of intellect and keep on coming out with newer concepts like this every other month. They market themselves and their intellectual concepts well and like many western international best-seller books – there are people to eagerly interested in them also.

So sadly the conclusion is that this paper is mostly aligning itself with the group that does not believe in the practicality of the emotional intelligence concept.

(Total words – 1087)
[1] “Anyone can be angry, that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way – this is not easy” – Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics
[2] Charles Darwin
[3] William James’s somatic theory
[4] Neurobiological theories
[5] Cognitive theories
[6] Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple intelligence
[7] Robert Stenberg proposes three fundamental aspects – analytic, creative and practical.
[8] E.L.Thorndike (1920) – Columbia University
[9] Daniel Goleman and several other researchers claim it to be as important as other forms of intelligence
[10] Leuner
[11] Wayne Panye
[12] There might be many more factors that builds up what we call emotions