Emotional Intelligence (EI) has emerged as an important subject of research in the last decade. Some of the pioneering researchers have defined EI as:
"Emotional intelligence is the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships. Emotional intelligence describes abilities distinct from, but complementary to, academic intelligence or the purely cognitive capacities measured by IQ" (Goleman, 1998). "Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive emotions, to access and generate emotions so as to assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and to reflectively regulate emotions so as to promote emotional and intellectual growth" (Mayer and Salovey, 1997). "Emotional intelligence reflects one's ability to deal with daily environment challenges and helps predict one's success in life, including professional and personal pursuits" (Bar-On, 1997). "Emotional intelligence is a way of recognizing, understanding, and choosing how we think, feel, and act. It shapes our interaction with others and our understanding of ourselves. It defines how and what we learn, it allows us to set priorities, it determines the majority of our daily actions" (Freedman, 2007).
All
these pioneering definitions lead us to conclude that EI is
important in shaping one's personality, behavior, style, and
abilities. EI was studied scientifically in the past decade.
Goleman's (1995) book Emotional Intelligence substantially
added to the popular interest in accumulating knowledge regarding
EI. |