Understanding Emotional Intelligence

• Emotional Intelligence is about understanding emotions and how to manage them
• Understanding emotional expressions can help you communicate better

Emotional Intelligence

• Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, is the emotional awareness and skillset to balance emotions and logic to maximize long-term happiness
• Goleman defines emotion as a feeling and the thoughts, psychological and biological states with a tendency to act on it
• Emotion comes from the Latin word "motere," meaning "to move," with the prefix "e" signifying "move away", indicating a tendency to act

Intensity of Emotion

• According to Brehm's theory of emotional intensity (1999), emotions originate in the central nervous system
• The central nervous system reacts suddenly, swiftly, and reactions can change between emotional states
• Only one emotion can be felt at a time.

Emotion Differentiation

• Pykari's 2011 thesis outlines four stages of emotional differentiation
• Recognition: Focus on being aware and conscious of the present emotion
• Assessment: Connect the detected emotion to the current task, identify triggers, and consider distracting factors
• Meta-Evaluation: Assess one’s evaluation skills by looking into how you assess the emotion that has been identified
• Regulation: Determine what to do with the emotion once it's recognized

Managing Emotions and Emotional Intelligence

• Emotional Intelligence skills are needed to properly express and understand intense emotions
• Basic skills are required to understand the intensity of an emotion to express it correctly

Goleman's Five Domains of Emotional Intelligence

• Self-awareness: Recognizing and identifying emotions as they arise
• Managing Emotion: Regulating emotions to fit the circumstance to respond appropriately
• Motivating the self: The capacity to progress despite circumstances by not becoming a victim
• Empathy: Sensing the emotions of others without them expressing it
• Social Skills: Managing emotions in others to listen to peers during highly charged situations

Steve Hein's Insights About Emotional Intelligence (1996)

• Experiencing significant emotions allows relating to people undergoing similar situations
• Fighting your emotions wastes time and is like telling water not to be wet
• Emotions are a core component, and happiness comes from being yourself
• Self-awareness leads to easier decision-making, while a lack of it causes regret or indecision
• Judging or labeling others hinders empathy
• Society is quick to criticizing, preventing honest expressions of feelings
• Education focuses on external knowledge but neglects teaching the names of feelings

Feedback

• Feedback, whether verbal, nonverbal, or written, transmits information

Verbal feedback

• Verbal feedback utilizes words

Non-verbal feedback

• Nonverbal feedback uses facial expressions and body language, conveying a stronger message

Written feedback

• Written feedback is expressed in letters or school report cards and reflects academic performance or assessment

Giving Feedback

• Start and end on a positive note.
• First, clarify your motivations.
• Use "I" statements.
• Describe the situation, behaviors, and effects, including how you feel.
• Give examples.
• Be descriptive, not evaluative.
• Consider the amount of information.
• Offer alternatives for negative feedback.
• Give feedback on changeable items.
• Pray before and after.

Receiving Feedback

• Listen to feedback.
• Assume it's constructive.
• Pause to consider emotional expression before responding.
• Ask for repeats if needed.
• Seek clarifications or examples.
• Accept positive and negative feedback instead of dismissing
• Ask for ways to improve your behavior.
• Show respect and express gratitude.

Exploring Positive and Negative Emotions

• Daniel Goleman's 1995 concept of emotional intelligence guides to recognize positive and negative emotions by naming them and owning it
• 80-90% of emotions go unexpressed or are improperly expressed, resorting to nonverbal communication cues like looks, tone of voice and body language

Emotion Examples

• Anger includes fury, outrage, resentment, wrath, exasperation, indignation, vexation, acrimony, animosity, annoyance, and hostility. In extreme cases, pathological hatred and violence occur
• Sadness includes grief, sorrow, cheerlessness, gloom, melancholy, self-pity, loneliness, dejection, and despair. In pathological cases, severe depression may occur
• Fear includes anxiety, apprehension, nervousness, concern, consternation, misgiving, wariness, qualm, edginess, dread, fright, and terror. In cases of psychopathology, phobias and panic emerge.
• Enjoyment includes happiness, relief, joy, contentment, bliss, delight, amusement, pride, sensual pleasure, thrill, rapture, gratification, satisfaction, euphoria, whimsy, ecstasy, and mania
• Love includes acceptance, friendliness, trust, kindness, affinity, devotion, adoration, infatuation, and agape
• Surprise includes shock, astonishment, amazement, and wonder
• Disgust includes contempt, disdain, scorn, abhorrence, aversion, distaste, and revulsion
• Shame includes guilt, embarrassment, remorse, humiliation, regret, mortification, and contrition