Question

Outline, through illustrative examples, key attributes of emotional intelligence and how they relate to everyday interaction.

Answer 1

Emotional intelligence is the ability of people to understand their emotions as well as emotions of people around them. It helps people acknowledge different feelings and differentiate them in order to manage their emotions effectively.

According to Daniel Goleman, there are five main constructs in Emotional intelligence:

• Self-awareness: The ability of a person to recognize one’s own emotions and other personal feelings. Self-awareness is important for people to understand what they are feeling and how to handle their emotions in different situations.
• Self-regulation: The ability to control one’s emotions in different circumstances. Being able to manage our emotions is important as it helps us balance our feelings no matter where we are.
• Empathy: The quality of being able to reflect on the emotions of other people in situations where important decisions need to be made. This quality should be imbibed and nurtured by all as it helps examine a situation from both the sides, thus preventing biases and poor decisions.
• Motivation: The quality of being driven toward one’s goal. Motivation is important to achieve long-term goals as it gives us a purpose and inspiration to succeed in attaining our goals without conceding easily.
• Social skills: The ability to interact with people in social situations. Good social skills are necessary in everyday life as well as in schools, colleges, and workplaces to communicate with people effectively.