Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, understand, express, and manage one’s and others’ emotions. It includes traits such as empathy, social skills, and self-awareness. Gaining emotional intelligence or having emotional intelligence helps one focus on one’s goals by increasing motivation. The ability to understand the emotions of others strengthens one’s communication in business and social life.
What is Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional intelligence helps individuals make sense of their emotions, strengthen their self-confidence and empathize with others. For this reason, it is a concept that has recently come to the forefront and allows people to balance their emotions. However, emotional intelligence is called EQ and is used as a criterion indicating the instant emotional state. It also gives an idea about how a person will behave in situations such as sadness, joy and happiness. In this way, if the other person has lost someone close to them, it reminds them to console them with a hug or to show similar behaviours. Guiding the person in this way also supports the development of social skills. At the same time, the development of emotional intelligence brings the person to a different place in terms of perception and attitude. After all this information, there is no definite information about the existence of emotional intelligence traits in the person from birth. Some researchers say that these skills are innate. On the other hand, it is stated that time is essential in developing emotional intelligence and has a side that can be learned.
What are the Components of Emotional Intelligence?
Combining some components in this field can explain examples of emotional intelligence. In this sense, the components of the type of intelligence expressed as EQ can be listed as follows:
Internal regulation and coordination
People can regulate the consequences of their feelings. This is essential because it enables the person to describe what they feel to the other person accurately. Also, the answers generated by the controlling side of the person who can manage their emotions are rational.
State of inner awareness
It is essential to understand and recognize oneself in the absence of any stimulus. It is aware of what one’s expression of emotional states creates in oneself.
Empathizing
Empathy is the step of understanding and perceiving the situation experienced by the other person. Thus, the person makes the other person feel valued. To give an example of emotional intelligence in this field, a person who rushes a relative to the hospital in traffic may be anxious or angry. The best example is when, after understanding this, the other person responds calmly to one’s anger.
Social skills
Strengthening the language of communication, persuasive abilities, and leadership are included in this component group.
Perception of emotions
In particular, body language includes perceiving facial expressions or gestures.
Ensuring motivation
A person who directs their emotions correctly can quickly identify their needs and goals, thus keeping their motivation dynamic at all times.
In general, reasoning skills, a level of understanding and perception, and emotional coordination are essential when considering these elements. People with these competencies can view the events they experience from a broad perspective and direct their behaviour logically.
How is Emotional Intelligence Measured?
The tests experts apply in emotional intelligence measurements can vary in many ways. In this sense, test methods can be divided into two different categories:
Ability test: It covers people’s reactions to events and the subsequent review of their abilities. This test also involves people demonstrating their capabilities. The skills displayed under expert control are subject to scoring. In general, the test groups that experts refer to can be listed as follows:
Schutte EQ scale (SDZÖ)
It is a preferred psychological test for measuring EQ levels. This test assesses the EQ components in detail.
Knowledge of emotional and social competence
One of the older methods is a self-assessment questionnaire. This test is done by relatives rather than the person themselves. In this way, the person’s emotional or social competencies are assessed. The data obtained from the results can be used to infer whether the person has leadership potential.
The emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT), founded by Mayer and Salovey
The test is related to the hand model proposed by Salovey and Mayer and is an ability test that measures the four domains of this model. In this direction, the ability to provide directives such as understanding, coordinating and perceiving sensory situations is evaluated.
Self-report applications
In other words, it can be considered a self-report test in which the person activates some situations, and these activities have a certain point value. The person’s self-scoring makes the application of the test convenient. In this context, the person completes the test by giving various answers to some questions. After the questions are asked in the test, they can use words such as agree, disagree, or neither.
What is the Impact of Emotional Intelligence?
The importance of emotional intelligence is related to one’s ability to learn in daily or business life. From this point of view, EQ learning skills have recently been at the centre of attention. It is even included in the curriculum of some schools abroad. In general, including these programs in the curriculum supports students’ health, happiness and academic success. At the same time, it plays a helpful role in increasing the power to fight against difficulties. After all this information, it is effective in strengthening the following three different situations:
Developing empathy
In EQ development, caring for the other person, understanding their feelings, and putting oneself in their shoes are prioritized. People who achieve this stage have reached the highest limit in their EQ level.
Maximizing self-awareness
People with high EQ levels are primarily in a structure that understands their own emotions and conveys them correctly. Self-aware individuals can evaluate various factors and direct their feelings in the right direction.
Controlled reaction by reviewing events in depth
People with a strong identity are aware that the negativities they experience will pass. For example, waiting a while before responding to the person with whom they have a disagreement in the business environment and giving logical answers shows that their EQ level is high.
What are the Signs Pointing to the Development of Emotional Intelligence?
Signs of emotional intelligence are reflected in a person’s thinking and actions. Accordingly, EQ encompasses some leading indicators such as
- To be able to direct their emotions and thoughts under challenging processes
- Don’t take responsibility for any wrongdoing
- Understanding how people around you feel and being empathetic
- Openness to renewal and acceptance of new situations
- Recognizing people’s strengths and weaknesses
- Being self-confident
- Show sensitivity and concern to painful events in the environment
- Not thinking about their mistakes for a long time and moving on
- Curiosity to understand the people around you
Frequently Asked Questions about Emotional Intelligence
Is having emotional intelligence critical in business life?
People who develop this perspective can establish maximum communication with their employees. This increases productivity in jobs that require teamwork and allows them to better analyze their employees’ emotions.
Can EQ and IQ be used in the same sense?
Both types of intelligence are based on different connections. EQ strengthens emotional connections and self-awareness at the EQ level. IQ, on the other hand, refers to a person’s intelligence in general and is predicted to be at a certain level according to the person’s age.
