An Overview of Emotional Intelligence

An Overview of Emotional Intelligence

Lance Patterson

American Intercontinental University

Abstract

Emotional intelligence plays a major role in our everyday lives. In this essay I will discuss emotional intelligence at length. I will explore its definition as well as implications on everyday life. Many do not realize that emotional intelligence is a multi dimensional concept. For the purposes of this essay I have taken an emotional intelligence quiz. We will also discuss my personal r

An Overview of Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is a vital part of human nature. Emotional intelligence is woven into every social relationship in each of our lives. Actually, emotional intelligence comes into play with every interaction we have with other human beings. It can strengthen relationships, or it can lead to their demise. Emotions can be defined as ‘’a physiological response by the autonomic nervous system’’(Board,2016,166). This is a very technical definition. I tend to think of emotions as feelings such as happiness, sadness, anger, and jealousy. Emotional intelligence can be broken down into 5 domains.

Daniel Goldman is responsible for breaking down emotional intelligence into five domains. These domains are ‘’knowing your emotions, managing your own emotions, motivating yourself, recognizing and understanding other people’s emotions, and managing relationships’’(Emotional Intelligence, n.d.). Knowing our emotions is as simple as it sounds. It means that we are able to identify the types of feelings that we are having. An example of this would be being sad and understanding why. Managing our emotions means that we are in control of our emotions. For example, if I was angry and on the verge of an outburst but was able to keep quiet and hold that outburst in. Motivating yourself is just as it sounds. It means that an individual is able to self motivate in order to accomplish a goal or task. A good example of this is someone who goes to the gym faithfully, even when they don't necessarily want too. They are able to motivate themselves in order to accomplish this task. Recognizing and understanding other people’s emotions alludes to the ability of being able to sense the way other people around us are feeling, or being able to recognize what emotions they are having without being told. If I was to see someone crying I would be able to recognize and understand from their facial expressions and demeanor if they were crying because they are sad, or if they are crying because