A Review of Emotional Intelligence in Everyday Life: A Scientific Inquiry

Emotional Intelligence in Everyday Life” A Scientific Inquiry begins with a general overview of the concepts of emotional intelligence. It mentions the history of emotional intelligence (EI) and the different kinds of ways EI is defined. This chapter also gives an introduction into the measuring and the importance of EI.

Measuring Emotional Intelligence (Chapter 2, pp. 25-45)

Several tests have been developed to measure EI including the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-I), Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS), Schutte Self-Report Inventory (SSRI), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and other self-report measures related to EI.

Affective Intelligence:

The Role of Affect in Social Thinking and Behavior (Chapter 3, pp. 46-66)

Affective intelligence deals with how aware we are of an emotion, feeling, or mood as a factor in our behavior and the stimulus arousing them. This chapter also deals with affect and its connection to the cognitive process.

Low Emotional Intelligence and Mental Illness (Chapter 4, pp. 67-81)

Ei and its connection to alexithymia and other disorders such as substance abuse, anxiety, and depression are covered. Also EI relations to eating disorders, somatoform disorders, and borderline personality disorders.

Emotional Intelligence and Self-Actualization (Chapter 5, pp. 82-97)

Realizing your potential in life is explored and its relation to EI. This chapter covers the historical roots and definitions of both EI and self-actualization and the important links between the two. Back to Top

Emotional Intelligence and Intimate Relationships (Chapter 6, pp. 98-112)

The pros and cons of using EI in managing emotions in inter-personal relationships are examined. This chapter discusses the different facets of EI—emotion perception and communication, understand and reasoning about emotions, and managing and regulating emotions—and how they can be applied to marriage. Back to Top

Emotional Intelligence and Empathic Accuracy (Chapter 7, pp. 113-132)

Accurate appraisal of the emotions of self and others is closely connected to EI. This chapter includes the historical research on traits and its development into the study of empathic accuracy. Various characteristics of empathic accuracy are explained such as the perceiver, the target and the relationship between the two. Back to Top

Emotional Intelligence and Education (Chapter 8, pp. 133-149)

Discussion of the various social and emotional learning (SEL) programs currently used in educational institutions and their effectiveness. Demonstrates how schools can show youth how to know and manage emotions in their self in others, be motivated and handle relationships in a knowledgeable, responsible, caring, and non-violent way.

Emotional Intelligence and Workplace (Chapter 9, pp. 150-167)

This has been the most popular and well-known area of use of EI. Workshops have been developed and tests have been used to accurately evaluate employees’ strengths and weaknesses. Career development and training in emotional intelligence are covered. Back to Top

Applied Emotional Intelligence:

Regulating Emotions to Become Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise (Chapter 10, pp. 168-184)

Description of how EI might affect emotional and physical health as well as improving financial conditions in a person’s life. The negative consequences of not being emotionally intelligent in self-management are discussed.

The book is divided into three areas—Part I: Fundamentals Issues (Chaps. 1-3), Part II: Applications of EI Research to Everyday Life (Chaps. 4-10), and Part III: Integration and Conclusions. These book progresses from a general explanation of emotional intelligence to different aspects of life and how EI might be applied in these areas. These areas are not necessarily related except for a few (i.e. intimate relationships and empathic accuracy). However, all of these areas of life may eventually overlap in an individual’s life at one time or another.

These were interesting topics and I could see their relevance. I was unfamiliar with most of the information’s connection to emotional intelligent, but had heard of many of the concepts before individually. It was interesting to see how the editors applied these concepts to EI research. Back to Top

Summary

This book would be of great value to several different audiences. Researchers in psychology and sociology can find a vast amount of research information on EI and other related topics in this book. Professional in the mental health profession might want to read chapter 4 and 5, marriage and family counselors might want to read chapters 6 and 7, educators may want to read chapter 8 and business owners and their employs chapters 9, 10 and 11. Back to Top

Issues

Testing

Should EI really be considered a type of intelligence? In chapter 2, Joseph Ciarrochi and associates discuss the overlap in the measurement of EI in several tests and whether it is a small, medium or large overlap. This is important in considering whether these tests are valid measures differing from one another or if previously designed tests have a larger predictive power.

The MEIS is the only test that has shown to satisfy all of the criteria considered necessary to consider EI as a legitimate measure of intelligence: 1) reflect performance rather than preferred ways of behaving, 2) correlate, but not too high, with currently existing measures, and 3) improve from childhood to middle adulthood. (Chap.2, pg. 44) Back to Top

Affect

There are two contrasting views in the role of affect in humans: it is a necessary part of effective response to social situations or as a dangerous influence on rational thinking hat result in bad decisions or reactions. (Chap.3, pg.48)

Affect and how it can influence things like relationship and group behaviors, organizational decisions, consumer preferences, and health issues is an issue this author brings up. In chapter 3, Forgas argues that emotionally intelligent individuals can be more aware of how and when these occur. Back to Top

Clinical

In chapter 4, Taylor looks at how alexithymia is similar to EI and how poth are connected to mental illnesses. Clinicians equipped with this information can properly diagnose and construct a treatment plan for individuals.

Additionally, the development and prevention of mental illness in children and how parents cope with it is examined. Research has found that “the development of emotional awareness and the capacity to talk about and reflect on emotions has a lot to do with good parenting.” (Chap.4, pg. 81) Back to Top

Self-awareness

Can emotional intelligence predict self-actualization? Learning the personal skills to be all that we can be has been a task to be mastered since the beginning of civilization. Bar-On in chapter 5 attempts to investigate ways emotional intelligence and previous tests might measure and improve humankind’s ability to self-actualize. He also attempts to define what a self-actualized person might be.

The author suggests that the best predictors of self-actualization are as follows: happiness, optimism, self-regard. Independence, problem-solving, social responsibility assertiveness, and emotional self-awareness. However, the motivation that comes form happiness and optimism has to be present also.(Ch.5, pg. 92)

Relationships

The problems of dealing with interpersonal relationships are investigated and how EI might improve that ability. Whether the relationship is with strangers, friends, dating partners, or marriage partners, chapters 6 and 7 explore how EI and empathic accuracy might help to improve relationships.

One of the issues Fitness brings up is the ability of men to identify and express their emotions. It is speculated that men’s anger in provoking situations comes from this confusion. However, the findings from research suggest that for partners to be able to make sense of their emotions as well as their partner’s feelings they need to be aware of the causes, features and consequences of emotions. (Chap.6, pg. 109)

In chapter 7, Flury and Ickes claim that one solution in accuracy in the ability to accurately appraise others thoughts and feelings would be for strangers to become more like intimates and intimates to become more like strangers in their intimacy and acquaintanceship levels. However, factors such as the ability of the perceiver, the readability of the target and situational factors can impair the ability of partners to accurate “read” each other.

Teaching

The promotion of social competence and prevention in schools and how they might approach it with EI is discussed. They lay out explicit plans to help students become knowledgeable, responsible and caring individuals. The author proposes building and reinforcing skills in four major SEL domains including:

1) life skills/positive social competencies, 2) health promotion, problem prevention/risk reduction skills, 3) conflict resolution and coping and social support for transitions and crises, and 4) positive contributory service. Teachers, administrators and parents need to be involved in this process. Back to Top

Professional

Individuals and their job satisfaction is an important issue today. The author of chapter 9 proposes career development and selection need to be approached comprehensively. He claims the job’s requirements need to be explicitly stated in behavioral terms and those behaviors need to be appropriately assessed. This information should be used when evaluators rank order the job finalists. Back to Top

Regulation of emotions

In chapter 10, the author discusses the issue of expressing versus suppressing feelings. He argues that a solution might be to express our negative emotions, but not in a mean or aggressive nature.

Summary

It is important that researchers find accurately ways of defining EI tests and finding valid ways to accurately appraise EI and define it as a field. Knowing how to identify and regulate emotions in ourselves as well can be a valuable tool. Affect as a part of our reactions to situations also plays a big part in being able to communicate properly.

Knowledge of tools to effectively deal with feelings and emotions of self and others may well enable people to become more self-actualized. Implementing programs in educational, professional and mental institutions to help people learn these skills might well improve societies ability to communicate.

Although this book adequately addresses these issues, it also admits that in many of these areas much more research is necessary. As a psych major, I feel this can be an exciting area of research that needs to be taken seriously. However, caution needs to be taken in not confusing what we find from research versus what is sold to us through the media or other money-making schemes to a quick fix. The last thing we need is another trendy self-help program.

Structure

I did not find any EI tests examples I have heard so much about in this book. There were several charts: the historical emergence of concepts such as EI (pg.5), EI characteristics (pg.10) or personality traits (pg.13), EI and self-actualization (pg.p3)

Also diagrams explaining the role of EI in life (pg.26), the relationship between EI affectivity, and success (pg.42), a model of conditions of motivate to accurately infer others thoughts and feelings (pg.128), prevention programs synergy (pg.142), and the value function of prospect theory (pg. 174).

The list of reference is extensive and comprehensive as well as the author index, but the subject index was quite short and not very useful. The chapter titles were quite literal and to the point, appropriate for the style of the text. Although the different sections were logical, I think it would have been more appropriate to put the clinical, professional and educational chapters together. In addition, the self-actualization should start the second section followed by the two relationship chapters.

The font style might be changed at such a small size to something simpler Considering the chapters were written by different authors, some were better written or easier to understand than others, but overall the layout should be easy enough to understand to any college level student.

Critique

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. It proposes new and different ways of looking at old concepts. It provokes a lot of critical thinking on many different issues. I particularly enjoyed doing my presentation on Chapter 7, Emotional Intelligence and Empathic Accuracy. Two statements I enjoyed in this section were,

“It appears as though knowing a lot of objective facts about a friend’s life is not enough to ensure success in “reading” his or her thoughts and feelings; we must also acquire extensive information about a target’s subjective—and intersubjective—experience. In other words, the perceiver must get to know the target ‘from the inside’ instead of merely ‘from the outside’.”

“If this information is correct, it suggests that intimates become more empathically accurate by in some respects acting more like strangers. Specifically, they pay more attention to each others’ words and actions and work harder to maintain a ‘shared cognitive focus’ in their daily interactions.”

I learned some valuable facts from this chapter. Good friendships are an important part of mental health. They keep us from jumping into unhealthy intimate relationships. We need friends. But if individuals cannot get past their inability to accurate empathize with others they may stay alone or worse yet, have very superficial friendships that dissipate when the support from friendships is needed most.

In intimate relationships, an important key of a quality relationship is being able to communicate about new issues that come up and not become too familiarized with our partners. If we can continually step back from our intimate relationships enough to see our partners as an exciting evolving and changing human being, we can find the excitement and motivation to deal with our always-changing everyday life.

This book has a lot of historical compilation as well as recent strong research evidence concerning personality, social interaction, and emotional intelligence but is weak on straightforward suggestions as solutions to the problem of inaccuracy in thoughts and feelings. For example, it contains a lot of good charts and diagrams and an extensive author and reference index that expound on historical and recent ideas. However, the solutions were very general and vague in most cases, with the exception of the section on education. Back to Top

Observations

I considered emotional intelligence and these related fields to be exciting subjects, but I found it to be an area of discussion that evoked very uncomfortable feelings or inhibition to the some students in class. They were quite reluctant to divulge and discuss these upfront and personal things called feelings. I can see how it might be a difficult area to study, because it seems as though most people try to avoid thinking too hard about their inner feelings and the mind-boggling feelings of others at all costs.

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