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by Barbara Peters

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Book Review Instructions

Introduction:

I have heard it said in almost all my class that the book never seems to cover every important topic of the course.Ê I would have to agree that there are elements that this book has missed.Ê This could be due to the nature of the material.Ê As we have learned through the readings of the forward and the first few chapters the realm of emotional intelligence studies are fairly new.Ê In any event the book digs deeply into the material available to its authors.Ê The three men working on this project have used their knowledge to educate their audiences on this growing way of thinking.Ê The audiences that they seem to be focusing on are those seeking answers to their actions, educators of the subject matter, and doctors of the field of study.Ê I say this because the material focuses on testing techniques in chapter 2, while other sections of the book discuss issues that many doctors are studying with more frequency.Ê The medical field in some ways is shifting from a symptom treatment system to a prevention process.Ê The study of emotional intelligence has tried to draw conclusions about the connections between ones emotional intelligence level and the degree to which one has illnesses and disorders.Ê This book offers anyone looking for personal answers the opportunity to understand ways of gaining greater emotional intelligence.Ê By explaining the connection between personal gains and ones emotional state the application process may be more accessible.

I. Book Divisions:Ê

This book is made up of three sections.Ê In section one the first three chapters deal with the fundamental issues of the field of emotional intelligence.Ê Section two explores the different applications of emotional intelligence in everyday life.Ê This section is designed for those seeking answers about their own behaviors and those that work with others seeking answers.Ê And finally the third section is titled Integration and conclusions.Ê This section deals with the validity of the idea of emotional intelligence.Ê Also in the final portion of the book is a list of documentation or endnotes for each entry or source within its perspective chapter.Ê This information is easy to follow and allows for ease of cross-reference.Ê For those wishing to locate material by subject matter or key terms there is also an index at the rear of the books.

1. Chapter one addresses the question about ãwhat is emotional intelligence?äÊ In this chapter Mayer the father of emotional intelligence study puts together a very understandable definition of emotional intelligence.Ê He presents a short history about the evolution of the topic of emotional intelligence, discusses the varying ideas of what emotional intelligence is and includes charts to help explain what makes up emotional intelligence.

2. In chapter two four authors collaborate on the material showing how diverse the studyâs approaches are.Ê In science it is of utmost importance to challenge theory.Ê Since emotional intelligence is within the realm of science, research has taken root.Ê The following testing techniques are explained in this chapter (MEIS, MSCEIT, LEAS, EQ-I).Ê Along with the tests are their scales and evaluations.Ê Although these techniques were interesting to know about I would rather have been able to take the test or know where to locate the tests.Ê This was one of the gaps I found in the text.Ê I assume that if one wished to do this kind of research the materials would be accessible but in this case our topic wasnât how to conduct the tests it was how to understand emotional intelligence.Ê This was probably why the information was not included.Ê I was impressed at the conclusion of the chapter and the way that Mayer questioned the validity of emotional intelligence testability.Ê Pointing out that the MEIS test has the best overall approach to quality test results.Ê In some ways this could be self-satisfying.Ê

3. Chapter three deals with the social realm or the world around us.Ê In this chapter the act of behavior in social settings is discussed by Joseph P. Forgas.Ê In his knowledge of the subject Forgas goes over important aspects of this idea such as the way we think reflected outward to the world.Ê He also talks about creating our own future.Ê The whole chapter gives us insight into how we can control in what kind of world we function.Ê The most important message I think he explains is that ãaffect infusion is significantly greater when people engage in more extensive and elaborate thinking that increases the opportunity of using memory-based information.äÊ What he is saying is that mood can often influence our thinking and in some cases this can cloud our emotionally intelligent approach to understanding the true subject matter.

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Material:

The body of the book consists of seven chapters.Ê Each of these chapters deals with issues of emotional intelligence in everyday life.Ê To break this material into sections I would have to say the content focuses on areas of self, others and the world.Ê This goes right along with the bridge techniques, which we have been breaking down along with these book readings.Ê In the area of self, authors that best understand the material were recruited to make available their knowledge.Ê ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Graeme J. Taylor authors chapter 4 on the relationship of Low Emotional Intelligence and Mental Illness.Ê This chapter discusses problems such as Alexithymia, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, personality disorders, and treatment.Ê These problems have been linked to personâs emotional intelligence levels.Ê I would like to have known more about other illness connections if there are any.Ê For further information on some of these topics I have included the following web links.

Link for information on eating disorders and control issues

Issues such as anxiety, depression, stress and worry

Chapter 5 exposes us to the Bar-On approach to EI and Self-Actualization.Ê He begins with a short history of the subject he is to discuss.Ê He includes lists of definitions to help the reader grasp the elements of emotional intelligence and its make-up.Ê We are given insight into what self-actualization is and how to study the relationship between EI and self-actualization.Ê Bar-On is known for his testing of this relationship and he presents his findings in easy to understand charts.Ê Finally he touches on the subject of how EI affects ones mental and physical health.Ê

Julie Fitness works with the other aspect of the four-option system in chapter 6.Ê Her focus is on emotional intelligence in intimate relationships.Ê This chapter was very important for me since I can relate to the marriage factor of the emotional intelligence equation.Ê This is the element that makes this book useful to those not studying the topic but who need guidance in their everyday actions.Ê In this day and age when divorce is at an all time high learning how to be more emotionally intelligent is only an asset.Ê The following websites shows how this topic is important in todayâs interest.Ê

Divorce and emotional intelligence

Emotionally intelligent marriages

Religion, emotion, morality and emotional intelligence

In Chapter 7 co-authors Flury and Ickes discuss the empathy element of emotional intelligence.Ê They point out that if we understand others feelings and correctly interpret them we will be more in tune to the situation.Ê In doing so we can make more emotionally intelligent decisions about the situation and will be less likely to misinterpret the situation.Ê This concept of understanding is one that when mastered can be used to establish greater success in relationships and even in the work place.Ê They touch on the drawbacks of knowing everything about our partners also.Ê This came as a surprise but after reading the material I began to understand how knowing everything could be a hindrance.Ê

Another area of the world that this book focuses on is that of the education process.Ê Emotional Intelligence training is finding its way into training class for business and into the education system of our children.Ê Elias, Hunter and Kress collaborate on the idea that a combination of scholastic intelligence and emotional intelligence are crucial to an overall rounded emotionally intelligent person.Ê They cover the popular focus of emotional intelligence in todayâs society by the flood of self-help books by authors such as Goleman and emotional intelligence training in many areas of the United States.Ê This implementation of EI in the education systems seems to be rooted around finding a way to change peopleâs outlooks and to stop the negative patterns of violence in the school and communities.

As was briefly mentioned Emotional Intelligence training is being taught in the business community also.Ê It is thought, and seems to present results, that becoming more emotionally intelligent leads to greater success at work.Ê If a person is making decisions on a daily basis and emotional intelligence is used to make these decisions then both the employer and the worker benefit.Ê When one is making correct and logical decisions less energy is put forth through negative means and less time and energy is wasted.Ê Caruso and Wolfe work together to explain the ways to make emotionally intelligent thinking work in the workplace.Ê A valuable asset in saturated work force.Ê They also go over the correct ways to teach and coach the use of this powerful tool.

Lastly chapter 10 brings all these concepts together and its author Peter Salovey shows how being emotionally intelligent will pay off in good health, success and wisdom.Ê This is where emotional intelligence becomes second nature and works with ease.Ê He explains how to deal with bumps in the road and how to maintain the right mind when facing difficulty.Ê Ê

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Overall opinion of book:

In every book there are good and bad points.Ê This book was very insightful in its presentation of such new material.Ê Ciarrochi, Forgas and Mayer have set a standard for future literary endeavors relating to the study of Emotional Intelligence.Ê Where this book lacked it made up for its shortcomings with other valuable information.Ê I think it could have been improved by including the actual tests or directions about how to get such information.Ê I think that this book leaves little to be desired and has hit the bulls-eye with great precision.Ê I think it should continue to be used for this course and as a bedside table reference.Ê Others have entered their thoughts on this book at the following websites.

Amazon book reviewÊ

Unh magazine book blurb