What is Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional intelligence, as opposed to intellectual intelligence, is the ability to understand, use and manage your emotions. EQ is commonly defined by four main attributes:
- Self-Management
- Self-Awareness
- Social Awareness
- Relationship Management
How is EQ different to IQ?
Where IQ is measured by the ability to interpret and solving logical problems, EQ is about interpreting and solving emotional problems. There are also claims that EQ can be learned and improved upon, whereas IQ is considered to be mostly static.
Why is EQ Important?
Being able to understand, manage and control your emotions is important for being able to follow through with your plans. Your emotional state can have a big impact on your ability to perform. If you are aware of your emotional state, you can more accurately assess a situation, by being able to take into account your own emotional bias.
Aside from understanding, managing and controlling your own emotions, EQ is important for being able to consider other people's emotions. Being able to consider both yours, and others emotions is great for handling situations when you're not "on the same page" as someone else. The reason why someone else might not agree with you could be from a variety of factors - uncommon assumptions, difference in background, difference in ethics or a difference in stage of life - just to name a few. EQ helps to identify potential problems that lie outside of the scope of hard logic and reasoning.
Return to Home