Research on Emotional Intelligence - Paper Example

It is through emotional intelligence that people can understand their feelings, control them, and at the same time, understand those if the people around them. The higher the emotional intelligence in a person the higher their ability to associate with others. Those with a higher emotional intelligence are most likely to fit into group situations; they, they can maintain interpersonal relationships. They also understand best their psychological state and are, therefore, least likely to suffer from depression.

Emotional intelligence is a crucial part of the growth of children. It is only through emotional intelligence that the temper is controlled; one acquires the skill of having patience with the people around, and thus, treats the people around them appropriately. Can emotional intelligence be taught? According to Donna Housman (2013), emotional intelligence is a skill that children can acquire through learning. She says that education creates the building blocks needed for emotional intelligence. These "building blocks" as in the article include the ability to recognize emotions and identify those that they are feeling. Through them, children can control their feelings and also express them in appropriate ways. They are also able to connect with the emotions of others around them.

Emotional intelligence can be taught not only at a young age but also when the person is grown. Organizations may start training of their employees to increase their social intelligence to improve workplace performance. Through that practice, the self-esteem and also self-awareness of the workforce is increased. That enables them to take criticism positively and work hard at improving themselves. The relationship between the employees becomes a better one as they can understand each others feelings correctly. Questionnaires to test the emotional intelligence of the employees should be filled to see their progress.

Training of the emotional intelligence for the employees helps to improve the competence in the place of work as compared to those who have not acquired the training. The training helps maintain the discipline amongst the employees to their work and also to each other. They know what is expected of them and the consequences if they fail to follow those orders. Through the training, the work done by the management is more comfortable as the employees are highly competent. Although it could be easier to employ those employees that acquired the skill at their younger days, training of those that did not learn this skill earlier is crucial. Interaction among the operatives will depend on how well they understand their feelings and feelings of their colleagues. They will be able to solve the conflicts that come up in their day to day activities.

It is through the acquisition of emotional intelligence that people can exercise social intelligence. Through emotional intelligence one acquires understanding and control over their feelings, they are also able to understand the emotions of those around them. Learning of one's social-emotional environment helps them to understand what the people around them feel. Social-emotional intelligence can be taught in school also without interruption of the academics. According to research conducted by Payton, Weisberg, Rurlak, Dymnicki, Taylor, Schellinger, & Pachan (2008) in different schools, the results are best from the younger learners. When the training is done in learning institutions, younger students gain more than the older ones do (Payton et al., 2008).

The social-emotional intelligence training has been proved to reduce violence amongst the students. A study that was conducted by a school in Atlanta using this project showed that the level of violence among the students went down and the self-esteem went up (Payton et al., 2008). The number of students suspended and those that dropped out of school went down. When the social-emotional training is applied in schools, the students can understand their feelings and those of others, and so, they can use conflict resolution in both academic and non-academic situations.

Ecological intelligence, as explained by Goleman (2009), is the ability to adapt to one's ecological niche. Living with environmental intelligence will help the humans to protect the world from the biggest challenge that is global warming. Human activities are highly likely to pollute the environment in ways such as noise pollution, water pollution, and even land pollution. The industries carrying out activities that are likely to pollute the environment are expected to have control measures so s to keep the world clean and make it a better place for those living in it. It is through ecological intelligence that the humans can cohabit with the animals without getting rid of them. That is the case with emotional intelligence where people coexist, but then with one another.

In conclusion, emotional intelligence can be acquired through learning, and the skill helps in understanding one's emotions and those of others. It helps in the development of relationships, and those who have this capability can fit into all social groups. Emotional intelligence also helps one acquire social intelligence which increases their ability to interact with people. Emotional intelligence should be taught in schools when the students are young so as to ensure the interaction is good and that the students grow up with knowledge on how to treat others.

References

Goleman, D. (2009). Ecological intelligence: How knowing the hidden impacts of what we can buy changes everything, USA: Crown Business.

Housman, D. (2013, October 4). Emotional intelligence from the beginning. Beginnings Blog. Available from https://www.beginningsschool.com/emotional-intelligence-from-the-beginning/

Payton, J., Weisberg, P., Rurlak, A., Dymnicki, B., Taylor D., Schellinger, B., & Pachan, M. (2008). The positive impact of social and emotional learning for kindergarten to eighth-grade students: Finding from three scientific reviews. Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. Available from https://www.casel.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/the-positive-impact-of-social-and-emotional-learning-for-kindergarten-to-eighth-grade-students-executive-summary.pdf