Author: Daniel Goleman
I am currently in a master's program - about 13 credits in, I think. Last summer's class was on leadership and this book - or parts of it - was one of the assigned texts. I finally got around to reading the whole thing.
The idea of emotional intelligence (EI, measured by EQ) comes from the theory of multiple intelligences set forth by Dr. Howard Gardner in 1983. Wikipedia defines EI as "the capability of individuals to recognize their own and other people's emotions, discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, and manage and/or adjust emotions to adapt to environments or achieve one's goal(s)." Goleman asserts that EI is a far greater indicator of success in life than the more traditional measures: grades, SATs, IQ tests.
The book explores the role of EI in numerous contexts: work, school, family life, violent crime, etc. Goleman's argument is thorough and convincing. The material on brain function is less interesting to me personally, though admittedly essential to overall understanding. Some of his real-life anecdotes are fairly intense, enough that it's difficult to concentrate on the text that follows - interesting as Goleman explains how such stories have been used in clinical studies. It's not an easy book to digest in one sitting, at least not for me - lots of starting and stopping with time to ponder in between.
It's certainly a book that leaves me wanting to post-game various stages of my own life - childhood certainly. Thinking back, I can remember several friends who were popular for all of the right reasons - i.e., people simply enjoyed being around them. Emotional intelligence certainly played a role there. The text shed new light on a lot of my own relationships, too: familial, romantic, collegial, what have you. While it's not a book I'll instantly start recommending it to everyone I know, I am grateful for the insights and will suggest it to some.
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The idea of emotional intelligence (EI, measured by EQ) comes from the theory of multiple intelligences set forth by Dr. Howard Gardner in 1983. Wikipedia defines EI as "the capability of individuals to recognize their own and other people's emotions, discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, and manage and/or adjust emotions to adapt to environments or achieve one's goal(s)." Goleman asserts that EI is a far greater indicator of success in life than the more traditional measures: grades, SATs, IQ tests.
The book explores the role of EI in numerous contexts: work, school, family life, violent crime, etc. Goleman's argument is thorough and convincing. The material on brain function is less interesting to me personally, though admittedly essential to overall understanding. Some of his real-life anecdotes are fairly intense, enough that it's difficult to concentrate on the text that follows - interesting as Goleman explains how such stories have been used in clinical studies. It's not an easy book to digest in one sitting, at least not for me - lots of starting and stopping with time to ponder in between.
It's certainly a book that leaves me wanting to post-game various stages of my own life - childhood certainly. Thinking back, I can remember several friends who were popular for all of the right reasons - i.e., people simply enjoyed being around them. Emotional intelligence certainly played a role there. The text shed new light on a lot of my own relationships, too: familial, romantic, collegial, what have you. While it's not a book I'll instantly start recommending it to everyone I know, I am grateful for the insights and will suggest it to some.
That's a book I want to get to at some point, though I don't have time to slot it in right now.
ReplyDelete:/
I expect you would find it interesting.
DeleteGreetings from the UK. Good luck to you and your endeavours.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Love love, Andrew. Bye.
Hi, Andrew! It's been a while. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteMy ex-husband tried to gain emotional intelligence by repeating words he learned in books, words that were intended to show empathy. It didn't work, because it wasn't part of him. They were merely words.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I can imagine how frustrating your experience must have been.
DeleteGoleman does believe emotional skill is teachable and provides several examples of deliberate efforts to teach it. It's not easy, though. Those doing the teaching need to be well-trained and the best school programs work to include parents in the process, too. It's hard work but well worth it.