Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and regulate our own emotions. It also includes understanding the emotions of others and our reactions to those emotions. Some models of emotional intelligence extend this definition to include personality traits, mood, and motivation related to an individual’s emotions and the individual’s effectiveness in responding to others’ emotions. This entry summarizes the history of the concept, reviews major models, explicates its relationship to development, explains its links to cognitive and social abilities, and discusses real-world applications.

History of Emotional Intelligence

A few references to concepts related to emotional intelligence can be found in the early days of psychology. For example, social intelligence which included the understanding of emotions was investigated in the early 1900s. During the 1980s, psychologist Howard Gardner ...

  • Loading...
locked icon

Sign in to access this content

Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL

  • Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life
  • Read modern, diverse business cases
  • Explore hundreds of books and reference titles