Emotional Intelligence

Physiology of Emotional Intelligence

In multiple processes connected with emotions and emotional intelligence, many cerebral organs, especially of the limbic system, are involved. The core of emotional intelligence is created by amygdala and its intercorrelations with the new cerebral cortex. Amygdala is a type of (often unconscious) emotional memory storage. If the link between amygdala and the rest of cerebrum is cut, one is not able to assess the emotional significance of an occurrence or a particular thing or person. The hippocampus, on the other hand, is responsible for memorizing dry facts. Frontal lobes control signals from the limbic system. Negative emotions, such as a fear or aggression, are located in the front part of the right frontal lobe. In turn, the left frontal lobe is for easing these aggravating emotions. The frontal cortex records conscious emotions, and this is the actual level of working of emotional self-awareness and, hence, of emotional intelligence.

Research on Emotional Intelligence

The term emotional intelligence appeared only occasionally in psychological literature in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1990 two U.S. psychologists, Peter Salovey (b. 1958) and John D. Mayer (b. 1953), created a formal concept and scientific model of emotional intelligence. According to their theory, emotional intelligence encompasses four main competencies:

• 1.
  The ability to perceive, appraise, and express emotions accurately
• 2.
  The ability to access and evoke emotions when they facilitate cognition
• 3.
  The ability to comprehend emotional messages and to make use of emotional information
• 4.
  The ability to regulate one's own emotions to promote growth and well-being

In 1995, another U.S. psychologist and journalist, Daniel Goleman (b. 1946), published a best-selling book titled Emotional Intelligence. His understanding of the concept of emotional intelligence is similar to that of Salovey and Mayer. Goleman, however, proposed four groups of components of emotional intelligence that differ somewhat from the framework proposed by the other two. Specifically, his model focuses on personality traits rather than mental competencies, as follows:

• 1.
  The ability to understand oneself and one's emotions
• 2.
  The ability to control one's emotions
• 3.
  Auto-motivation
• 4.
  Empathy

Goleman refers to the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384–322 B.C.E.) and quotes this excerpt from The Nicomachean Ethics: