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Emotional Intelligence

  • Reference work entry
Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development
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Synonyms

Emotional self-efficacy; Social intelligence

Definition

Emotional intelligence (EI) is an extension of social intelligence that describes a person’s innate cognitive ability to perceive, identify, assess, understand, manage, and explain emotions in order to reason, guide thinking and action, solve problems, and regulate behavior. Empathy, or the understanding of other’s feelings, is a critical characteristic of EI. Proponents of EI theory argue that it is the best predictor of success in life and creates the best social relations. EI influences behavior in a wide range of domains including school, community, and the workplace [1].

Description

History

Intelligence quotient (IQ) tests are administered to measure cognitive abilities, including verbal/numerical memory and reasoning and other problem solving skills. For a long time, the results of these tests were considered the primary predictor of future success. However, some researchers proposed that IQ results alone were not...

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References

  1. Emmerling, J., & Goleman, D. (2003). Emotional Intelligence: Issues and Common Misunderstandings. Retrieved July 8, 2008, from http://eqi.org/gole3.htm

  2. Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. Why it can matter more than IQ. New York: Bloomsbury Books.

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  3. Mayer, J. D., Caruso, D., Ciarrochi, J., Dalle, N., Freedman, J., Gardner, K. J., et al. (2004–2007). Emotional intelligence information: A site dedicated to communicating scientific information about emotional intelligence, including relevant aspects of emotions, cognition, and personality. Retrieved June 24, 2008, from http://www.unh.edu/emotional_intelligence/

  4. Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. R. (2004). Emotional intelligence: Theory, findings, and implications. Psychological Inquiry, 15, 197–215.

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© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Guerra, N.S. (2011). Emotional Intelligence. In: Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_990

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_990

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-77579-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-79061-9

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

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