29-3 What are the four components of emotional intelligence?

Is being in tune with yourself and others also a sign of intelligence, distinct from academic intelligence? Some researchers say Yes. They define social intelligence as the know-how involved in social situations and managing yourself successfully (Cantor & Kihlstrom, 1987). People with high social intelligence can read social situations the way a skilled soccer player reads the defense or a meterologist reads the weather. The concept was first proposed in 1920 by psychologist Edward Thorndike, who noted, “The best mechanic in a factory may fail as a foreman for lack of social intelligence” (Goleman, 2006, p. 83).

One line of research has explored a specific aspect of social intelligence called emotional intelligence, consisting of four abilities (Mayer et al., 2002, 2011, 2012):

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Emotionally intelligent people are both socially aware and self-aware. Those who score high on managing emotions enjoy higher-quality interactions with friends (Lopes et al., 2004). They avoid being hijacked by overwhelming depression, anxiety, or anger. They can read others’ emotional cues and know what to say to soothe a grieving friend, encourage a workmate, and manage a conflict.

These emotional intelligence high scorers also perform modestly better on the job (O’Boyle et al., 2011). On and off the job, they can delay gratification in pursuit of long-range rewards, rather than being overtaken by immediate impulses. Simply said, they are emotionally smart. Thus, they often succeed in career, marriage, and parenting situations where academically smarter (but emotionally less intelligent) people might fail (Cherniss, 2010a,b; Ciarrochi et al., 2006).

Some scholars, however, are concerned that emotional intelligence stretches the intelligence concept too far (Visser et al., 2006). Howard Gardner (1999) includes interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences as two of his eight forms of multiple intelligences. But let us also, he acknowledges, respect emotional sensitivity, creativity, and motivation as important but different. Stretch intelligence to include everything we prize and the word will lose its meaning.

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For a summary of these theories of intelligence, see TABLE 29.1.

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