ds?The phrase “emotional intelligence” was created by a Yale psychologist and a professor at University of New Hampshire five years ago to describe qualities like understanding one’s own feelings, empathy for the feelings of others and “the regulation of emotion in a way that enhances living.” Their idea is becoming a topic of conversation nationally due to a book by Daniel Goleman called Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. He states that his goal is to redefine intelligence and success. He believes that EQ is the equivalent to what we used to call “character” and contributes more to a person’s success than brainpower, measured by IQ tests. He claims that IQ is not everything, that high IQ people are not always the most successful, and that it does not determine one’s course in life. Emotional factors could be important. He states that there are five main “abilities” involved. A high EQ involves knowing one’s emotions. It involves managing one’s emotions. It involves motivating oneself. It involves recognizing emotions in others, or empathy. It involves the ability to handle relationships. Hans Eysenck in his book A New Look Intelligence states that this whole theory is “built on quicksand” and that there is no sound scientific basis. Goleman insists that this is no abstract study. He is looking for solutions, which will restore “civility to our streets and caring to our communal life.” He sees practical applications everywhere for how companies should decide whom to hire, how couples can increase the odds that their marriages will last, how parents should raise their children and how schools should teach them. Obviously, something serious is lacking in our world today. Goleman notes that street gangs substitute for families and schoolyard insults end in violence. More than half of marriages end in...
