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Emotional Intelligence: In search of an elusive

construct

Article in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · November 1998

DOI: 10.1037//0022-3514.75.4.989 · Source: PubMed

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Emotional Intelligence

Daniel Goleman tells us in his book Emotional Intelligence that the human being has two
Alfred C.W. Davis distinctively different brains: "one that feels and one that thinks". The emotional/rational
MBA, M.Div.
dichotomy approximates the folk distinction between "heart" and "head". These two
minds operate in tight harmony intertwining their two different ways of knowing to guide
us through the world. The emotional brain is made up of the amygdala and the limbic
system, whereas the thinking brain consists of the cortex and the neocortex. The
workings of the amygdala and its interplay with the neocortex are at the heart of
emotional intelligence.

If we were all emotional brain and no neocortex, we would become overwhelmed with
the sensory input and we would be unable to make wise decisions. But, if were all
neocortex and no emotional brain, we would be cold heartless computers. The key to
intelligent functioning is the balance and interaction of these two brains, as opposed to
the suppression of one or the other.

The way that the brain functions is that sensory data goes to the thalamus and then across
a single synapse first to the amygdala, before the same signal is sent separately to the
neocortex. Sometimes fight or flight is needed for protection even before the logical
mind is accessed. However, if the input to the amygdala triggers an emotional memory
before the thinking brain has a chance to modify the feeling, a person can become
overwhelmed with emotions. Since childhood experiences are stored in the amygdala in
rough, wordless blueprints for emotional life, this precognitive emotion can trigger
reactions before there is full confirming evidence from the neocortex.

In most cases, the same sensory data is sent to the neocortex shortly after the amygdala
has received it. The prefrontal lobes of the neocortex act as a damper switch for the
amygdala. Emotional hijacking or swamping happens when the emotional response
bypasses the neocortical processes that usually keep the emotional response in balance.
The key "off" switch for distressing emotion seems to be the left prefrontal neocortex
lobe. If the amygdala acts as an emergency trigger, the left prefrontal lobe acts as a
switch for controlling disturbing emotions. The prefrontal lobes store facts, analyze
information, organize actions and orchestrate reactions. In this way, the prefrontal lobes
play an executive role in the managing of emotions. The thinking brain therefore guides
the moment-to-moment decisions and the emotional brain informs those decisions. For
example, the thinking brain recognizes the face as a cousin and the emotional brain adds
that you don't really like the person.

It is important here to point out the difference between the right prefrontal lobe and the
left prefrontal lobe. The right prefrontal lobe is seen as the seat of negative thinking such
as fear and aggression. Another way of thinking about it is that the right prefrontal lobe
is the home of the "glass half empty" thinking. It takes the negative emotion and
cognitively processes it in a way that the negativity increases. On the other hand, the left

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Emotional Intelligence Page 2 of 3

prefrontal lobe keeps emotions in check, even inhibiting the right prefrontal lobe. In
short, the left prefrontal lobe seems to be part of a neural circuit that can switch off, or at
least dampen down all but the strongest negative surges of emotion. The "glass half full"
thinking connects with what I call the thinking of "agape love" in the left prefrontal lobe
where the thinking is open, constructive, expansive and positive. Hope and positive
thinking in the left prefrontal lobe help overcome overwhelming anxiety, a defeatist
attitude and depression in the face of difficult challenges. While emotion is needed to be
human, the left prefrontal lobe thinking enables the breakdown of a formidable task into
smaller, manageable pieces so that coping is possible. Agape love involves the intellect
found in the left prefrontal lobe because it is a choice of the will that manages impulses,
helps control Self and maximizes relationships with others.

When it comes to managing emotions, there are two main categories: (a) arousal
emotions and (b) emotions that slow down or suppress. Emotions that arouse include:
anger and anxiety. These emotions need to be managed by soothing and calming. On the
other hand, emotions that slow down include: depression and sadness. These emotions
need activity and stimulation. It is the thinking of the left prefrontal lobe that modifies
these emotions which enables the response to be emotionally intelligent.

The processes of emotional intelligence include:

First – the intra-personal skills that enable the person to form an accurate picture of
oneself, access one’s own feelings and draw upon the emotions to guide behavior,
and
Second – the inter-personal skills that provide the ability to understand other people
and to discern, respond appropriately to moods, temperaments, motivations and
desires of other people.

Emotional intelligence combines the following steps:

1) Intra-personal abilities:
a) Knowing one's own emotions – self-awareness or recognizing a feeling as it
happens.
b) Controlling one's own emotions – the capacity to control and soothe one's
self so that feelings can be responded to appropriately.
c) Managing one's own emotions - the capacity to marshal emotions in the
service of a goal.
2) Inter–personal abilities:
a) Empathy – the capacity to listen to and be attuned to another person.
b) Relate – the capacity to interact with others smoothly by co-ordinating
moods and dealing effectively with the other person's emotions.

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 Emotional Intelligence Page 3 of 3

c) Optimism – the capacity to live out of the creative, co-operative, positive

approach of "how" to make things happen.
The intra-personal emotional intelligence is needed first before moving to the inter-
personal emotional intelligence. As you will see in the following examples, the
principles of agape love are integral to the practice of emotional intelligence.

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