Emotional Intelligence

Prof. R.K.Pradhan
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences
Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

Module No # 1
Lecture No # 01
Introduction to Emotional Intelligence and Related Concepts

Good morning ladies and gentlemen at the offset I extend a very warm welcome to my lecture on
emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence has been a topic of huge discussion in the history
of psychology as well as in management and also in all behavioral sciences. The concept
emerged out of psychological results went to very well-known psychologist in United States
Gendy mayor and Peter Salovey. We are carrying out the research and psychology and suddenly
they found two concepts are majoring such as emotional intelligence.

When I look into this two concepts all the Mayor and Peter Salovey they tried to explore much
out of it but the real concept get popularized in the mainstream of society by person known as
Daniel Goleman. A person who was writing articles for Times Magazine suddenly explore the
beneficial aspect of emotional intelligence.

So before going into the concept in details I would like to introduce certain popular concepts that
might influencing or that might be the source reason for the development of the concept of
emotional intelligence. When you talk about the emotional intelligence, there are two concepts
basically emerging out of it.
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One is what I say emotions and the other concept is intelligence. Is emotional intelligence
consists of emotion or intelligence? And what is the interrelationship between these two
concepts. So when you look into the origin of emotional intelligence we often talk about to is it
intelligence? That is derived from out of emotions or emotions has given birth the concept of
intelligence.
Probably some people say yes. There are lots of reasons because emotion is the root cause of
human survival. So let us see first examine the concept of emotion. What is emotions? What is
the different nature and functions of emotions and what are the different applications of emotions
and what is the essence of intelligence bringing intelligence into the domain of emotions then we
will probably conclude about the emergence of the concept emotional intelligence.
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Well when I examine the concept of emotional intelligence, very often I used to find these are
certain concepts directly related to emotional intelligence. One is called emotion intelligence
creativity and wisdom. So let us examine what is emotion?
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Basically emotion has been defined as the inner conscious state that we infer ourselves and
others. Emotions sometimes are called the private experiences.

Sometimes people use the operational definitions like emotions or states within an individual that
influences their behavior for their achievements of any kind of goals in their lives. Sometimes
people are psychologist’s info observable behaviors associated with the concept of emotions.
Some people call it is just a feeling, some people call it just states within their system and some
people call it as an antecedent to human behaviors. So how this concept is related to different
aspects of human behavior including the domain of intelligence we are going to examine that.
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There are mainly three important theories existing in the whole domain of emotions and that
gives us the impression how to understand the concept and what is the relevance of emotions in
human life. The first theory came out by James Lanzi theory who is mainly focusing on the
activation of visceral bodily changes.

If there are certain bodily changes, then we say that the emotion is acting on the individuals. So
this leads to the brain to interpret the visual changes as emotional experiences. So I used to quote
one possible quotation in psychological concept that we are afraid that is why we are running or
we are running because we are afraid. So many times my student used to tell sir both are almost
same but actually they are not same. So one is referring to the psychological perceptions and
other another one is referencing to the visceral activity that is completely physiological.

So there are two perspectives exist here, one is psychological in nature another is physiological
in nature another is physiological in nature. Sometimes we are not psychologically afraid but we
perceive that threat. So therefore we start jumping here and there. But many times even in front
of fearful objects people do not feel afraid, they are very excited. So excitation, I would not call
although it is a kind of emotions but that does not create fear.

So one is the psychological perception that shapes our emotions experiences another is
physiological activation within our body that also creates psychological fear. So Psychology and
Physiology they go side by side to save human behavior in our daily activities. The second
theory is called cannon bard theory which is mainly, purely talking about the activation of the
thalamus a region in the brain that is responsible for emotional experiences. Activation of bodily
changes in response to brain may be send message to the cortex regarding the emotional
experiences.

First the body gets excited then saves emotional perception. In the earlier one first body
perceives it as a psychological fear then sends commands to different parts of the bodies. But
there is another one which is little bit different from this two that is called Schachter and Singer
theory. This theory postulates that unless until there is a cognitive arousal within the human
system, you are neither going to experience any emotions or you are going to display any
physiological activity.

So cognitive arousal or activation is essential for perception of any kind of emotions. So that is
how it is activation of general physio biological arousal leads to observation of environmental
cues and that leads to determination of the label to place arousal identifying emotional
experiences.
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Usually in our daily life you used to experience various kinds of emotions. Some people when I
ask what are different types of emotions some people say sir basically there are two types one is
positive and another is negative.

But when in our everyday interaction we ask people how do you feel some people say sir I am
fine some people say I am not fine but there is third category people who just say I am okay. Is
Okay a kind of emotions? this is actually not emotion. This is our label of judgment. So it is
neither does that mean is emotion neither negative not positive that is a topic of discussion and
that will it probably will explore in the domain of emotional intelligence.

Well when you talk about various kinds of emotions some you say positive emotions are joy,
pleasure, happiness, smile, etc., Negative emotions are often considered as afraid, anxiety,
tension, surprise, stress and many others are there. But when you look into their effects on human
behavior they are enormous. Sometimes they makes you so happy creates very balanced state of
life. And sometimes if they creates pain and stress within yourself that will completely destroy
human life for its survival.
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So let us see these are seven basic emotions often observed in human life and this is the
stardydone by Paul Ekman who has given these seven basic emotions in human life, Anger,
Happiness, Fear, Disgust, Surprise, Love and Sadness. So now my next question is which
emotion do you feel most often. Yes, any response, anger ok. Anger, Sad, Happiness yes Surprise
okay. So, there are two person saying anger one is surprised okay. The quote, please look into the
question the question is which you most emotions do you feel most frequently in your life.

Okay love, happiness, sadness, yes Prethusa whatever you. Okay fear is also coming up and
happiness okay. Since morning to till now which emotions has dominated your behavior. Okay
Surprise yes. But mostly it is seen in our daily life that negative emotions dominates our lives.
Even if you are happy you hold it for very few moments but then you start thinking troubling
yourself yes what to do next. Now I have this job to do that job to do.

So you keep always exploring with a bit of stressed and some anxiety but a happiness is very rare
and that is the root cause of in today’s popular psychology what do we call positive psychology
and emotional intelligence has emerged as an important concept of positive psychology to
change to bring change to reshape human behavior to nurture health happiness and prosperity in
human life and may be why I am trying to say to examine the impact of emotions in human life
and what is the role of intelligence is it an emotion influencing intelligence or intelligence
influencing emotions.
It is just like the relationship between feeling and thinking. So thinking is relating to your
intellectual ability. Feeling is relating to your, emotional perceptions. So that is where I try to
relate these two concepts emotion and intellect they are highly correlated with each other’s. If
they are handled properly there will be prosperity and growth. If they are not handled properly
there will be stressed, Strain fullof unhappiness, pain etc., So that is why study of emotions in the
domain of intelligence is very very important.
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Let us go further if you examine these concepts particular kind of emotions you will see that how
these emotions are important in our life. When you experience anger what is happening to you
when you experience anger it is not only creating stress it is beginning lot of psychological
changes within yourself it is creating just like you know firecrackers it is firing all your nerves
systems within your brain you are in a excited zone. Is not it?

So what happens then the psychological pressure creating psychological activation affecting all
the bodily functional zones. Say for examples like the blood roses to our hands so we can fight
when you are anger you start sweating you just look at your palms it is sweating. When you are
under tension when you are under anxiety it can be expression or frustration say for example
LALA 10B is looking for a debt for his synapsis presentation he is trying hard the first date was
cancelled unavailability of experts.
Now second time he is trying best and he is under lot of tension stress putting lot of activity how
quickly he can do his job okay and when the debt was cancelled there was lot of frustration is not
it yeah lot of stress will I get a new fresh date as per my expectations lot of anxiety, loss of
mental energy, confusion, embracement, jealousy, rejection threats. So these are the possible
outcomes you are likely to be expressed out of anger.

It is one of the most dangerous emotions because it is energizing and the more often we are
angry the less arousal we need to stay in this state anger builds momentum that is the ultimate
outcome of anger it creates momentum. It pushes you further so that is why people creates lot of
physical aggression when they are in a state of anger or in angry mood. They are likely to violate
others face psychological as well as physiological.

So this could be the possible consequences of anger but if this is not managed properly it can
lead to many negative consequences that can dimine that can defame that can reduce you image
and self-esteem.
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Another important type of fear is sorry concept of emotion is fear. So fear also causes lot of
changes in our blood circulations when you are under the state of fear blood also losses to your
arms and legs.
So we can run or fight you know suppose you are working in a midnight suddenly you find
group of people are coming towards you with Lathe sticks. How does it feel? How do you
perceive the situation? How do you react? You are completely under the zone of sever fear. So
some people say I will run away some people say I will hide behind the bush some will say
Bachao Bachao cry for help is not it? when you say out of fear we display also helplessness is
not it.

So that is how the emotion is shaping our everyday behaviors it mobilizes us and forces us into
fright flight or freeze either you fly or you fright these are who concepts related to the
consequences of fear it mobilizes us and forces us into fright flight and freeze. It is connected to
worry anxiety stress tension, nervousness, panic, paranoia and phobias. Unrealistic phobias are
developed within us.

You know when you undergone a dramatic events tremendous pressure still the two tsunami
survivors are everyday experiencing psychosis unrealistic phobias as if the sea is coming up on
them when they are in sleeping mode. So it is coming out of fearness it is connected to worry
anxiety stress it is sometime that is expressed as anger.
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Sadness is also equally responsible for psychological changes in human behavior metabolizing
slows down giving us time to mourn. It comes from not getting what you want or if you are what
might be happening to us. When sad many people try to isolate themselves and that is the root
cause of depression when an individual makes himself isolated and restricted in the four walls of
his room is likely to experience deprivation and that will lead to depression.

So the sadness can lead to creation of heavy depression in human lives unless it handled properly
unless it is handled with care it can cause devastation in one’s life. It is connected to depression
same disappointment regret guilty embarrassment and insecurity.
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when you look at the whole gamut of emotions emotions are multi-dimensional that I have just
taken out some example here the four components of emotions. Emotions sometimes consider
simple feelings but they are subject to social situations they are socially expressive they are also
related to bodily origins but emotion is endless.

I used to tell emotion cannot be threatful emotion is the only source of creation you look at all
this see created productions whether it is a movie, a novel, a poetry any kind of creative
expression it is endless. So that is how we say poetry is nothing but the spontaneous expression
of powerful expression of spontaneous feelings and that is endless.
So all our creative energies that often come out of our emotions our emotional involvement then
how emotions could be dangerous to human life when you are engaged in irrational talks
irrational ideas. When our ideas are not systematically connected then our emotionality takes
over our rationality that is the only side effects of emotions.
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Okay the feeling what does this feeling components say emotions are subjective feelings the
whole domain of human satisfaction subjective well-being happiness health all this are effects of
the positive feelings. So it comes out of the prospective of emotion as a feeling. Emotions are
subjective feelings make us feel in a particular way when things are happening as per your
expectations you are building up a positive framework.

Positive frame of reference your feelings are now cool, calm composed you are in a state of
balance what you call well-being a state of well-being. But on the other hand when you are in a
state of anger your feeling is something different we call it as negative feelings but when they are
composed we call it as balanced sometimes creating joy happiness and pleasure.

But when pleasure does not bring always meaningful, satisfaction to human being but the calm
and composed feelings with meaning can derive certain personal significance when say for
example you have done something and you are feeling little bit satisfied that is where you are
assuming meaning with personal significance. Emotional feeling that vary in intensive and
quality sometimes when it is also depends on the degree of variations based on the need of the
hour.

Is this work is essential for you how much it is required for you or can you postpone it. So
depending upon the need assessment even our also emotional needs also varies from time to
time. If you want to do emotional involvement is hundred percent because it is important for
your survival. So emotions are essential components of primal survival. These are deeply rooted
in our mental processes just now I say how do you label the importance of experience of
particular emotions why you are feeling sad?

Can you ask these questions? Am I really sad? Who is making me sad? How can I turn it into
happiness? These are three questions that will change the whole prospective. So when you try to
label is it really affecting me or I am just interpreting that is affecting me. So that labeling
requires lot of mental dialogue and discussions. So the then you can change the prospective of
film emotions.
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Another prospective of film emotions another prospective is what we call the bodily arousals, the
biological activations.I am running because I am afraid or I am afraid and that is why I am
running why should I feel afraid? Why should I run? Can I stay calm and composed even if I am
fear? So many times the decision that we take at the internal level the cognitive level that plays a
very important role in the experience and the expression of emotion that will decide whether
there will be biological activation or psychological comfort zone.

Automatic and hormonal systems are also gets affected when there is a activation zone when it
has been also there are lot of research coming up that stress has been one of the important reason
for cancer but happiness or smiling or joy has been considered as one of the psychological best
medicine for the cure of cancer how come because it protects our immune systems by creating a
positive feelings. So when you are in a positive feeling state that is creating a protective zone for
your enhancing for your immune systems in the body.

So that is why nowadays positive psychologies are also emerging in a big way in the field of this
cancer disease treatment. So that is why we call as say in psychological prevention is better than
cure. Bodily other also prepares and activates adoptive coping behavior during emotions. If your
body is too much aroused you can control animals it is likely to burst on others but if the body
arousals are within control that if you are able to control, your bodily aggression that is nothing.

But you are applying your coping mechanisms it is acting as a coping behavior because you are
controlling your body activation. Your biological activation is under control so that means that is
making you emotionally balanced projecting a good self-image towards the outside world. The
body prepares for actions yes somebody has taught me in front of all say for examples Subang is
there and she share something to her friend he teach and now it is reach up her heart
psychologically she feels highly insulted then what will happen.

If she control it okay if she okay she is general to me and I can pardon him or I can tolerate this
and I can tell her for modify this or that. But if she feels so much excited creating lot of body
arousal taking the insult into the highest level of offense and reacting heavily resulting in
slapping on her face.

That may happen because human anger you never know where in which direction it is moving
but if you are bringing little bit intelligence to this concept of emotional into the domain of
emotional arousal. Probably you could control and display better natural behavior so that is how
it prepares body to respond are to outside world and respond as for your control. It alert posture
clenched fists.
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There are many other concepts are related to this frame work like purposive components is there
feeling has any purpose in component yes it gives emotion its goal direct force. Emotion is
essential achievement of any kind of goal when we discuss about emotion there is another
popular concept that automatically come to discussion is called motivation.

So emotion and motivation they are just like two sides of the same coin they go side by side
without emotional arousal your motivation will not be displayed, without emotional arousal
motivation will go into deep chamber of freeze it will freeze itself. So that is why we often say
that too much arousal and too less arousal is dangerous for human survival or maintaining
optimum motivation optimum emotional arousal is actually best for maximum motivational
appraisal or what you call achieving optimum performance.

So your emotional feeling what you call stress or anxiety or happiness or joy whether it is
positive or negative it should not be neither too high nor too less it should be optimum and that
will decide how your body copses with the that situations. Secondly is motivation to take actions
so that is what we just discussed more emotion directly links to the concept of motivation in
order to perform any kind of action.
The next is the purpose of emotion is to cope with emotion causing circumstances many kind of
emotional situation creates problem for human survival. So how you cope with those kind of this
there are destructive emotions there are constructive emotions. If you are positively dealing with
the negative or destructive emotions probably you can come up with the best creation of the
world.

Why people then benefit from emotions because emotion has many things to do with creative
creations. When you control them then you channelize them in right directions you are likely to
benefit from him. Social and evolutionary advantage emotionally if you look at Darwin concepts
you know survival of the fittest emotion always also work over there. So historically it has been
also seen there any civilization in order to survive in society emotion is very much essential.

If you feel though no this is not the right place that I have life so when you dream in the survival
your emotional aspirations also goes down equally it is emotion that keep you keep your zeal to
life further that is why where depression takes over. The moment you feel the negative side of
emotion more of in your life the side effects will be much more.
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And the social expressive component says that in order survive in society you should
emotionally communicate sometimes you should show sympathy, empathy, care concern about
others.

Otherwise it will be very difficult for survival in this world so that is why the social expressive
component of emotion is very much important and directly in fact related to the concept of
emotional intelligence. Where we try to extract the concept of empathy empathy and sympathy
these are two concepts they are derived from emotions which are socially expressive comment
okay.

These are also important because it relates to your posture your gesture your vocalizations facial
expressions if you are not comfortyou are different expressions if you are angry you are giving a
different expressions. But when you are happy and smile you invite others into your comfort
zone for dialogue for deliberation and open the day for very productive outcomes. So that is why
the social expressive component of emotion is very beneficial for mankind all.
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These are some of the what do you say emotional expression that displays different type of
emotions so can you identify it any one of you surprised next okay you can say yes sad and this
can we say also fear these are in fact taken from one of the study conducted in Japan so that is
why most of the figures are Japanese figures so but there are also apart from the universal
expression of emotions there are certain emotions are there very culture specific
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Well when you discuss emotions and its outcomes. We often have seen that emotion is that dual
and all human life you cannot survive anymore without emotions in this world. So I have
considered it in two friends one is illness cum in illness context the other is wellness consults,
one is individual best another is environmental best. So how emotion is related to illness if you
are not feeling well all the negative ideas will dominate over your life.

You will develop psychological symptoms, you will develop psychological disease like anxiety,
tension depression and as you all know that fifty percent of human health is psychological health
and if you are psychologically not well, that will directly affect your psychological systems. So
the optimal functioning of the psychological system goes down you suffer from many
psychosomatic diseases that is how I call it as emotion directly affect human health.

Emotion directly affect human immune system the biological the psychoneuroimmunology
concepts that is a concept called psycho neuro immunological perspective of emotion. What is
this? The role of emotion in the regulation of neurological systems in human body, so more you
experience negative emotions more it will likely to affects our immune systems and that is how it
causes many high level diseases which are very rarely curable such as cancer and many other
systems.

So the main side effects are negative outcome is illness medical problem and yes if you can
regulate properly every day making balance of positive and negative and experiencing more of
positive emotion in your life. You are likely to build up a good immune system biological
immune system within yourself and once you express happiness joy pleasure and very positive
behavior towards others that will create a positive environment for others that will create a state
of wellness around you and around others.

And that is how emotion is going to influence even building a very healthy atmosphere not in our
personal life but also add our professional workplace and that is how I take it into the two
important frameworks that is called illness and wellness outcome of emotions.
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Well emotion and a reason has been taken into consideration in the sense that our if your
emotional feelings are not connected systematically they may not lead to proper thought
processes they may not lead to proper thinking.
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So emotion generates ideas so the framework goes like this that a kind of particular kind of
emotional feelings leads to generation of ideas and ideas are early ideas are in fact in a very
unsystematic ways. When you see dreams many times you do not know what is happening
because they are not systematic and the moment you bring a little rationality to these frameworks
of ideas then you come up with certain systematic frameworks.

That builds up the rational thinking giving rise to a creative production many times that is how
you often say that you know dreamers are better achiever than non-dreamers why?/ because you
know if you read the life history of many the great people like Einstein, Newton and many other
great thinkers they keep in dreaming day and night when nobody else could achieve the theory of
gravitation than Sir Issac Newtons everybody is watching the fruit is falling from the tree.

But nobody observe it so in order to come up with a creative creations you need to explore
thoughtfully. thoughtful observation is very much essential that is why we call powerful
expression of spontaneous feelings. That requires to be done that is where we bring reason to the
domain of our emotions well so reason means we apply logic systematization with facts and
figures the basis of human intelligence that is where the moment emotions are endless very
unsystematic. But the moment you bring little bit logic and rationality then it turns into the
domain of your intelligence.
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And that is where you derive the systematic way of your thinking what do you call intelligence?
Intelligence has been considered as one of the important systematic thoughts very simple terms
some people call it as a talent some people simply call it as a skills but what exactly it is. So
there are as many definitions as psychologist in this world.

But the some of them they define intelligence is derived from the Latin word that mean to choose
between and to make wise choices. Today the spearman G factor and Binnets theory of
intelligence has been very popular throughout this world and that would conceptualize
intelligence as a computer program that could solve a wider variety of problems. So alpha Binnet
who is a French psychologist oofah who in fact made use of that IQ test in a classroom situation
ok we will take a break from here and will continue after a short break thank you.