Understanding The Five Categories of Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

EQ – EMMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
For most people, emotional intelligence (EQ) is more important than one’s
intelligence (IQ) in attaining success in their lives and careers. As
individuals our success and the success of the profession today depend
on our ability to read other people’s signals and react appropriately to
them.
Therefore, each one of us must develop the mature emotional intelligence

skills required to better understand, empathize and negotiate with other
people — particularly as the economy has become more global.
Otherwise, success will elude us in our lives and careers.
“Your EQ is the level of your ability to understand other people, what

motivates them and how to work cooperatively with them,” says Howard
Gardner, the influential Harvard theorist. Five major categories of
emotional intelligence skills are recognized by researchers in this area.
Understanding the Five Categories of Emotional Intelligence

(EQ)
1. Self-awareness. The ability to recognize an emotion as it “happens” is
the key to your EQ. Developing self-awareness requires tuning in to your
true feelings. If you evaluate your emotions, you can manage them. The
major elements of self-awareness are:
 Emotional awareness. Your ability to recognize your own emotions and

their effects.
 Self-confidence. Sureness about your self-worth and capabilities.
2. Self-regulation. You often have little control over when you experience

emotions. You can, however, have some say in how long an emotion will
last by using a number of techniques to alleviate negative emotions such
as anger, anxiety or depression. A few of these techniques include
recasting a situation in a more positive light, taking a long walk and
meditation or prayer. Self-regulation involves
 Self-control. Managing disruptive impulses.

 Trustworthiness. Maintaining standards of honesty and integrity.
 Conscientiousness. Taking responsibility for your own performance.
 Adaptability. Handling change with flexibility.
 Innovation. Being open to new ideas.
3. Motivation. To motivate yourself for any achievement requires clear
goals and a positive attitude. Although you may have a predisposition to
either a positive or a negative attitude, you can with effort and practice
learn to think more positively. If you catch negative thoughts as they
occur, you can reframe them in more positive terms — which will help you
achieve your goals. Motivation is made up of:
 Achievement drive. Your constant striving to improve or to meet a

standard of excellence.
 Commitment. Aligning with the goals of the group or organization.
 Initiative. Readying yourself to act on opportunities.
 Optimism. Pursuing goals persistently despite obstacles and setbacks.
4. Empathy. The ability to recognize how people feel is important to

success in your life and career. The more skillful you are at discerning the
feelings behind others’ signals the better you can control the signals you
send them. An empathetic person excels at:
 Service orientation. Anticipating, recognizing and meeting clients’ needs.

 Developing others. Sensing what others need to progress and bolstering
their abilities.
 Leveraging diversity. Cultivating opportunities through diverse people.
 Political awareness. Reading a group’s emotional currents and power
relationships.
 Understanding others. Discerning the feelings behind the needs and
wants of others.
5. Social skills. The development of good interpersonal skills is

tantamount to success in your life and career. In today’s always-
connected world, everyone has immediate access to technical
knowledge. Thus, “people skills” are even more important now because
you must possess a high EQ to better understand, empathize and
negotiate with others in a global economy. Among the most useful skills
are:
 Influence. Wielding effective persuasion tactics.

 Communication. Sending clear messages.
 Leadership. Inspiring and guiding groups and people.
 Change catalyst. Initiating or managing change.
 Conflict management. Understanding, negotiating and resolving
disagreements.
 Building bonds. Nurturing instrumental relationships.
 Collaboration and cooperation. Working with others toward shared goals.
 Team capabilities. Creating group synergy in pursuing collective goals.
13 Signs of High Emotional Intelligence
1. You think about feelings.

Emotional intelligence begins with what is called self- and social awareness, the ability to
recognize emotions (and their impact) in both yourself and others.
That awareness begins with reflection. You ask questions like:
 What are my emotional strengths? What are my weaknesses?

 How does my current mood affect my thoughts and decision making?
 What's going on under the surface that influences what others say or do?
Pondering questions like these yield valuable insights that can be used to your advantage.
2. You pause.
The pause is as simple as taking a moment to stop and think before you speak or act. (Easy in
theory, difficult in practice.) This can help save you from embarrassing moments or from making
commitments too quickly.
In other words, pausing helps you refrain from making a permanent decision based on a
temporary emotion.
3. You strive to control your thoughts.

You don't have much control over the emotion you experience in a given moment. But you can
control your reaction to those emotions--by focusing on your thoughts. (As it's been said: You
can't prevent a bird from landing on your head, but you can keep it from building a nest.)
By striving to control your thoughts, you resist becoming a slave to your emotions, allowing
yourself to live in a way that's in harmony with your goals and values.
4. You benefit from criticism.

Nobody enjoys negative feedback. But you know that criticism is a chance to learn, even if
it's not delivered in the best way. And even when it's unfounded, it gives you a window into how
others think.
When you receive negative feedback, you keep your emotions in check and ask yourself: How
can this make me better?
5. You show authenticity.
Authenticity doesn't mean sharing everything about yourself, to everyone, all of the time.
It does mean saying what you mean, meaning what you say, and sticking to your values and
principles above all else.
You know not everyone will appreciate your sharing your thoughts and feelings. But the ones
who matter will.
6. You demonstrate empathy.

The ability to show empathy, which includes understanding others' thoughts and feelings, helps
you connect with others. Instead of judging or labeling others, you work hard to see things
through their eyes.
Empathy doesn't necessarily mean agreeing with another person's point of view. Rather, it's
about striving to understand--which allows you to build deeper, more connected relationships.
7. You praise others.

All humans crave acknowledgement and appreciation. When you commend others, you satisfy
that craving and build trust in the process.
This all begins when you focus on the good in others. Then, by sharing specifically what you
appreciate, you inspire them to be the best version of themselves.
8. You give helpful feedback.

Negative feedback has great potential to hurt the feelings of others. Realizing this, you reframe
criticism as constructive feedback, so the recipient sees it as helpful instead of harmful.
9. You apologize.
It takes strength and courage to be able to say you're sorry. But doing so demonstrates humility,
a quality that will naturally draw others to you.
Emotional intelligence helps you realize that apologizing doesn't always mean you're wrong.
It does mean valuing your relationship more than your ego.
10. You forgive and forget.

Hanging on to resentment is like leaving a knife inside a wound. While the offending party
moves on with their life, you never give yourself the chance to heal.
When you forgive and forget, you prevent others from holding your emotions hostage--allowing
you to move forward.
11. You keep your commitments.

It's common nowadays for people to break an agreement or commitment when they feel like it.
Of course, bailing on an evening of Netflix with a friend will cause less harm than breaking a
promise to your child or missing a major business deadline.
But when you make a habit of keeping your word--in things big and small--you develop a strong
reputation for reliability and trustworthiness.
12. You help others.

One of the greatest ways to positively impact the emotions of others is to help them.
Most people don't really care where you graduated from, or even about your previous
accomplishments. But what about the hours you're willing to take out of your schedule to listen
or help out? Your readiness to get down in the trenches and work alongside them?
Actions like these build trust and inspire others to follow your lead when it counts.
13. You protect yourself from emotional sabotage.

You realize that emotional intelligence also has a dark side--such as when individuals attempt to
manipulate others' emotions to promote a personal agenda or for some other selfish cause.
And that's why you continue to sharpen your own emotional intelligence--to protect yourself
when they do.

Understanding The Five Categories of Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Understanding The Five Categories of Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Understanding The Five Categories of Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

EQ – EMMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Therefore, each one of us must develop the mature emotional intelligence

“Your EQ is the level of your ability to understand other people, what

Understanding the Five Categories of Emotional Intelligence

 Emotional awareness. Your ability to recognize your own emotions and

2. Self-regulation. You often have little control over when you experience

 Self-control. Managing disruptive impulses.

 Achievement drive. Your constant striving to improve or to meet a

4. Empathy. The ability to recognize how people feel is important to

 Service orientation. Anticipating, recognizing and meeting clients’ needs.

5. Social skills. The development of good interpersonal skills is

 Influence. Wielding effective persuasion tactics.

1. You think about feelings.

That awareness begins with reflection. You ask questions like:

 What are my emotional strengths? What are my weaknesses?

3. You strive to control your thoughts.

4. You benefit from criticism.

6. You demonstrate empathy.

7. You praise others.

8. You give helpful feedback.

10. You forgive and forget.

11. You keep your commitments.

12. You help others.

13. You protect yourself from emotional sabotage.

You might also like