Perdev Module 8
Perdev Module 8
There are many other kinds of intelligence in addition to intellect. For example, spatial intelligence is the ability to
think in 3D. Musical intelligence is the ability to recognize rhythm, cadence, and tone. Athletic, artistic, and mechanical
abilities are other types of intelligence. One important type of intelligence is emotional intelligence.
Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand, use, and manage our emotions.
Emotional intelligence is sometimes called EQ (or EI) for short. Just as a high IQ can predict top test scores, a high EQ
can predict success in social and emotional situations. EQ helps us build strong relationships, make good decisions,
and deal with difficult situations.
One way to think about EQ is that it's part of being people-smart. Understanding and getting along with people helps
us be successful in almost any area of life. In fact, some studies show that EQ is more important than IQ when it comes
to doing well in school or being successful at work.
Improving Your EQ
Understanding How Others Feel and Why People are naturally designed to try to understand others.
Part of EQ is being able to imagine how other people might feel in certain situations. It is also about understanding
why they feel the way they do. Being able to imagine what emotions a person is likely to be feeling (even when you
don't actually know) is called empathy. Empathy helps us care about others and build good friendships and
relationships. It guides us on what to say and how to behave around someone who is feeling strong emotions
Some of the skills that make up emotional intelligence develop earlier. They may seem easier: For example, recognizing
emotions seems easy once we know what to pay attention to. But the EQ skill of managing emotional reactions and
choosing a mood might seem harder to master. That's because the part of the brain that's responsible for self-
management continues to mature beyond our teen years. But practice helps those brain pathways develop.
We can all work to build even stronger emotional intelligence skills just by recognizing what we feel, understanding
how we got there, understanding how others feel and why, and putting our emotions into heartfelt words when we
need to. Source: http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/eq.html
Passive response: Behaving passively means not expressing your own needs and feelings, or expressing them so
weakly that they will not be addressed.
If Geneva behaves passively, by standing in line and not saying anything, she will probably feel angry with
the girls and herself. If the ticket office runs out of tickets before she gets to the head of the line, she will be
furious and might blow up at the girls after it's too late to change the situation.
A passive response is not usually in your best interest, because it allows other people to violate your rights.
Yet there are times when being passive is the most appropriate response. It is important to assess whether a
situation is dangerous and choose the response most likely to keep you safe.
Aggressive response: Behaving aggressively is asking for what you want or saying how you feel in a threatening,
sarcastic or humiliating way that may offend the other person(s).
If Geneva calls the girls names or threatens them, she may feel strong for a moment, but there is no
guarantee she will get the girls to leave. More importantly, the girls and their friend may also respond
aggressively, through a verbal or physical attack on Geneva.
An aggressive response is never in your best interest, because it almost always leads to increased conflict
Assertive response: Behaving assertively means asking for what you want or saying how you feel in an honest and
respectful way that does not infringe on another person's rights or put the individual down.
If Geneva tells the girls they need to go to the end of the line because other people have been waiting, she
will not put the girls down, but merely state the facts of the situation. She can feel proud for standing up for her
rights. At the same time, she will probably be supported in her statement by other people in the line. While
there is a good chance the girls will feel embarrassed and move, there is also the chance that they will ignore
Geneva and her needs will not be met.
An assertive response is almost always in your best interest, since it is your best chance of getting what you
want without offending the other person(s). At times, however, being assertive can be inappropriate. If tempers
are high, if people have been using alcohol or other drugs, if people have weapons or if you are in an unsafe
place, being assertive may not be the safest choice.