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Emotional Quotient and Intelligence Quotient: Understanding Importance of EQ

In day to day engagements people involve themselves with multiple tasks which require knowledge, communication skills, negotiation skills, critical thinking and so on. We all agree that at some level we need just a common sense and at sometimes we need intelligence.

Is intelligence one thing or many? Is it modifiable or not? Is it inherited or is it environmental? (Sternber, 1996). Generally, we consider IQ to be more powerful and important than EQ. But research suggests that both are vital. In dealing with intelligence, Itard found that intelligence, while a given, developed by having the appropriate experiences at the right time of development (Gutek, N.D).

What is Intelligence Quotient (IQ)?

IQ in general, is an assessment of an ability to think and reason. IQ score is a standardized way of comparing this ability with the majority of people the same age as we are. A score of 100 means that compared to these people in your general age group that you have basically an average intelligence. Most psychologists would say those scoring in a range of 95 to 105 are of a normal intelligence or have an average IQ. 

We can teach intelligence in at least some degree, but cannot effect radical changes at this point (Sternber, 1996). There is also a theory called ‘theory of successful intelligence’. It is defined as one’s ability to achieve success in life in terms of one’s personal standards, within one’s socio-cultural context.

What is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional intelligence (EI) or emotional quotient (EQ) is the capacity of individuals to recognize their own, and other people's emotions, to discriminate between different feelings and label them appropriately, to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, and to manage and/or adjust emotions to adapt environments or achieve one's goals.

Emotional intelligence plays a major role in how we interact with other people.

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 (Psychocentral.com library).

How are Emotional Intelligence, IQ, and Personality are different?

-         Emotional intelligence taps into a fundamental element of human behavior that is distinct from intellect. There is no known connection between IQ and emotional intelligence; you simply can’t predict emotional intelligence based on how smart someone is. (But, still there is ongoing debate about this connection, refer the below link to see one such study- http://www.memory-key.com/research/news/correlation-between-emotional-intelligence-and-iq).

-         Intelligence is the ability to learn, and it’s the same at age 15 as it is at age 50. Emotional intelligence, on the other hand, is a flexible set of skills that can be acquired and improved with practice. Although some people are naturally more emotionally intelligent than others, you can develop high emotional intelligence even if you aren’t born with it.

-         IQ and EQ often integrates itself to form Personality. It’s the stable “style” that defines each of us. Personality is the result of hard-wired preferences, such as the inclination toward introversion or extroversion. However, like IQ, personality can’t be used to predict emotional intelligence. Also like IQ, personality is stable over a lifetime and doesn’t change. The general consensus is that personality is shaped by early life experiences and tend to stay stable over time (www.psychologytoday.com). According to most personality type theories, the individual's type is inborn and does not change. However, individuals can develop traits and habits that differ or even directly contradict the description of their type (www.16personalities.com).

IQ, emotional intelligence, and personality each cover unique ground and help to explain what makes a person tick.


Below diagram (1.1) illustrates integration of IQ, EQ and Personality:


 


A deep dive into Emotional Intelligence:

When emotional intelligence first appeared to the masses, it served as the missing link in a peculiar finding: people with average IQs outperform those with the highest IQs 70% of the time. This anomaly threw a massive wrench into what many people had always assumed was the sole source of success—IQ. Decades of research now point to emotional intelligence as the critical factor that sets star performers apart from the rest of the folks.

Emotional intelligence is “something” in each of us that is a bit intangible. It affects how we manage behavior, navigate social complexities, and make personal decisions that achieve positive results.

Emotional intelligence is made up of four core skills that pair up under two primary competencies:

a.    personal competence:

-         Self-Awareness
-         Self-Management

b.    social competence:

-         Social Awareness
-         Relationship Management

Below diagram (1.2) illustrates the matrix of Emotional Intelligence based on personal and social competence:
 


a.      Personal competence comprises your self-awareness and self-management skills, which focus more on you individually than on your interactions with other people. Personal competence is your ability to stay aware of your emotions and manage your behavior and tendencies.

-         Self-Awareness is your ability to accurately perceive your emotions and stay aware of them as they happen.

-         Self-Management is your ability to use awareness of your emotions to stay flexible and positively direct your behavior.

b.      Social competence is made up of your social awareness and relationship management skills; social competence is your ability to understand other people’s moods, behavior, and motives in order to respond effectively and improve the quality of your relationships.

-         Social Awareness is your ability to accurately pick up on emotions in other people and understand what is really going on.

-         Relationship Management is your ability to use awareness of your emotions and the others’ emotions to manage interactions successfully.

Linkage between Emotional Intelligence and Performance:

How much of an impact does emotional intelligence have on your professional success? The short answer is: a lot! It’s a powerful way to focus your energy in one direction with a tremendous result. An organization called Talentsmart has tested emotional intelligence alongside 33 other important workplace skills, and found that emotional intelligence is the strongest predictor of performance, explaining a full 58% of success in all types of jobs.

The emotional intelligence is the foundation for a host of critical skills—it impacts most everything we do and say each day.

Out of total population in the research study, the research team found that 90% of top performers are also high in emotional intelligence. On the flip side, just 20% of bottom performers are high in emotional intelligence. You can be a top performer without emotional intelligence, but the chances are slim.

Other interesting finding of the study is that— people with a high degree of emotional intelligence make more money—an average of $29,000 more per year than people with a low degree of emotional intelligence. The link between emotional intelligence and earnings is so direct that every point increase in emotional intelligence adds $1,300 to an annual salary. These findings hold true for people in all industries, at all levels, in every region of the world. The researchers say that, they haven’t yet been able to find a job in which performance and pay aren’t tied closely to emotional intelligence.

Below (1.3) is the sketch of a tree which illustrates some of the critical skills:



  

Can the score of Emotional Intelligence Be Increased?

As you train your brain by repeatedly practicing new emotionally intelligent behaviors, your brain builds the pathways needed to make them into habits. Before long, you begin responding to your surroundings with emotional intelligence without even having to think about it. And just as your brain reinforces the use of new behaviors, the connections supporting old, destructive behaviors will die off as you learn to limit your use of them.


References

Gutek, G. L. (N.D). In The Montessori Method: The Origins of an Educational Innovation.

Sternber, R. J. (1996). Myths, Countermyths, and Truths About Intelligence. American Educational Research Association.

Dr. Travis Bradberry’s writing and the work of his organization TalentSmart where he is a cofounder. The studies and tests are done by Talentsmart organization. Source of the work: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-you-need-emotional-intelligence-succeed-dr-travis-bradberry

This information from website: (www.psychologytoday.com)

This information from website: (www.16personalities.com)

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