Emotional Intelligence And Nursing Practice

A nurse in a position of a leader, like a charge nurse, who is not emotionally developed could hinder the function of the whole unit. A leader has to be able to manage their emotions, be motivating to their self and others, be empathetic, and handle relationships (). If a nurse comes to work with a bad attitude, this could potentially affect relationships with coworkers, and even contribute to lowering the whole morale of the staff on the unit.

The book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0, provides an alternative approach to how a person achieves success. This book does not focus on the conventional determinant of success, such as formal education and training, experience, and intelligence level (IQ). Although all these components contribute greatly to ones achievement of success, these factors are not the only factors to be considered in whether a person will be successful or not. This book focuses on the concept that it refers to as emotional intelligence (EQ), which is one’s ability to recognize and effectively understand his/her emotions in a productive and rational manner.

Emotional intelligence is the ability of a person to recognize and assess their, and others’ emotions. It enables an individual to distinguish between the different sentiments they exhibit and being able to label them. The theory of Emotional Intelligence (EI) was originally developed by psychologists Howard Gardner, Peter Salovey and John Mayer. Later, a science journalist, Daniel Goleman identified and came up with five domains of emotional intelligence:

“Emotional Intelligences and Reflective Practice are Integral Components of Building a Therapeutic Relationship in Nursing”

Two psychologists, John Mayer and Peter Salovey, first introduced the concept of “emotional intelligence”, or EI, in a journal article in 1990 (Goleman, 2005). It was then popularized in 1995, with the book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman. Goleman posited that EI is as important, if not more important, than IQ in terms of success in academics, business, and interpersonal relationships (2005).

Emotional intelligence is very helpful in maintaining a healthy working environment through decreasing conflict, increasing harmony and building strong, healthy relationships. Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to identify and understand self and others’ emotions in a proactive way. Emotional intelligence can be achieved through acceptable behavior and stress management training. Emotional intelligence helps in proactive emotional approach that is efficient in emotional balance management. It is guided by self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management (PENN Behavioral Health Corporate Services, 2008).

There are many definitions of emotional intelligence. Daniel Goleman discussed this theory in his 1995 book titled, Emotional Intelligence. From the ideas of Mr. Goleman, nurses may find a more useful definition for this profession than from the previous notions of Salovey & Mayer (1990) who simplified emotional

Emotional intelligence (EI) or emotional quotient (EQ) is the ability…or capacity of individuals to realize their own emotions and the emotions of those around them to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior appropriately.

The ability to express and control our own emotions is important, but so is our ability to understand, interpret, and respond to the emotions of others. Psychologists refer to this ability as emotional intelligence. According to the Cambridge Dictionary online, Emotional Intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to perceive, control and evaluate

Emotional intelligence, or EI, has begun to make head way in the nursing world in its tie to leadership. Nurses are people, so they experience emotion just like every other person. Their work is stressful and trying, it provokes emotion due to the environment and situations at hand. The ability to recognize one’s own emotions, along with those that present in others is an important skill (Morrison, 2008). Being able to recognize emotions makes it easier to manage our lives and our relationship with others. These are the aspects that make a person competent enough to say that they have emotional intelligence. Supporters of emotional intelligence believe that EI may be more valuable in determining a good leader than intellectual

Emotional intelligence was described formally by (Salovey & Mayer). They defined it as ‘the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions’. They also provided an initial empirical demonstration of how an aspect of emotional

“Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage our emotions and those around us, therefore, this quality gives individuals a variety of skills, such as the ability to manage relationships, navigate social networks, influence and inspire others. Every individual possesses different level, but in order for individuals to become effective leaders, they will need a high level of emotional intelligence. In today’s workplace, it has become a highly important

Emotional Intelligence is defined as a ‘type of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and other’s emotions, to discriminate among them and to use the information to guide one’s thinking and actions’ (Salovey and Mayer, 1990: 189). According to Goleman (2001), ‘emotional intelligence comprises of 4 key components which are, Self

Leaders today are presented with an ever-increasing reliance on unifying a team or organization to achieve goals and objectives. With this demand for higher-level leaders, the ability through which a leader is able to appeal to specific traits and qualities is never more important. Emotional Intelligence (EI) is one area of focus that a leader in the marketplace today must be able to appeal to and demonstrate as a core competency.

Emotional intelligence is sometimes referred to as EI or EQ. In their article, Colfax, Rivera & Perez (2010) stated that “Regardless though of how it is referred to, emotional intelligence (EQ) is concerned with understanding oneself and others, relating to people, and adapting to and coping with the immediate surroundings to be more successful in dealing with