preview

Emotional Intelligence, By Daniel Goleman

Decent Essays

In the book, Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman discusses what emotional intelligence is, how it can be achieved, and why it can matter more than your IQ. Emotional intelligence, by his definition, is the ability to recognize and understand both our personal emotions and the emotions of others. This also includes the ability to manage our personal emotions. He introduces us to the topic and the history of the brain, discusses the importance of it in our lives, marriage, and business, and concludes by suggesting it should be developed during childhood when the brain is still developing. However, this does not mean our emotional intelligence skills cannot be sharpened and taught during adulthood. According to Goleman, “academic intelligence has little to do with emotional life” (Goleman, 34) and therefore does not correlate immensely with success. More specifically, he says “IQ contributes about 20% to the factors that determine life success, which leaves 80% to other forces… ranging from social class to luck” (34). Essentially, this means that just because you are smart, it does not mean you will be successful. You must have social skills and good standing. Studies have found that having a high IQ, but low emotional intelligence results in a sort of detachment - a lack of understanding and a lack of interest in the world. By contrast, a low IQ and high emotional intelligence result in an outgoing and cheerful personality, with a desire to live life and find meaning in

Get Access