The Importance Of Emotional Intelligence In Nursing

Having self awareness is a significant attribute to utilize when leading/managing others, interacting in social events and making personal decisions. Having the insight to distinguish your emotions, then using that knowledge to manage your behavior and relationships is being emotionally intelligent (Bradberry & Greaves, 2009). After using the Emotional Appraisal Instrument, I learned that self-awareness is my strongest emotional intelligence (EI) skill and my weakest EI skill is social awareness (TalentSmart, Inc., 2016).

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).

With the publication of Daniel Goleman’s book Emotional Intelligence in 1995, the business world got an answer to a question that had been plaguing it for decades: “Why did some people of a high IQ struggle at managing teams while other leaders of lower IQ excel at it”? Goleman asserted that the traditional measurement of IQ (intelligence quotient) was not enough to determine a good leader. Schools and universities concentrated on developing the cognitive and analytical part of the brain, while the teaching of how the emotional side of the brain worked was ignored. Goleman defined this “emotional intelligence” of a human being as a set of competencies that distinguish how one manages

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).

This paper will examine the author’s current strengths and weaknesses associated within the emotional intelligence skills which are: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management, and a number of associated competencies such as self-control, adaptability, and self-confidence by analyzing the author’s Emotional Intelligence Appraisal. The paper will provide the audience with an action plan for each emotional intelligence skill which needs improvement and will consist of a number of strategies that will improve the author’s overall emotional intelligence skills.

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, 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 is a way of recognizing, understanding, and choosing how we think, feel, and act. It shapes our interactions with others and our understanding of ourselves. It defines how and what we learn; it allows us to set priorities; it determines the majority of our daily actions. Research suggests it is responsible for as much as 80% of the "success" in our lives." The Effective leader requires a high degree of Emotional Intelligence. In this study, the various skills of Emotional Intelligence can be related with real situations. The various skills of Emotional Intelligence are Self awareness, self regulation, motivation, Empathy, social skill. People with high self-awareness are also able

“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

The book “Working with Emotional Intelligence” by Daniel Goleman deals with the emotional assets and liabilities of individuals in organizations. Emotional intelligence is traits that go beyond academic achievement or IQ. As a matter of fact he points out that high academic intelligence can sometimes stand in the way of emotional intelligence. Broadly speaking, emotional intelligence determines how well we handle difficult situation, which cannot be solved by logic, but more by a “feel” for the situation. These attributes are very hard to measure, which is why many standardized tests, whether academic or for employment, fail to measure these attributes, even though these are the one which determine

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.

In our everyday lives, we are constantly interacting with other individuals. These interactions have an effect on our emotions. We have to learn how to identify and deal with these emotions because they have a direct effect on how we deal with issues at work. Individuals can work their way through this process by becoming aware of the importance of emotional intelligence.

In this write-up, attempt is made to provide conceptual clarifications on the subject matter, “Emotional intelligence”, an overview of the theories of emotional intelligence, including a brief discussion about how important the role of emotional intelligence can be in leadership, performance (both educational and work place settings) and in wellbeing.