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Review of Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
The book “Emotional Intelligence” by Daniel Goleman is very informative literature with vibrant psychological insights on how to deal with emotions in the most intelligent ways. The book is subdivided into five main chapters, with each episode tackling a new topic. Chapter number one, for example, introduce the emotional brains, chapter two discusses the nature of emotional intelligence, chapter three looks deeper into the application of the emotional intelligence applied, chapter four focuses on windows of opportunity and finally chapter five closes with emotional literacy. This paper aims to give a review of the sections above.
The introductory part of the book gives insights into the purpose of emotions in life. Goleman argues that emotions are the essential guides that humanity owes the existence of the power to human affairs (Goleman, pp12). Humans’ emotions, as some of the sociologists would agree with Goleman is that they supersede reason. They account for the most unreasonable acts recorded in human history, which an ordinary person cannot do under logic. This is well explained in the sub-chapter titled when passion overcomes reason. Here it is suggested that different kinds of emotions prepare the body through the brain to different types of responses.
Coupled with this is the introduction of the development of the brain and the existence of two minds — the brains developed from the purest form of humans before the whole event of a full mammal. Initially, the parts controlling emotions were stereotypes in the body with fewer functions, which later develops with the evolution of the mammals. The two minds are an integration of reason and emotion. The two are harmoniously united in that they work together in a sort of reflex. What goes through the mind triggers idea which exudes the feelings that one displays.
One of the most striking elements is the emotional hijacking of the brain. This is described as an extreme emotional reaction that is triggered with a short time with little consultation of the mind. Goleman says that these reactions originate from the amygdala, which is a center in the limbic brain. They occur as a result of instant nerval reactions that jerks an individual to do something with little reason being applied. These two amygdalae on both sides of the brain are the evolved present-day cortex and neocortex. When this amygdala is served from the entire part of the brain, it experiences an inability to tell the emotional significance of an event or action. When this part of the brain is removed or gets damaged, it sends the individual to a position of indifference. They become antisocial and inactive, not being moved by just anything that is happening around them. They lose the meaning of this and therefore have no emotional attachments to them.
The amygdala also acts as a neural tripwire and emotional sentiment. Neural tripwire means that it directs the actions of the brain, given the specific impulses that it receives from the neocortex (Goleman, pp21). It determines the nature of the received message and gives the response to which the individual reacts to. For example, if it receives an impulse suggesting danger in the environment, it triggers the brain to prepare the body to either stampede or fight for defense. Emotional sentinel means that the amygdala can acts directly without any messages from the cortex and the neocortex.
Another significant part of the brain is the hippocampus. It is responsible for memory, most notably in the sense of perceptual patterns. It is the part accountable for merging a current event with some historical model that had been registered overtime. Often when some events occur, the impulses are sent directly to the amygdala, which draws us to a particular action. For example, at one point, everyone may have been triggered away from something, only to realize later that it was not what they thought. This is the work of the hippocampus, which gives a historical pattern of related reactions and triggers the very same move.
Like the intelligent quotient developed by some of the phycologists during the first world war in determining the level of smartness of an individual, so do emotional intelligence. These can be explained in the five domains that Gardener, one of the psychologists, explains to them. These domains include knowing one’s emotions, managing them, motivating oneself, identifying the feelings of others, and finally handling relationships. A suggestion by Goleman is that there is a slight correlation between intelligence quotient and emotional intelligence (Goleman, pp97). The too differed and may not necessarily be associated with people who have high intelligence quotient. There can be people whose intelligence quotient is high, but emotional intelligence is low. This introduces the next topic which touches on self-awareness.
Self-awareness is the quality of understanding of how one is emotionally and how they react to situations. Under these categories are three distinct people, the self-aware who know their moods and have ways of handling them. The engulfed are those who become swamped by their emotions and would find it difficult to control them. The accepting ones are those who are aware of their emotions and are willing to accept them with no intention of changing them (Goleman, pp42). They are well off with them since they believe that the emotions are under their control.
Emotional intelligence, on its core, unlike intelligence quotient, which is inborn, can be applied. Most of the actions that drive us, as discussed earlier, are under the influence of the environments that we are in. The mind records things from the daily activities and from what we get in society and, therefore, dictates our actions (Goleman, pp137). With this knowledge in emotional intelligence, people can master their minds and learn how to deals with things in the most appropriate way. This may include what we chose to believe and take from the environments. This is where the intelligence quotient can apply in that; we may choose what we deem would be best for the development of our emotional life in a way that would bring out the best of us.
The hope of the control for our minds is the window of opportunity. This lies mostly in the early ages of every child. Most of the human actions lie within the experiences they had in childhood. The opportunity lies in how the child is prepared while they are still young. Biology has it that a child is born with so many unnecessary neurons that the brain automatically eliminates with time, depending on how well they are used. The responsibility of the parent is to ensure that the children are given the right information for the mind for proper and helpful perspectives of the environment.
In conclusion, emotional intelligence is all a matter of brain development, which can be shaped and controlled by human actions. This is because it all centers on the communications that are made to the brain. This, therefore, allows the human to engineer how they live their emotional life through the sifting of information that gets into their system. The environment surrounding one also would dictate the emotional intelligence of an individual, showing that we can still control it through the places that we stay in or the societies that we choose to live in.
Work Cited
Goleman Danie. “Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More than IQ.” Handbook of emotional intelligence 99.6 (2009): 1-243
Students Name
Professors Name
Course
Date
Review of Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
The book “Emotional Intelligence” by Daniel Goleman is very informative literature with vibrant
insights on how to deal with emotions in the most intelligent ways. The book is subdivided into five main chapters, with each episode tackling a new topic. Chapter number one, for example, introduce the emotional brains, chapter two discusses the nature of emotional intelligence, chapter three looks deeper into the application of the emotional intelligence applied, chapter four focuses on windows of opportunity and finally chapter five closes with emotional literacy. This paper aims to give a review of the sections above.
The introductory part of the book gives insights into the purpose of emotions in life. Goleman argues that emotions are the essential guides that humanity owes the existence of the power to human affairs (Goleman, pp12). Humans’ emotions, as some of the sociologists would agree with Goleman is that they supersede reason. They account for the most unreasonable acts recorded in human history, which an ordinary person cannot do under logic. This is well explained in the sub-chapter titled when passion overcomes reason. Here it is suggested that different kinds of emotions prepare the body through the brain to different types of responses.
Coupled with this is the introduction of the development of the brain and the existence of two minds — the brains developed from the purest form of humans before the whole event of a full mammal. Initially, the parts controlling emotions were stereotypes in the body with fewer functions, which later develops with the evolution of the mammals. The two minds are an integration of reason and emotion. The two are harmoniously united in that they work together in a sort of reflex. What goes through the mind triggers idea which exudes the feelings that one displays.
One of the most striking elements is the emotional hijacking of the brain. This is described as an extreme emotional reaction that is triggered with a short time with little consultation of the mind. Goleman says that these reactions originate from the amygdala, which is a center in the limbic brain. They occur as a result of instant nerval reactions that jerks an individual to do something with little reason being applied. These two amygdalae on both sides of the brain are the evolved present-day cortex and neocortex. When this amygdala is served from the entire part of the brain, it experiences an inability to tell the emotional significance of an event or action. When this part of the brain is removed or gets damaged, it sends the individual to a position of indifference. They become antisocial and inactive, not being moved by just anything that is happening around them. They lose the meaning of this and therefore have no emotional attachments to them.
The amygdala also acts as a neural tripwire and emotional sentiment. Neural tripwire means that it directs the actions of the brain, given the specific impulses that it receives from the neocortex (Goleman, pp21). It determines the nature of the received message and gives the response to which the individual reacts to. For example, if it receives an impulse suggesting danger in the environment, it triggers the brain to prepare the body to either stampede or fight for defense. Emotional sentinel means that the amygdala can acts directly without any messages from the cortex and the neocortex.
Another significant part of the brain is the hippocampus. It is responsible for memory, most notably in the sense of perceptual patterns. It is the part accountable for merging a current event with some historical model that had been registered overtime. Often when some events occur, the impulses are sent directly to the amygdala, which draws us to a particular action. For example, at one point, everyone may have been triggered away from something, only to realize later that it was not what they thought. This is the work of the hippocampus, which gives a historical pattern of related reactions and triggers the very same move.
Like the intelligent quotient developed by some of the phycologists during the first world war in determining the level of smartness of an individual, so do emotional intelligence. These can be explained in the five domains that Gardener, one of the psychologists, explains to them. These domains include knowing one’s emotions, managing them, motivating oneself, identifying the feelings of others, and finally handling relationships. A suggestion by Goleman is that there is a slight correlation between intelligence quotient and emotional intelligence (Goleman, pp97). The too differed and may not necessarily be associated with people who have high intelligence quotient. There can be people whose intelligence quotient is high, but emotional intelligence is low. This introduces the next topic which touches on self-awareness.
Self-awareness is the quality of understanding of how one is emotionally and how they react to situations. Under these categories are three distinct people, the self-aware who know their moods and have ways of handling them. The engulfed are those who become swamped by their emotions and would find it difficult to control them. The accepting ones are those who are aware of their emotions and are willing to accept them with no intention of changing them (Goleman, pp42). They are well off with them since they believe that the emotions are under their control.
Emotional intelligence, on its core, unlike intelligence quotient, which is inborn, can be applied. Most of the actions that drive us, as discussed earlier, are under the influence of the environments that we are in. The mind records things from the daily activities and from what we get in society and, therefore, dictates our actions (Goleman, pp137). With this knowledge in emotional intelligence, people can master their minds and learn how to deals with things in the most appropriate way. This may include what we chose to believe and take from the environments. This is where the intelligence quotient can apply in that; we may choose what we deem would be best for the development of our emotional life in a way that would bring out the best of us.
The hope of the control for our minds is the window of opportunity. This lies mostly in the early ages of every child. Most of the human actions lie within the experiences they had in childhood. The opportunity lies in how the child is prepared while they are still young. Biology has it that a child is born with so many unnecessary neurons that the brain automatically eliminates with time, depending on how well they are used. The responsibility of the parent is to ensure that the children are given the right information for the mind for proper and helpful perspectives of the environment.
In conclusion, emotional intelligence is all a matter of brain development, which can be shaped and controlled by human actions. This is because it all centers on the communications that are made to the brain. This, therefore, allows the human to engineer how they live their emotional life through the sifting of information that gets into their system. The environment surrounding one also would dictate the emotional intelligence of an individual, showing that we can still control it through the places that we stay in or the societies that we choose to live in.
Work Cited
Goleman Danie. “Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More than IQ.” Handbook of emotional intelligence 99.6 (2009): 1-243