Emotional Intelligence Daniel Goleman\'s Pop Psychology Classic

Emotional Intelligence

Daniel Goleman's pop psychology classic Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More Than IQ arrives at an ideal time: when school counselors, psychologists, and educators are realizing the limitations of current curricula, traditional approaches to education, and standardized testing. Goleman's book also criticizes the modern medical and psychiatric establishments for ignoring the relevance of revered human qualities like empathy. Modern American social institutions should, according to the author, value emotional intelligence as much as academic prowess. More than a philosophical treatise, however, Emotional Intelligence relies on cognitive, behavioral, and biological studies as a research backbone. Therefore, the book is well-documented and the author supports his main points with scholastic studies. School counselors can easily reap benefit from Goleman's ideas when working with students and can also adapt many of Goleman's suggestions in their personal practices.

A large portion of Emotional Intelligence is dedicated to scientific proof of the relevance of human emotions and feelings, as if the author felt he had to defend his writing the book. Indeed, modern Western culture devalues emotionality and overemphasizes the importance of academic achievement. As a result, people in a modern society may lack comprehensive social skills or emotional resilience. Social skills are as important as academic skills in public schools as in any social setting, but unfortunately the importance of social skills is downplayed in formal education.

Goleman also shows how social skills can enhance emotional health and vice-versa. Because most of Goleman's conclusions refer directly to the emotional lives of children and their social development, the book proves immensely relevant to educators and school counselors. By backing up his claims with peer-reviewed journal studies, the author adds credibility to what would otherwise be considered a "soft" approach to psychology.

When school counselors encounter students who, in spite of being highly intelligent, are performing poorly in schools, they try to address the student's needs through an investigation of early childhood experiences and parenting. Goleman's advice can sometimes seem painfully obvious to the professional counselor because the book basically appeals to common-sense. Emotional Intelligence is written for a general audience, though, not a scholastic one. In spite of this, backing up his statements with research on disparate issues like brain chemistry and behaviorism prove the author's integrity and the validity of his claims. Therefore, while most counselors already inquire about students' social and family lives as a matter of course, Goleman's book provides a scientific foundation for such approaches.

Furthermore, although emotional intelligence has become a widely-used term in psychology, some of the aspects of emotional intelligence Goleman discusses might not have been incorporated into mainstream counseling practices. For example, the importance of developing empathy and creative passion are sometimes neglected. Helping students to deal with uncomfortable feelings like anger can also be challenging because of the sensitivity of some of the underlying issues. Added to the school counselors' difficulty is that their job is not to serve as a student's primary psychologist; a partial or entire lack of parental cooperation may also hinder a school psychologist's work and thus, the progress of the student.

According to the author, the five main emotional characteristics of emotional intelligence include self-awareness, mood management, self-motivation, empathy, and managing relationships. School counselors can particularly benefit by a thorough investigation of these five aspects and how they can improve the lives of their clients. For example, counselors can encourage students to develop self-awareness when dealing with conflict in social situations or at home. Self-awareness can prevent misdirected emotions and can also lead to self-acceptance. Especially when counselors deal with adolescents, self-awareness can be a key to progress in counseling. Self-awareness is also a skill that can help older students hone their talents toward a rewarding future. School counselors can also apply Goleman's concept of self-motivation to their work in a similar capacity. The five key concepts of emotional intelligence demonstrate that the student can actively participate in his or her own growth, development, and healing: even those whose upbringings were or are far from ideal.