Know Yourself: Your Emotional Intelligence Quotient and Behavior

He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.

—Lao Tzu

The term “emotional intelligence” first appeared in the mid-1960s.(1) In 1995, Goleman published his best-selling book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. Emotional intelligence (EI) and the emotional intelligence quotient (EIQ) are an array of personality traits, behaviors, and characteristics that drive relationship behaviors. Those who score high on the EIQ scale are more successful at work, have better job performance, and are, for the most part, more effective leaders.(2)

Despite the challenges in defining emotional intelligence, understanding the concepts and theories can be useful for physician leaders in managing professional behavior.

Mayer and Salovey(3) define emotional intelligence as “the ability to monitor one’s own and other people’s emotions, to discriminate between different emotions and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior.” The concept can further be broken down into four abilities: perceiving; using; understanding; and managing emotions.

Despite the challenges in defining emotional intelligence, understanding the concepts and theories can be useful for physician leaders in managing professional behavior. Disagreement about the definition of EI has led to the creation of different EI models: the Ability Model; the Mixed Model; and the Trait Model.

The Ability Model views emotions as sources of information that can be useful in helping one evaluate and navigate a complex social environment. Perceiving emotions is the ability to detect and decipher emotions in faces, body language, context, and situation. Using this information, we can respond accordingly to our environment within the context of our own emotional response. The result is an amalgam of emotional inputs, responses, and internal management and regulation.

The Mixed Model was introduced by Goleman in an article in the Harvard Business Review in 1998.(4) Goleman outlines five EI constructs(2):

1. Self-awareness—being aware of our own emotions, strengths, weaknesses, and their impact on others.

2. Self-regulation—controlling our disruptive emotions and adapting to our environment.

3. Social skill—managing our relationships with others.

4. Empathy—considering other people’s emotions.

5. Motivation—having an awareness of what motivates others.

Figure 1 provides a snapshot of the EI concepts and how they relate to each other within the context of the individual and the social environment.

Figure 1. Emotional intelligence concepts and how they relate to each other within the context of the individual and the social environment.

An underlying theme in EI is the capacity for empathy. Individuals who have the capacity to understand another individual’s emotional state and point of view are at a distinct advantage socially if they can use this information to positively influence behavior or outcomes.

Goleman argues that within each of these five constructs are emotional competencies that can be learned. In other words, EI is not an innate ability but a learned capability. However, individuals are, he contends, born with a general EI that determines their potential for learning emotional competencies.(4)

Importantly, there are validated tools to measure EI using the Ability Model. The Emotional Competence Inventory was created in 1999, and in 2007, the Emotional and Social Competence Inventory (ESCI) was developed. The ESCI provides a comprehensive report on an individual’s EI based on personal responses and other raters who participate in the evaluation. Rather than rely solely on self-reported answers, the results incorporate perspectives from managers, peers, customers, and anyone else who regularly interacts with the individual.

The Trait Model is unique, as this proposed model incorporates personality into the framework of EI. Trait EI is “a constellation of emotional self-perceptions located at the lower levels of personality.”(5) A main component of the Trait Model is the idea that EI is a personality trait, not necessarily subject to alteration. An advantage of this model is the appreciation of the impact of personality traits on EI and EIQ.

There is inherent value in knowing your own EIQ or being aware of the concepts of EIQ. This level of deeper awareness will make your leadership journey a lot more pleasant during difficult conversations. Specific behaviors will give you an edge. Active listening will help you better understand someone else’s perspective. Acknowledging their emotional response and feelings about a situation gives you power. These two behaviors combined with positive action and consistent follow-through create trust.

References

1. Beldoch M, Davitz J. The Communication of Emotional Meaning. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press; 1976.

2. Goleman D. Emotional Intelligence. New York: Random House; 1995.

3. Mayer JD, Salovey P. What is emotional intelligence? In: Salovey P, Sluyter D (eds). Emotional Development and Emotional Intelligence: Implications for Educators. New York: Basic Books;1997:3-31. .

4. Bayaz R, Goleman D, Rhee K. Clustering competence in emotional intelligence: insights from the Emotional Competence Inventory (ECI). In: Baor-On R, Parker J (eds). Handbook of Emotional Intelligence. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass; 2000:343-362.

5. Petrides KV, Furnham A, Mavroveli S. Trait emotional intelligence: moving forward in the field of EI. In: Matthews G, Zeidner M, Roberts RD (eds.) The Science of Emotional Intelligence: Knowns and Unknowns. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2007:288-304.