Emotion can be interpreted as a broad spectrum of noticeable behaviors, expressed feelings and transformations in the mind state and body of a person. While intelligence refers to one’s potential to gain and apply knowledge and skills. Emotional intelligence, also known as emotional quotient, refers to a kind of social intelligence that includes one’s ability to understand, manage and observe one’s own emotions along with the emotions of others and uses this intelligence to decide the course of actions. Emotional intelligence has primarily 5 main elements namely self awareness, self regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. In this article, we will be shedding light on these main elements of emotional intelligence. So, let’s get started!
- Self awareness
Self awareness is an individual’s ability to identify and understand one’s own emotions and is an indispensable component of emotional intelligence. Apart from this, self aware individuals are well aware of the impact of their actions, moods and emotions on other people. To become self aware, one needs to be able to monitor their emotions, identifying different emotional reactions of one’s own and others and correctly recognize each specific emotion. Furthermore, self awareness enables a person to understand the relationship between how they feel and how they behave. Also, self aware people are able to identify their strengths and weaknesses and are always open to new kinds of experiences and information.
- Self Regulation
Self regulation refers to one’s ability to control their impulses and express their emotions in a defined manner. A self regulated person has control over oneself before speaking, reacting and has ability to express themselves appropriately. Individuals who have mastered self regulation generally are flexible and adaptable with day to day changes. Furthermore, they are able to handle conflicts very well and manage tense situations. Furthermore, they are highly conscientious, thoughtful about their influence on others and hold themselves responsible for their actions.
- Motivation
Motivation is another very crucial element of emotional intelligence. Motivation refers to one’s interest in self improvement by learning. It’s the ability to keep moving forward irrespective of the obstacles one may face during the journey. An emotionally mature and motivated person likes to take initiatives for different tasks, is committed towards accomplishing them and shows perseverance at the time of difficulty. Motivated individuals are passionate to meet their goals and inner needs. From their achievements, they seek experiences and internal rewards.
- Empathy
Empathy is an essential element of emotional intelligence that refers to one’s ability to understand feelings of others. However, it is much more beyond just understanding someone’s emotions. In a major part, it involves one’s response to different emotional states of people. That is, one can treat the other with some extra care or make additional efforts to uplift their spirits. Empathy also helps one to understand the dynamics of different social relationships be it in personal life or in professional life. Empathetic individuals are not only well aware of their own feelings but also know how others feel even if they are different from them.
- Social Skills
Being capable of interacting with other people is yet another essential aspect of emotional intelligence. Socially skilled individuals hold strong communication skills, are good at time management, are often the best leaders capable of managing a big team and have the ability to handle difficult situations through persuasion or negotiation. Individuals with strong social skills are able to fabricate meaningful relationships with other people and build a profound understanding of themselves as well as others.
