Emotional intelligence is a capacity that allows us to connect with our own emotions and to know how to identify those of others. If you want to know more about the concept of emotional intelligence, you may be interested in What is emotional intelligence?
Various types of emotional intelligence have been catalogued , and different psychologists have contributed their vision to understand a little more about this topic. Broadly speaking, what they propose is that there are two types of ways of understanding emotions from the (personal) perspective that refers to oneself or (interpersonal) if it is linked to other people.
Emotional intelligence is related to stress management, adaptive skills and the ability to adopt a positive mood.
Likewise, this ability can be enhanced, just like any other, so that it can serve us in our daily lives and improve our relationships with ourselves and with others.
In this article we will see the different types of Emotional Intelligence and their characteristics.
Brief definition of emotional intelligence
Intelligence was previously related to the academic field, but later this concept was expanded to include emotional intelligence, with a series of other characteristics that are also important for people's lives.
This was first described by Peter Salovey and John Mayer , but was further developed by psychologist Daniel Goleman . You can read our posts on Emotional Intelligence Daniel Goleman .
This type of intelligence is defined as the ability to identify and understand one's own emotions and those of others. It allows us to distinguish different emotions, in order to manage them appropriately.
Emotional intelligence definitely helps us adapt better, it gives us tools to know how to manage our emotions, identify how the people around us feel and how we feel. In this way, it makes it easier for us to live together, we do it in harmony and we adapt to different situations in the best way possible.
Types of Emotional Intelligence
As we mentioned previously, several authors have dedicated themselves to the study of Emotional Intelligence, therefore, we can find that several Types of Emotional Intelligence have been known and described .
Here we will mention the Types of Emotional Intelligence that different authors refer to.
Types of Emotional Intelligence according to D. Goleman
We have already said that Goleman is the most recognized author in the study of Emotional Intelligence. This psychologist divides Emotional Intelligence into two types:
1. Personal Intelligence
Personal intelligence is the ability we have to understand our own emotions, to be aware of what we feel, and thus be able to have control over our own state and manage to improve it.
In turn, this type of emotional intelligence is related to three other elements:
Self-awareness is the ability to be aware of oneself, to have an idea of how we are, and what we are feeling.
Self-regulation is the ability to manage feelings and emotions so as not to be influenced solely by them.
Self-motivation is the ability to stay focused on objectives, without losing the strength to move forward and wanting to achieve goals.
2. Interpersonal intelligence
In this case, interpersonal intelligence refers to how people understand others and how we relate to them. Two types of factors are essential for this type of intelligence to take place: empathy, as we said, is the ability to understand the emotions of others and make them our own, putting ourselves in their place; and social skills, which allow us to relate to other people appropriately, from respect for ourselves and others, being assertive.
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Variants of emotional intelligence
Emotional Intelligence according to Reuven Bar-On:
Another notable author in the field of Emotional Psychology is Reuven Bar-On. This psychologist presents Emotional Intelligence as the ability to understand ourselves, to relate correctly with others and to be able to adapt to different events, to overcome adversities. He also distinguishes 5 types of Emotional Intelligence.
✅ Intrapersonal skills
Intrapersonal skills are the ability to regulate and manage our own emotions. The way we identify our emotions, understand them, regulate them and express them. Thus, this type of intelligence, proposed by Bar-On, can be related to the personality defined by Goleman.
✅ Interpersonal skills
Interpersonal skills allow us to relate appropriately with others, to express ourselves correctly, being assertive and understanding how they feel. It is therefore linked to interpersonal intelligence proposed by Goleman.
✅ Stress management
Stress, understood as a reaction that generates tension in us, keeping us physically active, produces great discomfort in those who suffer from it. For this reason, it is important to learn to regulate and control it. As we have already pointed out, emotional self-regulation is very important to maintain a good emotional state. Thus, we could define this type of Emotional Intelligence as that which allows us to regulate and manage our level of stress, very useful, for example, in the workplace.
✅ Adaptation skills
Another type of Emotional Intelligence according to Bar-On is related to the ability to adapt to different situations that occur in our lives. One of the key skills to be able to adapt is flexibility, being able to act differently depending on the situation. As we have already seen, Emotional Intelligence allows us to be aware of our emotions and those of others and thus act accordingly, adapting.
✅ Positive mood
A positive mood is related to greater emotional stability and maintenance when compared to emotions. This state allows us to act better and show a greater willingness to carry out different activities. It is also related to a type of emotional intelligence.
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How to train and enhance emotional intelligence
Although there are people who show greater Emotional Intelligence than others, this ability can be trained and enhanced. There are some activities that we can do in our daily lives that can be useful to us.
1. Write down the positive things that have happened to you
Sometimes we are not aware of the good things that happen to us, because we focus only on our suspicions. To more easily recognize positive events, it can help us to spend a few minutes each day writing down the good things that have happened to us.
2. Perform active and empathetic listening
When we talk to someone, it is not enough to just listen to what they say; we need to listen and do so actively, which means going beyond what they are telling us, trying to understand the emotions and thoughts behind their speech.
3. Express the positive things
In today's society, it is easier for us to express what we don't like about someone than to say what we do like. It is also important to communicate what we like about the other person, in this way we promote a better relationship and a better state of the other person and ourselves.
4. Take time for yourself
An important element of Emotional Intelligence is self-awareness, knowing oneself. To achieve this goal, it is essential that we dedicate time to ourselves in order to get to know ourselves. It is essential to know how we feel and to be able to reflect on why we feel that way.
5. Stay motivated
Motivation is also necessary for the development of Emotional Intelligence. Set goals and objectives that you want to achieve in order to stay active. It is advisable to set both long-term and more attainable short-term objectives.
Courses that may interest you
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