Emotional Intelligence

In 1998- 1999 I served as UN Civpol in Brcko Bosnia.Kosovo mission was started in June 1999,many of civpol transfered to Kosovo to start the UNMIK police mission in the province.I also volunteered to join the kosovo mission,before departing to kosovo we had last shopping at American PX near Brcko. one of the book caught my attention at PX was titled "Emotional intelligence" by Daniel Goleman(first published in 1995),I never read or heard about this word before,I bought the book and it was in my luggage for about a year until I started to read few chapters of it during my second mission in Kosovo (2000-2002) and only after knowing that book has been sold in thousands in U.S and around the world.

what is EI:

motional Intelligence, also called EI and often measured as an Emotional Intelligence Quotient or EQ, describes an ability, capacity, or skill to perceive, assess, and manage the emotions of one's self, of others, and of groups.

Emotional intelligence, on the other hand, "is a type of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one's own and others' emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use the information to guide one's thinking and actions" (Mayer & Salovey, 1993: 433). According to Salovey & Mayer (1990), EI subsumes Gardner's inter- and intra personal intelligences, and involves abilities that may be categorized into five domains:

Self-awareness:
Observing yourself and recognizing a feeling as it happens.

Managing emotions:
Handling feelings so that they are appropriate; realizing what is behind a feeling; finding ways to handle fears and anxieties, anger, and sadness.

Motivating oneself:
Channeling emotions in the service of a goal; emotional self control; delaying gratification and stifling impulses.

Empathy:
Sensitivity to others' feelings and concerns and taking their perspective; appreciating the differences in how people feel about things.

Handling relationships:
Managing emotions in others; social competence and social skills.

Why is emotional intelligence important?

Researchers investigated dimensions of emotional intelligence (EI) by measuring related concepts, such as social skills, interpersonal competence, psychological maturity and emotional awareness, long before the term "emotional intelligence" came into use,since then there has been a lot written on the topic and this has earned importance in today's international multi-cultural workplaces.There are thousands of studies and tests available to read and measure own EQ.