Emotional Intelligence and its Factors - Coursework Example

Emotional Intelligence Emotional intelligence is the ability of an individual to acknowledge his feelings and those of other people. One has to be able to interpret the emotions intelligently and label them appropriately in order to guide appropriate behavior. When a person understands emotions of other people properly, then they can sense either inspiration or frustration and react accordingly. Emotional intelligence also helps one to communicate with other in the workplace effectively and to work hand in hand with colleagues. A person who scores highly in emotional intelligence is likely to perform well in the workplace and relate to other people well. They have healthy relationships with others and can be regarded as leaders. They are said to be highly mature people with exemplary performance in all areas of their lives. Since they can take charge in stressful situations, people look up to them for guidance in the face of difficulty. Decision Making Decision-making involves making a choice among the available options regarding a particular problem. Nearly all areas of life require decision making at one point or another as people make choices in daily situations hence importance of developing the required skills to make sound decisions. There are various skills entailed in decision-making. There is reality testing that is the ability of the individual to see situations as they are rather than how one hopes for them to be. Reality testing calls for a person to be objective and look at the situation without having any bias or preference or influence from previous experience. Problem-solving is the ability to come up with solutions in the midst of emotions. Emotions determine the decision that an individual will make regarding a situation. Impulse control is the ability of an individual to think before they make a decision. It also involves resisting temptation and avoiding rash behavior. A person who has reality testing skills will always look at the situation from all the direction and coming up with solutions that will satisfy most of the needs of all those involved. In this sense, testing involves justifying, being able to support feelings, views of all the people involved and even beliefs. The most important issue at this point is to ensure that there is objectivity, adequate thinking, and ability to remain focused amid the chaos. There are four steps that one takes in order to have an efficient solution to a problem. One has to be aware of the problem and see it as it is rather than what they would hope for it to be. The second step after identifying the problem is to come up with all the solutions that can be applied to the particular problem[Ste131]. The individual can then evaluate all the alternatives citing their advantages and disadvantages. This is aimed at ensuring that the choice with the most benefits and least disadvantages is chosen. The final step is the implementation stage where the decision that was agreed upon is carried out. Impulse control involves a lot of self-control. People who have good or healthy impulse control have the ability to stop any destructive behavior like binge eating, random and unbudgeted shopping and even bursting out in a fit of anger. I have been struggling to control the anger I feel when people disrespect me and it takes a lot of impulse control to stop bursting in a fit of anger. People are faced with decisions every day on what to eat, where to go, which job to take and which school to take their children to. People who are not able to make decisive decisions are not held in high esteem and lose respect among their peers. However, a person who can make intelligent decisions whenever required is regarded highly since they can be depended upon in the face of adversity is said to have impeccable decision-making skills. Decision-making skills are important and should be worked on by everyone if they are to live in a problem-free society. General Well-Being General well-being is the ability of an individual to enjoy themselves and the company of other people. It entails the feelings of happiness and contentment with life regardless of the situation one is in. It is also the ability of an individual to enjoy the company of other people as they are genuinely. Whenever a person is happy and content, they tend to do things that are not only good for them but also for other people[Ste131]. They radiate cheerfulness and enthusiasm in everything that they do and inspire the people around them. They tend to enjoy the small things in life that they have and are grateful for opportunities they have regardless of how small it is. General well-being indicates that one is satisfied with what they are doing, the choices that they make, the friends they have and their position in life. However, not all people are happy due to various reasons. The primary reason for unhappiness or sadness in life is the disappointment after an expectation of something good fails. Unhappiness is also caused by the fear that something bad is almost happening. When someone focuses on something bad that they have not seen yet, then they do not enjoy the little things that they have at the present hence become unhappy. Unhappy people tend to look at the pessimistic side of life and fail to see the positive things that they have in their lives hence are always miserable. Uncertainty is a fact of life, and so one needs to be overcome them to have development. Wealth does not indicate that one is happy. Sometimes people are too busy with their work schedule that they forget to spend time with their families or friends. They become too obsessed with work that they do not have the time or energy to enjoy the money. Money and wealth may make life easier as one can access good education and good hospitals although it does not make one happy. When a person is happy, then they enjoy good health, healthy relationships with other people and are content in life[Ste131]. They are healthy because they avoid the common stressors in life hence are less likely to suffer from illnesses such as hypertension and cardiovascular problems. One is likely to be happy if they achieve a reasonable quality of life regardless of the situation that they are in. It also important that people have goals that are easily attainable to ensure that they stay encouraged all the time. If one makes goals that are difficult to reach then they are likely to end up frustrated and unhappy. I am happy with my life as it is even though I am yet to meet all the goals I had. Therefore, I could say that I have general well-being. I love the job that I do and have achieved high academic standards. Even though there is still so much to do, I am content with where I am at the moment. Interpersonal Relationships Interpersonal relationships are concerned with how an individual relates to other people and the nature of their relationships with other people. For instance, one needs to understand the other very well without imposing their wills upon the other individual. It is about accepting other people with their advantages and disadvantages without any judgment. People will respond positively to those who pay attention to them and are genuinely interested in them[Ste131]. A person must have empathy which means that the individual must have the ability to form positive and comfortable relationships with other people and appreciate other people based on a give and take. When an individual is talking of a depressing situation or something that they are feeling bad about, then the listener should be empathetic and try as much as they can to understand them. A person must also be a responsible member of the community and constructive in the society[Ste131]. In this way, they have some significant contributions that people remember them by and are grateful for regardless of whether it was a big or small contribution. A person must also have healthy interpersonal relationships with other people. For instance, they should never be dependent on other people for their emotional happiness. They should be willing to offer help when they are required to do and also have a strong support system. People appreciate attention and thus attention is an important element in developing interpersonal relationships. People will respond positively and only pay attention to those who pay attention to them without looking or acting like they are bored. The key to paying attention to people is to remove all the distractions such as mobile phones, looking them directly in the eyes and repeating what they have just said in other words. This way, the individual is likely to feel understood hence responds positively to the listener and likely to approach them in the future. It is important that a person remains positive. People are drawn to people who are positive as they inspire them and want to be associated with people who bring out the best in them. On the other hand, people avoid those who are over-critical as they can be draining hence discouraging to some point. By being appreciative, the person indicates the positive attributes of the individual making them feel important hence healthy relationships. It is important for a person to be able to communicate clearly with other people. This may need that the individual gives their points in a clear and precise manner. The point should be clear and easily understood by everyone, and this is done through the use of simple and proper language. One cannot live alone and needs the company and presence of other people to live healthy lives. I have been able to form healthy and understanding relationships with my colleagues. They feel that they can come to me whenever they have a problem or even when they just want to talk to someone. This clearly shows that I have good interpersonal skills since other people can relate well with me. Self-Perception Self-perception is how an individual sees themselves and how they perceive themselves to be. A person may believe that they work hard are honest. A person will present himself to the world as he sees himself. Self-perception is concerned with the inner self including feelings that a person has towards certain people or events, fears regarding their lives, wants, personal history whether they are good or bad, strengths and weaknesses[Ste131]. People who have high scores on the self-perception skills know and understand themselves. They know what works and what does not work for them and utilize the information to the maximum. They also feel positive about what they do in their lives regardless of what other people think of the decisions they have made in life. They can also express their feelings in a gentle manner without forcing their views on those with different ideas. Therefore, it is important that an individual builds on their self-perception skills continuously so that they can present the best that they have to the people around them. There are various benefits that arise from improving self-perception skills, they include self-confidence which means that when a person sees themselves in a positive light, then they are likely to develop their confidence and feel better about their lives. Improving self-perception improves productivity in life. When a person is confident of their abilities and in what they can do, then they become more productive in their professional and their personal lives[Ste131]. The ability to explore and understand what works enables one to understand those around them better and be less judgmental towards them. They know their strengths and work hard to improve on them. Academic improvement is noted with improvement in self-perception. There are various self-perception skills, and they include self-regard, emotional awareness and self-actualization. Self-regard is the ability of an individual to accept themselves as good and also have respect for their personalities. When a person accepts themselves, they can work on their weaknesses in order to become the best they can be. There is self-actualization that entails being the best that one can be. This is the ability of the person to reach their maximum potential and the ability to reach their peak. They do not have to be someone who is famous but rather just being the best in what they do. Emotional awareness enables individuals to acknowledge feelings without sugarcoating or putting already biased opinion about the issue. Self-perception is an important tool in emotional intelligence where the individual understands themselves and works best to reach their maximum potential. I have had to improve my self-perception skills in order to perform better in the office. The organization was making major changes and firing some employees meaning that the ones left would have more workload. Therefore, I had to improve my self-perception skills to ensure that I cope well with the situation. Self-Expression Self-expression is the ability of an individual to explain clearly their feelings in a non-aggressive manner. The expressions are displayed in a way that does not offend other people. Self-expression can either be done verbally or physically. The posture of an individual communicates a lot to those around them. For instance, hunched shoulders may indicate that one is sad or have very low self-esteem that they do not want to be seen by other people. A straight gait may mean that one is very confident in their abilities and can be trusted. Other actions such ass waving of hands may show various things depending on the circumstances[Ste131]. For instance, waving of hands may be another way of saying goodbye while nodding of heads may indicate agreeing with one's opinion or point. People shake hands as a form of greeting, and a firm handshake shows confidence. Emotions and thoughts can also be communicated through the tone of one's voice. For instance, a high pitched sound may mean that one is nervous while a calm voice may indicate that one is confident and understands what they are communicating to the other party. A shrill voice may indicate immaturity while a sure tone may indicate maturity in an individual. There are various self-expression skills that one needs to learn so that they can express themselves openly. For instance, one has to learn emotional expression which means that they must be able to interpret emotions clearly. They must be able to explain their feelings, but also of other people. When one can interpret the feelings of other people appropriately, then they can respond appropriately as well as they understand the other person better. It is also important that an individual learns how to be independent on themselves without relying on other people too much. However, this does not mean that they have to ignore the feelings of other people but rather they should not depend on other people to make decisions for them or to come to their aid anytime that they experience problems. One also has to be assertive. This means that they should be able to resist people who are more aggressive than they are and standing up to be heard[Ste131]. Assertiveness entails that one is aggressive enough to be heard and have their rights respected without hurting he feelings of other people or imposing their wills on them. In a world where communication is key in presenting job ideas and even just communicating with one another, it is important that one has self-expression skills. Self-expression skills will enable one to be heard and pass on ideas that they have to other people effectively. I have had to deal with more aggressive colleagues regarding decisions at the workplace. I had to say no when the supervisor kept giving wrong suggestions regarding a project I was in charge of. It took a lot of assertiveness to explain to him that I needed to do what was right according to me. Therefore, the ability to explain one's feelings, emotions, and ideas in a logical and precise manner is essential. Stress Management Stress management is the ability of an individual to work under pressure and still be able to produce the same results as they were in the absence of the pressure. A person has to be able to maintain their calm and focus in the presence of the stressor and come up with a workable solution to the problem presented in a logical manner. Additionally, the person has to be able to change the course of action when required to meet tight targets[Ste131]. They need to maintain a high spirit even when they are presented with conflicting emotions and ideas without caving into the pressure. A student also needs to learn how to manage their stress especially during the exam period so that they do not fail in their tests. There are various skills that one needs to have in order to manage their stress effectively. Flexibility implies that situations change hence one needs to be ready at all times to adjust to the change. A rigid person would not be able to adapt to conditions adequately as they are required. A person also needs to learn how to tolerate stress when it presents itself. Ability to maintain the same standards even in the presence of stressors is crucial. Therefore, a positive attitude is required and calmness even during frustrating times. Some of the indicators of stress include loss of appetite, anti-social behavior such as alcohol and drug abuse. A person is said to be optimistic when they see a positive outcome even when it is not so clear, and the negative outcome is more likely. A person develops stress management skills through avoiding the situation, adapting to the stressor, altering the stressful situations and accepting the situation as it is. By avoiding the stressor, the person avoids the things and the people who bring about the stress and take control of the situations. Adjusting to the stressor means that they change their standards and their thought process in order to have a bright side to the stressor. Altering the stress involves changing the stressor through the actors that one can control such as compromise. Accepting the stressor may require that an individual talks with someone such as a counselor who can see the situation more objectively. People face a lot of stress in the day to day life, and it is important that a person learns to cope with them. A person who is unable to deal with stressful situations is likely to suffer from hypertension and other cardiovascular problems. If one is unable to manage the stress in their lives, they become very irritable and dysfunctional in the society. They become easily depressed and can barely function with other members of the community[Ste131]. I had to employ stress management skills when the company was firing some of the staff meaning an increased workload. The work was a lot and had very tight deadlines hence the need to find a good way to deal with the extra work load. The outcomes of poor management of stress are expensive hence the need for stress management skills. Conclusion The workplace requires a person with high self-perception skills so that they can perform to the utmost potential hence reaping results for the company. Sometimes employees need to make decisions on various issues hence there is the need for them to have decision-making skills that will enable them to make sound decisions whenever required and even in a stressful situation. They need to understand the process of decision-making skills so that the decisions are well-thought out and useful. Interpersonal relationships will enable employees to work together in harmony as they understand each other better hence they work together to make profits for the organization. Stress management is a crucial skill as the people are bound to experience problems from time to time in the workplace. This would enable them to work efficiently all the time regardless of any stressors. If the employees are confident about their lives and feel good about what they do, then this translates to the work that they do hence profits for the company. References Ste131: , (Stein & Book, 2013), Read More