Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence
"Emotional Intelligence“ is a term coined by American psychology researchers Peter Salovey and John Meyer in 1990. This concept was further investigated in 1995 in the book titled “Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ” by science journalist Daniel Goleman, who also holds a PhD in psychology. Goleman later developed an Emotional-Social Intelligence model with 4 domans and 12 competencies as follows.
The Emotional-Social Intelligence is based on two foundational factors Internal (Self-Awareness, Self-Management) and External (Social Awareness, Relationship Management). The corresponding 12 competencies serve as a compass to guide an individual to develop for success in an organization environment. Hence, this model has been increasing popularity in Corporates for employee training.
Social Emotional Learning
Emotional Intelligence is considered a trainable ability and has been integrated into education as “Social and Emotional Learning” (SEL). In the US, all 50 states have adopted SEL competencies for preschools. For elementary through high schools, 27 states now have adopted SEL competencies compared to just four in 2015.
Our society’s increasing competition and comparison tendency, especially with the popularity of social networks, has put more pressure on youth. Bringing SEL to schools and families is essential to support our children.
Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence
While Emotional Intelligence model provides target framework to guide us in “WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE” to develop emotional and social skills, mindfulness provides the tool and answers the question of “HOW TO DO IT”:
- Mindfulness helps us cultivate awareness of self and others, hence we can better manage ourselves and build more meaningful relationships with others
- Mindfulness gives us space to recognize and consider options for response instead of reacting out of habit, therefore helping us make responsible decisions.
Source: Daniel Goleman, CASEL, Mindful Schools