2. (b) What are the main components of emotional intelligence (EI)? Can they be learned? Discuss. (UPSC IAS Mains 2020 General Studies Paper – 4)
Emotional Intelligence (EI) refers to the capability of a person to recognize, understand and manage own emotions, as well as to understand, manage and influence emotions of others. It is not always virtuous and can be used as a tool for positive and negative ends.
It is said to have five main elements which help in the following ways:
- Self-awareness: A self-aware person is in better position to understand the emotions of others.
- Self-regulation: It makes a person think before speaking/doing. It has many positive aspects including that of self assessment and holding himself accountable for his actions.
- Motivation: It helps in achieving goals. A motivated person leads by example and is in a better position to influence others.
- Empathy: It helps in understanding a situation by putting oneself in the position of others. Those who can empathize with others earn respect.
- Social skills: It helps in communicating your point of view and builds rapport with others. It makes the relationship more comfortable.
There is an “ability” model by Salovey and Mayer, Goleman’s “performance-based” model, the BarOn model of emotional-social intelligence (ESI), which have different components of EI, however these components mainly involve how we perceive emotions, raise awareness of emotions, recognise, regulate and release emotions judiciously and empathetically, that is to say the four main components of EI are self-awareness, self-regulation, social awareness, and social skills. One can always learn how to better conscious knowledge of one’s own character and feelings, regulate oneself without intervention from external entities, understand other people and take them along and develop skills required for successful social interaction. Emotions can be studied, experienced and taught, hence they are developable assets.
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