Emotional competencies according to Daniel Goleman

Without a doubt, one of the theories that has most influenced modern psychology is Daniel Goleman’s emotional intelligence. This author argues that Intellectual ability is not at all the most important when it comes to predicting people’s success. On the contrary, our emotional competencies would have greater weight.

Since the concept of emotional intelligence has become part of our culture, today practically everyone has heard of this idea. But What does having emotional intelligence really mean? What does this capacity translate into?

What is emotional intelligence?

For Goleman, the ability to understand and work with feelings depends on different emotional competencies. To consider that a person has high emotional intelligence, must demonstrate good skills in all of these emotional competencies. For Goleman, talking about feelings was practically talking about emotions; The former were generators of the latter and, therefore, there was a mutual connection.

So, This concept of emotional intelligence is not based on a single ability, but on several, which feed back and influence each other. This idea is greatly influenced by Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. For both authors, A person’s mental faculties are much more complex than previously considered..

In the works of this author, intellectual capacity is not perceived as a single element; They are, on the contrary, Several factors that influence the level of intelligence of an individual.

Emotional competencies according to Goleman

Gardner already took into account a person’s emotional abilities to a certain extent. In his model, these abilities were represented by two types of intelligence: intrapersonal and interpersonal.

In Goleman’s theory, on the contrary, emotional competencies They form a separate category from all other types of intelligence. Thus, in his model, the most important skills when working with feelings are the following:

Self-awareness. It is the ability to understand one’s own emotions.Self-regulation. It is about the ability to manage and influence one’s own feelings.Motivation. Defined as the ability to push oneself to act to achieve one’s goals.Empathy. It is the ability to understand the emotions of other individuals, and take them into account when acting.Social skills. This is the set of capabilities that help us establish satisfactory relationships with other people.

Next, we will study what each of the previous competencies consists of.

1- Self-awareness

The first step to be able to work effectively with emotions is realize that they exist. At first, this may seem very simple, but the reality is that it is not that easy to develop this skill. How many times have you felt upset with someone without really understanding why? On how many occasions have you been overcome by a seemingly inexplicable sadness?

Self-awareness would then be the ability that would allow us to examine our own emotions and understand them in their entirety. This would help us find their origin and the message they want to convey to us, but also to name them and understand how they influence each situation.

One technique to develop this competence is mindfulness. Start by simply taking a little time to think about your emotional reactions. A few quiet moments at the end of the day are perfect for reflecting on what happened to you and how you felt.

2- Self-regulation

Once we have discovered what exactly we feel and why, we must be able to influence it. The second of the emotional competencies is precisely responsible for this: when we learn to self-regulate, we acquire the ability to change our feelings, voluntarily, to a certain extent.

Of course, this does not mean that you can achieve any state of mind just by wishing for it. On the contrary, Self-regulation will help us understand the steps we must take to feel differently. Putting this skill into practice is very useful, since it allows us to relatively avoid those emotions that sabotage us the most and encourage those that help us.

To develop this competence you can use attention, that awareness that arises when you pay attention to the present moment without judging. You can also use cognitive reappraisal. This technique involves changing thought patterns. Specifically, cognitive reappraisal involves reinterpreting a situation to change the emotional response to it.

In a study that examined the link between self-regulation strategies and emotional well-being, cognitive reappraisal was found to be associated with positive emotions, including feelings of enthusiasm, happiness, and satisfaction.

3- Motivation

The third of Goleman’s emotional competencies is the last one that has to do with one’s own feelings. It is closely related to self-regulation, but takes the ability to change our state one step further. From his perspective, if you learn to motivate yourself, You will be able to undertake valuable actions that benefit you, overcoming the laziness that some may give you.

In fact, some studies show us that The ability to motivate ourselves is one of the most important when it comes to achieving success. This, in addition to being a powerful rule, has the magnetic virtue of being applicable to many vital areas.

To motivate yourself try:

Define your goals and remember why you want to achieve them. Analyze if they are realistic and how you can achieve it by taking small steps. Divide big goals into smaller ones. Set a date for your short, medium and long-term goals and put them on your agenda. Prepare for action with some strategies that give us the energy necessary to get started: self-praise, rewards, prizes, visualize success…Take the first step.Self-evaluate how you are doing from time to time. This way, if you detect any problems you can adjust your strategies.

4- Empathy

Virtually everyone has heard of empathy. In its most basic form, it is the ability to understand other people’s feelings. However, as Goleman defined it, it is a more complex competition.

Thus, for this author, empathy allows us not only to understand the emotions of others, but take them into account when planning our own actions. Without it, we would not be aware of our impact on others and, therefore, it would be much easier for us to hurt people without realizing it.

Improve your empathy by practicing the following regularly. Over time, you will find that your ability to understand and relate to the emotions of others becomes stronger.

Talk to other people. Make sure to start conversations with people you know. As you engage in the conversation, pay special attention to what that person is feeling.Observe body language cues. This may include tone of voice and subtle changes in the way you express yourself.Focus on listening. Manage both distractions and your own feelings to easily stay emotionally in tune with the other person during the conversation. To take action. Recognize that you can do things, no matter how small, to make a difference in someone else’s life.

5- Social skills

The last of Goleman’s emotional competencies is rather a set of capabilities: it is about everything that allows us to relate to others effectively. Thus, it would involve aspects such as:

The ability to speak in public. The ability to connect with others. Overcoming the fear of talking to strangers.

One last note

It is important to mention that all these emotional competencies can be learned. Unlike intellectual ability, which is assumed to be innate, Emotional Intelligence skills can be developed through voluntary and personal effort.

Therefore, even if you consider that you do not have a very high level of emotional intelligence, there is no reason for you to despair: with the right job, you will be able to develop these skills that are so associated with success.

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