Theory of social intelligence according to Daniel Goleman

There are people with a gift for being liked and leaving a positive mark wherever they go. Others, however, are like cacti, they prick every time they have a conversation and even their mere presence is threatening. Why are human beings so diverse in the field of relationships? Why are there so many suitable and so problematic ones in this area?

Our ability to create healthy and efficient relationships depends on educational, social and even personality factors. What no one can deny is that it is a relevant competition that mediates any area of ​​life. Knowing how to interact with whoever is in front of us will make it easier to have satisfactory relationships at work, love, friendships, etc.

This is a topic that has always attracted the attention of psychology. So much so that Psychologist Edward Thorndike was the first to coin the term “social intelligence” in 1920.. Later, Howard Gardner would do it with his controversial theory of multiple intelligences. Finally, and already in 2006, it was Daniel Goleman who gave us a new and interesting perspective.

Let’s see what it consists of.

Our ability to successfully navigate social relationships requires mastering a number of dimensions such as awareness and social ease.

Social intelligence: what does it consist of?

Although there is still no unanimity when it comes to defining social intelligence, we can understand it as the ability to navigate with efficiency, well-being and satisfaction through the complex ocean of human relationships. These include the family area, the emotional area, the work area and any scenario in which we find ourselves in the situation of having to interact with other people.

It should be noted that this concept, this idea, should not be seen as a variable isolated from general intelligence itself.. It is one more variable, it is that ability that facilitates our adaptation in any environment and that directly mediates our satisfaction and well-being. Likewise, it is a concept that attracts great interest from the scientific community due to its significance.

The Universities of Texas and Tromsø, in Norway, published a study in which they present an interesting scale to measure social intelligence. With it we can evaluate a person to understand if they are competent when it comes to understanding social situations, if they have adequate skills to handle them and if they demonstrate adequate social awareness.

Likewise, figures such as psychologist Martin Seligman highlight that this dimension, in reality, stands as a cognitive strength, a psychological umbrella that strengthens us as a community and that contributes to our own happiness.

Daniel Goleman’s theory

Daniel Goleman published the book in 2006 Social intelligence: the new science of human relationships. In this work he laid the foundations to understand this concept in a more solid and practical way. His theory of social intelligence constitutes a very useful tool for breaking down its components, in a way that favors training.

In its pages it reminds us that we are all programmed to connect with others from a neurobiological point of view. However, sometimes, for educational reasons, upbringing, personality or environmental factors, we do not develop this area as much as we should. The hopeful thing is knowing that we always have time to take that step, to push it a little further..

Let’s now understand those components that make up the theory of social intelligence.

Social conscience

Social consciousness traces that powerful ability when it comes to connecting with other realities.. Our brain is designed to empathize with people regardless of their culture, origin, circumstance or particular context. Reading the social indicators around us allows us to better navigate life’s journey.

This variable is configured thanks to a series of elements that build it and make it possible:

Social cognition: It is the ability to understand the functioning of all social experience.Primary empathy: being able to feel the emotions and feelings of others in oneself through non-verbal communication.Empathic precision: In this case, it is not enough to just feel what others experience, the most important thing is to understand, to know how to decipher the intentions of others.Tuning: In the theory of social intelligence, attunement constitutes our ability to be receptive and fully tune in with each other.

The social ease

Do you move with solvency through every social situation? Are you good at communicating with your co-workers and even with strangers? Are you skilled at reaching agreements with others? Do you handle disagreements with your partner well?

Social ease represents our fluidity and effectiveness in our relationships with other people. It is defined by the following characteristics:

Influence: be able to impact positively.Synchrony: be skilled at interacting with whoever is in front of us through non-verbal communication.Worry: Are you interested in the needs, emotions and thoughts of others? It is a key element within the theory of social intelligence.Self presentation: knowing how to reach out to others, introduce ourselves, show ourselves in a warm and close way always facilitates social connection.

Social intelligence must be established in childhood and adolescence.

Conclusion

In Daniel Goleman’s theory of social intelligence, the cornerstone is empathy. Without that psychobiological glue, human connection is not possible, it is not harmonious and we can lead to highly dysfunctional and selfish behaviors. Fortunately, many of us have this valuable tool capable of acting as a cog in every conversation and situation shared with others.

We are a social group forced to live on the same planet, in the same situations and challenges. If we were more competent in all those components detailed here, it is very possible that we would solve any problem better. Let’s not hesitate to improve this crucial area of ​​our well-being a little more.

You might be interested…