Measuring somebody’s intelligence has always been a challenge. Psychologists have devised certain tests to quantify a person’s level of intelligence. The tests have proved to be of great benefit in identifying students in need of special attention in schools. However, their use has raised controversies.
In the past it was erroneously thought that the size and shape of a person’s head could be used as an objective measure of intelligence. The idea was put forward by Sir Francis Galton, an eminent English scientist. However, Galton’s theory was proved wrong by other scientists. Researchers have found little relationship between brain size and intelligence.
The real intelligence tests were developed by French psychologist Alfred Binet. On the basis of his tests, children were assigned a score relating to their mental age. However, it did not allow for adequate comparisons among people of different chronological ages. A solution to the problem came in the form of the Intelligence Quotient (IQ), a score that takes into account an individual’s mental and chronological age.
Concept of intelligence
Some psychologists have broadened the concept of intelligence beyond the intellectual realm to include emotions. Thus emotional intelligence is a set of skills that underlie the accurate assessment, evaluation, expression and regulation of emotions.
According to the celebrated psychologist Daniel Goleman, emotional intelligence underlies the ability to get along well with others. It provides us with an understanding of what other people are feeling and experiencing and permits us to respond appropriately to others’ needs. Emotional intelligence is the basis of empathy for others, self-awareness and social skills. The notion of emotional intelligence reminds us that there are many ways to demonstrate intelligent behaviour.
The traffic on Galle Road was heavy and the bus crawled at a snail speed. The passengers started fuming with anger, but they could not do anything about it. The conductor, a talkative guy, started commenting on the Lotus Tower and other important places of interest as if he was taking us on a tour. When we started listening to him our anger fizzled out.
When I reached the office I started reading the newspaper. A news item attracted my attention. A student who was keen on gaining admission to a medical college was pulled up by his class teacher for not doing his homework. He kept quiet and came to school on the following day and stabbed the teacher mercilessly.
If you take an IQ test, the student is sure to get a higher score than the bus conductor. Then how did a student with obvious intelligence act so irrationally? According to Daniel Goleman, high IQ does not necessarily predict who will succeed in life. He says IQ contributes only about 20 percent of the factors that determine other factors including what he calls “Emotional Intelligence.”
Gut feelings
Every person is born with some degree of intelligence. If they care to practise certain qualities, they will achieve emotional intelligence. If you are endowed with emotional intelligence, you will have the ability to recognize your feelings as they occur. If you know how to control your emotions, you will certainly navigate your life in the stormy sea.
When you develop self-awareness, you begin to get gut feelings. For instance, my granddaughter fears spiders, although most of them are harmless and useful. If you show her a spider, she will scream and begin to perspire. This she does with no conscious awareness of seeing a live spider. If you try hard, you too can become aware of your gut feelings. When you begin to analyse your gut feelings, you will realize that there is nothing to worry about. This is supposed to be a building block of emotional intelligence.
All of us get into good and bad moods. It happens naturally. As we have no control over them, we are swept away by emotions. We have nothing to worry about good moods but we have to do something about our bad moods. Psychologists have come up with certain strategies to control or escape from bad moods.
Of all the moods, anger is the most difficult emotion to deal with. When you are angry, you have no control over your faculties. You can even kill someone in anger. There are other minor irritants that will make you angry. You may have seen bus and three-wheel drivers shouting at other road users using unprintable words. If somebody tries to overtake your vehicle, you may get angry. This has become more or less a reflex action like driving. When you get angry, your pressure goes up and you want to teach the other a lesson.
Has anyone thought about a way to relieve anger? Most of us have not done so. We think that giving vent to our pent-up feelings is the best method of handling such a delicate situation. Psychologists have found that to be one of the worst strategies.
Outbursts of rage pump up the brain’s arousal system leaving you angrier, not less. When you get angry, consciously interpret the situation in a more positive light. When a driver cuts you off, tell yourself that he must be in a hurry because of some emergency. This is one of the ways to put anger to rest. You may not be able to do it at once but you can train yourself to think differently.
Relaxation techniques
Some people leave the scene to cool off their anger, but a driver cannot do so. The truth is that you cannot think clearly when you are angry. When you get angry, go for a walk or do some physical exercises.
A friend of mine goes for a long walk whenever he has a tiff with his wife. When he returns home, he brings some flowers or sweets for his wife. I am sure he has mastered the art of emotional intelligence. Today people have devised other ways to alleviate depression and anxiety. They practise relaxation techniques such as deep breathing and meditation. Even praying is supposed to be a good method of relieving anger.
Empathy, the capacity to know how other people feel, is important in the workplace, romance, friendship and family. The more adroit we are at discerning the feelings behind other people’s signals, the better we control the signals we send. Today there is no need to worry about IQ. It is emotional intelligence that separates the stars from the average performers. [email protected]
