Last Updated on November 26, 2022 by Editors Desk
You see someone’s personality and that tells you who they are as a person. But, what about their emotional intelligence? How much does it actually play a part in understanding one another? To answer these questions, let’s take a look at the theory of emotional intelligence as well as how it relates to the Theories of Personality.
What is emotional intelligence?
Emotional intelligence, also called emotional competency, is a set of abilities that determine success or failure in social contexts as well as in work settings. It’s a person’s ability to perceive emotions, understand them, use them, feel them, and communicate with others around these emotions. It’s the ability to recognize one’s own emotions and the ability to understand the emotions in others. It’s the ability to get along with other people and the ability to find solutions to problems with other people. It’s the ability to manage one’s emotions and the ability to manage one’s relationships with others.
Theories of personality and emotional intelligence
Personality theories predict human behavior based on the interplay of five broad dimensions: extraversion and introversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, and conscientiousness. Extraversion and Introversion The extrovert wants to be around people and is energized by being around other people. The introvert is more likely to be energized by being alone. Agreeableness Many people are seen as either agreeable or disagreeable, but there is no clear line between the two qualities. Often people who are high on agreeable are thought to be warm and sociable while those who are high on agreeable are perceived as being nice. On the other end of the same spectrum, disagreeable people are often perceived as aloof and standoffish.
Neuroticism People who are high on neuroticism are often seen as more sensitive, moody, and prone to anxiety. They also tend to react more to negative emotions. Those who are low on neuroticism are usually seen as more relaxed and less prone to anxiety. Conscientiousness People who are high on conscientiousness are often seen as organized and structured. They are usually responsible and goal-oriented. Those who are low on conscientiousness are often perceived as less structured and responsible while they are more likely to be impulsive and unorganized.
Theories of leadership
Leaders use their personality traits to motivate their followers. For example, Extraversion is associated with leadership because it’s seen as an energizer that helps boost motivation. Introverts are less likely to have the energy and drive to lead, but with some creativity and effort, they can be successful. Similarly, agreeableness is linked with leadership because it’s frequently viewed as the “glue” that helps people get along. People who are agreeable are likely to be more pleasant and helpful to others. They also care about being liked by others.
Theories of management
Theory U: Hierarchy: Leaders are seen as high in Extraversion and low in Conscientiousness while followers are more likely to be low in Extraversion and high in Conscientiousness. Theory N: Norms: People are more likely to follow leaders who are high in Agreeableness and low in Neuroticism. Theory C: Common fate: High Conscientiousness followers are more likely to believe that everyone has a common fate.
Theories of organizations and teamwork
Teamwork is the most important part of working in any organization or team. When leaders are high in Agreeableness and low in Neuroticism they are also high in Conscientiousness, which encourages teamwork. High Agreeableness leaders are also high in Extraversion and low in Neuroticism, which makes them more likely to be cooperative. When leaders are low in Extraversion, they are more likely to be high in Neuroticism. Low Neuroticism leaders are more likely to be high in Conscientiousness, which encourages people to work well together.
Summary
Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize emotions, understand them, use them, feel them, and communicate with others around these emotions. It’s the ability to recognize one’s own emotions and the ability to understand the emotions in others. It’s the ability to get along with other people and the ability to find solutions to problems with other people. It’s the ability to manage one’s emotions and the ability to manage one’s relationships with others. Leaders use their personality traits to motivate their followers. For example, Extraversion is associated with leadership because it’s seen as an energizer that helps boost motivation. Introverts are less likely to have the energy and drive to lead, but with some creativity and effort, they can be successful. Similarly, agreeableness is linked with leadership because it’s frequently viewed as the “glue” that helps people get along. People who are agreeable are likely to be more pleasant and helpful to others. They also care about being liked by others. Agreeableness: The “glue” that holds people together.
What are the characteristics of an emotionally intelligent person?
- Emotional awareness – The ability to recognize their own emotions and the emotions of others.
- Self-management – The ability to control one’s own emotions in order to be more productive.
- Relationship management – The ability to manage and resolve issues with others in a productive manner.
- Social awareness – The ability to recognize and understand the world around them.
- Contextual thinking – The ability to think in different contexts in order for them to be more successful.
- Future thinking – The ability to think in the future in order to plan for the future.
- Self-acceptance – The ability to accept and be comfortable with who they are.
How can the emotional intelligence of a person be tested?
- Emotional intelligence is often tested with the Emotional Quotient Test (EQ). The EQ is a 20-question test that measures four factors: self-awareness, self-management, relationship management, and social awareness.
- People can also be tested on their emotional intelligence with a personality inventory such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
How can emotional intelligence be improved?
People can be brought to an emotional awareness of themselves and the emotions of others. This can be achieved through therapy.
People can then use the feedback from their emotions to make better decisions, such as when to stop doing something and when to start doing something.
People can then use the feedback from others to make better decisions when working with others, such as when to accept blame or when to delegate work.
