You’ve probably been hearing a lot about Emotional Intelligence and wondering what it is. In this article we’ll talk about what Emotional Intelligence is, what it can do for you, and why it’s
best solution for your challenges. DEFINITION
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is about your ability to understand and manage your own feelings and those of others, and to use this information to guide you to relate better, plan more flexibly, make better decisions, think more creatively, prioritize, motivate yourself and others, and enjoy better health.
Daniel Goleman, author of “Emotional Intelligence,” defined it as “the wider range of qualities which enable people to excel – self-awareness, impulse control, persistence, empathy, etc.”
WHAT CAN IT DO FOR YOU?
Emotional Intelligence is based on a number of competencies you can learn. Four of them are CREATIVITY, INTENTIONALITY, RESILIENCE and AUTHENTICITY. Depending upon which system you study, there are around a dozen of these competencies.
WHY IT’S THE BEST SOLUTION: Occam’s Razor
The Principle of Parsimony originated with mediaeval philosophy. It means you shouldn’t make more assumptions than minimum needed.
The Principle of Parsimony became known as Occam’s Razor because William of Occam (or Ockham), an influential 14th century British philosopher and theologian used it so often. Here is his photo: http://wotug.kent.ac.uk/parallel/www/occam/occam.gif .
"Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate,” he wrote, or "plurality should not be posited without necessity,” which could be rephrased as “keep it simple.” It means we should use razor to keep shaving things off of theories and explanations until we get to essence. Choose simplest explanation that covers data; one that requires fewest leaps of logic. THE CHALLENGE
Now, say you don’t get along at office. You’re stuck working with someone you can’t stand. They’re always backbiting you and this has happened before. You’re not in loop. You aren’t included and you know it’s holding you back professionally. In a word you might say, “I don’t get along at work.”
Should you decide to consult a therapist, [s]he would begin looking for causes and generating hypotheses and they would be multiple (or plural). Hypotheses are reasons why something is happening. The therapist might want to know about your childhood and your physical health. Maybe your father beat you, or you’re in chronic pain from a back injury. Do you have an authority conflict? Where were you in birth order? Are you in a co-dependent relationship? Are you hostile? Passive-aggressive? Do you have bad breath or body odor? Do you hate men?
It’s possible to find an individual for whom all those “causes” would be true and if you’re thinking in that vein, most people would have multiple causes. If you are in chronic pain and were abused as a child, both could explain your not being able to get along with people, and neither one could be eliminated.
OCCAM’S RAZOR
Now let’s apply Occam’s Razor. What’s most parsimonious explanation for why you don’t get along? BECAUSE YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO.
·Why aren’t you CREATIVE? Because you don’t know how to be. ·Why aren’t you INTENTIONAL? Because you don’t know how to be. ·Why aren’t you RESILIENT? Because you don’t know how to be. ·Why aren’t you AUTHENTIC? Because you don’t know how to be.
