Applications of emotional intelligence to schools and workplace

Abstract

The first glimmer of what we now know as emotional intelligence (EI) seems to have come from the term "social intelligence," articulated by Thorndike (1920). Empathy along with active, reflective thinking as one anticipates events (Kelly, 1955) has long been the core value of effective communication. Understanding the perspective of the other-whether that be client, spouse, student or business associate-has been the backbone of healthy relationships. Add to this Gardner's (1983) theory of multiple intelligences, particularly interpersonal intelligence (empathy, social responsibility) and intrapersonal intelligence ("access to one's feeling life as a means of understanding and guiding one's behavior" p. 239) and you witness the birth of EI.