Revisiting Emotional Intelligence

In his groundbreaking mainstream release Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman seeks to define and explain the mechanisms behind the human emotional being, all the while arguing that our traditional understandings of intelligence are misguided. IQ, he explains, lacks the ability to truly define intellect outside of purely technical skills and academia. Emotional intelligence (EI) becomes the accepted term by which we describe the understandings and skills necessary to be both personally and professionally successful.

The opening chapters rely on an academic yet conversational look at the biological forces at work behind the emotions human beings experience. Goleman is arguably most effective when tackling EI from this psychiatric standpoint, clarifying the subconscious drives that move us to action and the brain functions that cause the wide array of emotions that are only intermittently clear to most individuals as they experience them.

Topics that seem to particularly interest Goleman are the now-commonplace theories of metacognition, flooding, emotional hijacking, and impulse control. Readers may puzzle at why Goleman would choose to go on at such length about these topics, but it is important to keep in mind that the book was first published in 1995, before the boom in home internet use, self-help books, and explorative talk shows. First edition readers were likely to be processing much of this information for the first time, while much of it would be available to Millennial readers through a simple Google search.

Goleman's main objective seems to be the facilitation of metacognition in his readers. Metaphorically, he wants to allow readers a look into their own minds so that they can better understand and control their emotional being. This becomes increasingly clear as the book shifts tonally to a more self-help oriented style in the later chapters. Goleman puts in his two cents on everything from workplace ethics to marriage to schoolyard bullying. The selection of topics seems at times random, and one might wonder if Goleman is in fact publicly processing the ups and downs of his own life on a subconscious level.

Stylistically the book sits somewhat uncomfortably for both the scholarly reader and the average bookworm. Goleman seems to prefer opening his segments with anecdotes. While accessible at first, this method becomes increasingly cumbersome as readers attempt to filter for relevant information. By the same token, those unfamiliar with the psychological and physiological concepts and theories prevalent in this book may find themselves struggling to understand what Goleman is discussing. Discursively, it's difficult to determine the intended audience for this book, as it is likely too theoretically complex for the reader unfamiliar with the concepts, but flat-out boring for those already familiar.

Again, it becomes important to contextualize the work, as this information was, at the time of publication, relatively new science, first taking shape in professional circles during the mid-1980's. That being the case, it is unlikely a mid-90's reader would have found the work dull or uninteresting at all, given the previous unavailability of the information. And to particularly savvy readers wishing to gain a cursory knowledge of the subject, Emotional Intelligence would probably still prove quite useful.

There are those, however, who would disagree on a basic level with the very concept of emotional intelligence. Theorist Edwin Locke (2005) asks pointedly: "What is the common or integrating element in a concept that includes:introspection about emotions, emotional expression, non-verbal communication with others, empathy, self-regulation, planning, creative thinking and the direction of attention?" His answer to the question: "There is none." Granted, EI is arguably a muddled catch-all for a host of sometimes congruent and other times discordant theories. One might argue that it is in fact the culmination of all theories related to emotional health, making the term itself more of a field reference than specific area of study. Case in point, a description of EI by John Mayer and Peter Salovey "Emotionally intelligent people are defined in part as those who regulate their emotions according to a logically consistent model of emotional functioning" (Mayer, para. 1).

Another noted issue of EI is a technical criticism of testing individuals for EI. While standardized tests of intelligence quota rely on information that cannot be feigned by the respondent, emotional intelligence is quite another matter. The issue becomes one of self-desirable response (SDR). Researchers note that "individuals high in EI know when, how, and where to engage in SDR in order to exact desirable outcomes" (Mesmer-Magnus 350). Such SDR-related manipulative behaviors could make measuring EI nearly impossible for those of higher intelligence, even if EI can be clearly defined.

Also confusing is the melding of cognitive and psychiatric theories in a way that both fields would most likely find objectionable. Oftentimes Goleman seemed to be advocating a whatever works sort of approach that doesn't particularly mesh well with a scientific rigor. At other times Goleman presented his understandings as indisputable fact when realistically he was drawing highly specific conclusions from studies with which he found favor. While his advocation of certain theories over others is acceptable, his non-acknowledgment of the opposition would be misleading to mainstream readers who may be unfamiliar with the debates around psychological causation in terms of emotional response.

Possibly the most troubling aspect of the book is its nonchalant acceptance of inhumane animal testing. Goleman would narrate barbaric tests as though the beings he was speaking about were not in fact alive. The complete refusal to refute the methodology used by these researchers is ethical cowardice, given the books supposed focus on empathy. For this purpose, recommending the book to anyone becomes difficult as it reinscribes an outdated ethical framework with a narrow human focus, ignoring any altruistic notion of respect for sentiency, another oddity given the time dedicated in Emotional Intelligence to altruism.

Moving on from the scientific aspect of the book, one could argue that in the end its intent is more properly ascribed to self-help than anything else. As noted previously, the book takes on a dizzying number of topics: psychopathy, marriage/divorce, child development, family ties, workplace harmony, etc. While the selection seems disjointed, the actual handling of the various topics is usually a step above the average self-help book.

For example, in the chapter on "Managing with Heart," Goleman outlines the methodology behind an artful workplace critique with suggestions such as being specific, present, and sensitive, along with offering a workable solution for the problem (Goleman 153-154). However, Goleman doesn't stop at the suggestion, rather he explains point-by-point the reasoning for each suggestion, creating a more malleable approach to emotionally complex situations that doesn't end up feeling like another five-step program.

Similarly, the section on child development should be divorced from this book and distributed to frustrated parents nationwide (Goleman 190-99). In this chapter, possibly the most relevant in the book, Goleman explains the emotional complexities of children which arise and infanthood and shape them as individuals well into their adult lives. From the way parents interact to children's attention grabbing antics to effective structuring and negative reinforcement, Goleman lays down the groundwork for raising emotionally healthy and stable children.

Seeming more out-of-place than informative are the unpleasant forays into the mind of serial killers, pedophiles, and the like, leaving readers to wonder how understanding the anti-social tendencies of the sociopath or the twisted thought process of the pedophile would be relevant to readers. The subject matter just doesn't seem to fit alongside tips for avoiding arguments and calming exercises although it would be perfectly placed in a book targeting those in abnormal psychology or criminal justice.

This discordance of subject matter is probably why the book seemed difficult to access for this reader. While the opening thesis was clear, the following chapters seemed to veer further and further from a basic understanding of emotional intelligence to a handbook on handling various crisis situations. Some readers may be completely satisfied with such a book, after all, who doesn't want a bit of assistance avoiding the pitfalls of life? But I for one was left wanting more, a stronger understanding of the scientific and psychological structure of emotional intelligence, not a rehash of common knowledge in a higher discourse.

To be fair, the book did often transcend the mainstream common knowledge to some extent, and often took time to explain these processes at a slightly higher level than other similar works. However, it's unclear as to how much this really matters when the intent of the book is not to spread common-knowledge, rather redefine what it means to be intelligent, specifically juxtaposed to IQ.

Even if the entire premise of Emotional Intelligence is accurate on a practical level, the argument that intelligence needs to be redefined seems better left to linguists than Daniel Goleman. What at first seems revolutionary descends into something resembling a marketing ploy, as the advice given, while helpful, has little to do with the renegotiation of intelligence.

Reviewer Kevin Langdon puts it best: "The cover of Emotional Intelligence proclaims it to be 'the groundbreaking book that redefines what it means to be smart'-and Goleman does, indeed, attempt such a redefinition. For the critical reader, the question is: to what extent does he succeed? (Langdon, par. 10)" In the opinion of this reader, he doesn't. Maybe it isn't intelligence that needs redefining, rather our understanding of the human condition that needs revision. And to this end, the book doesn't fail anywhere near as terribly.

References-

Goleman, D. (1995, 2005) Emotional Intelligence. Bantom Dell. New York.

Locke, E.A. (2005). "Why emotional intelligence is an invalid concept." Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26, 425-431.

Mesmer-Magnus, J. Viswesvaran, C., Deshpande, S., Joseph, J. "Social desirability: the role of over-claiming, self-esteem, and emotional intelligence." Psychology Science. Vol 48, 2006 (3).

Mayer, J.D. Salovey, P. (1995) "Emotional intelligence and the construction and regulation of feelings" Applied and Preventive Psychology. Volume 4, Issue 3, Summer 1995, Pages 197-208