Can emotional intelligence shape a better career choice for your child?
The Oxford English Dictionary defines emotional intelligence as: ‘the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.’ Parents often take it as simply a more tolerant attitude towards other kids. But there’s more to EQ (Emotional Quotient) than just empathy. The emotionally intelligent child is also one who can label emotions accurately, regulate them and control reactions. Instead of throwing a book against the wall on not understanding a lesson, they will try to communicate the frustration and try to defuse or channelise the emotions.
How does higher emotional intelligence help at school?
The advantages of developing emotional intelligence in a structured way include these benefits:
- They have better problem-solving skills
- They are more open to accepting help in solving problems
- This makes them curious but confident, and eager to learn
- A higher level of empathy mean they rarely bully or are bullied
- They can control stray impulses, leading to model behaviour at school
- Therefore, they have better relations with teachers and peers
- And the happier they are, the better they perform
How does higher emotional intelligence help kids at life or work?
EQ is not just a step towards being calm and grades. Employers look for people who can get along well with teams and work towards a collective goal happily, not just mechanically perform routine tasks in an aloof way. Problem solving skills make life easier. Empathy, asking for help, expressing gratitude and a poised emotional approach makes for a better time with family and friends.
American psychologist Daniel Goleman, one of the first people to raise awareness of EQ, is the author of Emotional Intelligence, a groundbreaking book that came out in 1995. He estimated that, at best, IQ made up only 20% of the factors that determine success, while other forces, such as EQ, wealth, temperament, education and pure luck make up the remaining 80%. This means cognitive skills - verbal comprehension, memory, reasoning and processing data - will help academically, but they will only get a person an average life. To really reach up, IQ traits should be combined with social-emotional skills like motivation, perseverance, impulse control, coping mechanisms and the ability to delay over-satisfaction. It simply means that the more a leader manages these areas, the higher is their emotional intelligence. So get your child started on it now, it can be a great gift for their future.