“In a very real sense, we have two minds, One that thinks and one that feels” (Goleman, 1996, p.8) the quote above refers to the psychological theory known as Emotional Intelligence. Goleman (1996) defines Emotional Intelligence or EQ as the ability to understand and effectively control our emotions, to recognize the emotions of others and to be able to use this knowledge to influence a positive change in their performance. This ability is believed to be useful in helping us understand one another better, for this reason, its use is being implemented in various genres. One of the areas where EQ is gaining importance is in the workplace. More specifically, self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills are the five characteristics of EQ which are proven to be beneficial for personnel in the workforce.
Knowledge about Emotional Intelligence has existed for over seven decades, for instance, David Wechsler wrote in 1940 about ‘non-intellective’ elements when defining intelligence, referring to the personal, social and affective factors of intelligence. (Cherniss,2000) In the 1970s-80s many types of research were being conducted on emotions and intelligence, but it was in the year 1990 when the most influential article on EQ was published by Peter Salovey and John D.Mayer. Their theory was later expanded and popularized by Daniel Goleman. He concluded through his analysis of executives in 200 companies that those with higher EQ performed significantly better in driving performance than the rest, by putting their knowledge of the five factors of EQ in to use, they were able to motivate their employees and reach the companies desired goals while working as a team. (Harvard Business Review, 2015)
The first factor of EQ that upgrades workers performance is self-awareness, which means recognizing one's emotions and their impact on us as well as on others. Self- aware individuals are confident and honest in assessi...