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Re-appraising Emotional Intelligence

By Peter Honey (September 2005 Issue)
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I once worked with an experienced publisher who told me that the best book titles are those that offer a promise. A splendid example is How to win Friends and Influence People. Who in their right minds wouldn’t want to win friends and influence people? No wonder the book has sold a reputed 15 million copies since it was first published in 1937. Of course, I’m not suggesting that a sexy title is all there is to producing a successful book. I’m sure the cover design and even the contents might also have something to do with it….

The idea that a title should hold out some siren-like promise might explain why ‘how to’ titles are so prevalent and popular – those two little words are definitely alluring to a self-confessed pragmatist. In effect, the author is saying ‘If you read my book, I will show you how to become better at doing something that will make your life simpler/more pleasant/more successful’. There is even a thriving publishing company called ‘How to Books’, boasting a catalogue packed full of titles such as How to Pass Exams Every Time, How to be Headhunted, How to Make Your Point in Just a Minute, and How to Get What You Want.

There are other titles where the ‘how to’ element, whilst not explicitly stated, is certainly heavily implied. In Search of Excellence translates into ‘Emulate these companies and you too can achieve excellence’, while The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People becomes ‘You only need to do these seven things to become successful’.

Another title I found seductive was Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. What attracted me to the book was the prospect of so-called ‘soft skills’ getting the recognition I believe they deserve.

I had three reasons for welcoming the ‘discovery’ of multiple intelligences and EI. Firstly, going back to my school days, I never excelled in the traditional academic subjects, but was good at other things such as amateur dramatics (i.e. showing off), painting, being a school prefect and generally being the life and soul of any party (showing off again). Even in my teens I felt convinced these talents were just as important as being clever academically – but I was not aware that anything existed to support my hunch.

 Secondly, once I became an occupational psychologist, I beavered away championing interpersonal skills and arguing that they were at least as important as analytical skills and intellectual brilliance. As early as 1971, with Neil Rackham and colleagues, I had produced a book on the subject, Developing Interactive Skills. (Don’t look for it; the book has been out of print for many years – no doubt because the title didn’t convey a strong enough promise. If only we had called it Emotional Intelligence).

Thirdly, in 1975 I discovered the work of Dr Albert Ellis and read A New Guide to Rational Living. This was my first contact with the ideas behind rational-emotive therapy (nowadays often referred to as CBT – cognitive behavioural therapy) and I enrolled on an intensive workshop where I trained as a therapist. After the workshop, I started to apply the lessons in my own life and use them as a coach, and was pleased with the results.

Basically, Ellis claims that we choose to have negative emotions that hinder our performance. He argues that it is our perceptions of situations, not the situations themselves that cause upset. This opens up the possibility of overhauling our unrealistic expectations of what ‘should’, ‘ought’ or ‘must’ happen, and replacing them with something more realistic.

I mention these so that you can appreciate why I was low-hanging fruit when the notion of multiple intelligences/emotional intelligence came along. One touch and I fell into the basket!

And now I have read a booklet by Professor Guy Claxton, An Intelligent Look at Emotional Intelligence.<spu>1</sup> The booklet is aimed at a target population of teachers, but I urge everyone to read it. Claxton poses many critical questions:

  • Is EI measurable? (There are some attempts – but validation is far from convincing.)
  • Is EI new? (No, not really. It is a rediscovery of what has gone before.)
  • Does EI really exist? (No, not really. It is a rather loose collection of concepts.)
  • Is EI the key to success? (Most claims are exaggerated.)
  • Is EI important for learning? (Hmm… the assumption that if you feel good, you learn good is a gross oversimplification.)
  • Is EI education realistic? (No, not really. Good intentions run ahead of anything solid and practical and we don’t yet know if it works.)
  • Is EI good for your health? (The assumption that happiness is simply the result of getting what you want is suspect.)
  • Is EI neutral? (No. It is value-laden.)
  • Is EI rich enough? (No, it tends to focus on a restricted emotional repertoire.)

So, if like me, you are rather pro-EI, this is a good, salutary read. As Guy Claxton says ‘It is part of emotional intelligence… to see that being critical is not the same thing as being unsympathetic’. Thank goodness for that!

Reference

1. Guy Claxton, An Intelligent look at Emotional Intelligence, written for the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, 7 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5RD, ISBN 1 902466 42 X

Dr Peter Honey, FRSA, FCIPD, FIMC is a Chartered Psychologist and founder of Peter Honey Publications. He can be contacted on +44 (0) 1628 633946, at peterhoney@peterhoney.com or visit www.peterhoney.com

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