Emotional intelligence

1. EMOTIONAL
INTELLIGENCE

2. HISTORY OF EI
• 20th century- Thorndike
• Called social intelligence
– “the ability to understand and manage men and
women, boys and girls to act wisely in human
relations”
• Emotional intelligence emerged again 1983- Gardner
– Personal intelligence (interpersonal and
intrapersonal)- important as multiple intelligence

3. DEFINITIONS
• intelligent use of emotions to guide behavior and
thinking, thereby enhancing effectiveness and
outcomes in a given situation.
• encompasses the human skills of empathy, self-
awareness, motivation, self-control and adeptness
in relationships, all of which are recognized as
being central in effective clinical nursing practice.
(McCormack 1993, Taylor 1994).
• Ability to accurately identify and understand one’s
own emotional reactions and those of others

4. DEFINITIONS
• Mayer and Salovey (1997) defined as follows:
“Emotional intelligence involves the ability to
perceive accurately, appraise, and express
emotion; the ability to access and/or generate
feelings when they facilitate thought; the
ability to understand emotion and emotional
knowledge; and the ability to regulate
emotions to promote emotional and
intellectual growth” (p. 35).

5. RELEVANCE OF EI
Why is Emotional Intelligence relevant?
• Emotional ineptitude
• Desperation
• Recklessness
• Depression
• Violence all around e.g. on the road, schools
etc.

6. CORE SKILLS IN DEVELOPING
EI
• 1. Identifying your feelings and those of others
• 2. Using feelings to guide your own thinking and reasoning,
along with others
• 3. Understanding how feelings might change and develop as
events unfold
• 4. Managing to stay open to the data of feelings and integrate
this into decisions and actions

7. WHY COULD EI BE AN
IMPORTANT FACTOR IN
NURSING?

8. IT’S PURPOSE IN NURSING
• If nursing is considered to be a `significant,
therapeutic interpersonal process' (Peplau
1952 p. 16) then acknowledgement that
practitioners must be competent in dealing
with their own and others' emotions is
axiomatic.
• The importance of EI in the profession of
nursing involves studying how the level of EI
in nursing leaders impacts the level of job
satisfaction of their employees.

9. CLINICAL ADVANTAGE
• EI is fundamental to nursing practice to
enhance health, improve patient
outcomes, and reduce work stress and
nurse burnout (Akerjordet &
Severinsson 2008, 2009, Augusto Landa
et al. 2008).

10. CLINICAL ADVANTAGES
• Developing and maintaining professional
relationships with colleagues and the
multidisciplinary team.
• Emotionally intelligent nurses, by being aware
of their own emotions, are better able to
communicate and resolve any differences
with colleagues (Akerjordet & Severinsson
2008)
• Inspire, influence and develop the clinical
skills among student nurses and new

11. ADMINISTRATIVE
ADVANTAGES
For leadership
• Improve the relations with employees
• Increase optimism among workers
• Improve job performance and
productivity

12. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
COMPETENCIES
• Goleman (1998)
• 5 main elements
• Elements 1 to 3 = Personal Skills
• Elements 4 to 5 = Social Skills
5/31/2023 12

13. Emotional
Intelligence
Self
Awareness
Motivation
Social
Skills
Empathy
Self
Regulation
5/31/2023 13

14. COMPETENCIES OF EMOTIONAL
INTELLIGENCE
• Emotional intelligence determines one's capacity to develop the skills or competencies related to the main
elements listed:
1. Self-awareness (emotional awareness, the ability to
self-assess with accuracy, high self-esteem).
2. Self-regulation (the ability to control emotion and
impulse, flexibility in handling change, the ability to
innovate).
3. Motivation (the need to achieve, need to initiate,
optimism).
4. Empathy (understanding and developing others, a
willingness to meet others' needs, the ability to
`tune in' to the individual's/group's emotional
state).
5. Social skills (persuasiveness, conflict management,

16. IS EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
MORE IMPORTANT THAN IQ?
Block et. al (2012) ; Anderson & Lawber (2014) findings: The high IQ type
were skillful in the realm of the mind but incompetent in the personal
world.
• There were slight gender differences: the high IQ male was ambitious,
productive, predictable, tenacious, critical, condescending, fastidious,
inhibited, uneasy with sexuality, detached and emotionally cold.
• Females were intellectually confident, articulate, prone to anxiety and
guilt, and had difficulty in expressing anger (although they would do so
indirectly).
• By contrast, men who were high in emotional intelligence were socially
poised, outgoing and cheerful and not prone to worry. They had a
notable capacity for commitment to people or causes, for taking
responsibility, and for having an ethical outlook. They were caring and
sympathetic in their relationships.
• Emotionally intelligent women tended to be assertive, and expressed
their feelings directly. They adapted well to stress and their social poise
let them reach out to new people

17. EI AND NURSING STUDENTS
• El cannot be considered a general solution,
the literature suggests that it could impart
new ways of thinking and being for students
as it considers their emotional needs and how
these impact on their education and clinical
practice.
• How can we embed EI in nursing curriculum?

18. THEORETICAL APPROACHES
TO EI
2 approaches
• Ability EI (e.g. Mayer & Salovey 1997) conceives of EI as
an ability that must be assessed by maximum
performance tests. Tests of ability capture maximal
performance,
• Trait EI (e.g. Petrides & Furnham 2003) conceives of EI
as a constellation (grouping) of emotion-related
dispositions that must be assessed by self-report
questionnaires. Tests of self-report capture typical
performance.

19. CONCEPTUAL MODELS OF EI
Emotional intelligence emerged from decades of
intelligence research about the relationship
between thinking, feeling and performance
abilities which, before 1990, were not considered
to be related (Akerjordet & Severinsson 2004).
• 3 main models of emotional intelligence.
• The models differ three ways: the setting in which
the concept was developed (context of origin),
the definition of the concept utilized and the
instrumentation used for measurement.

20. FIRST MODEL- PERSONALITY
MODEL
• Developed by Dr. Reuven Bar-On
• Emerged in the community health setting.
• Defines the concept as a function of
personality attributes, and measures
emotional intelligence with a self-report
instrument.
• Often called the personality model of
emotional intelligence
• This model is often referred to as the
• Personality Trait Model of emotional
intelligence because of its primary emphasis

21. 2ND MODEL- ABILITY MODEL
• Emerged in the academic research setting (cognitive
psychology).
• It defines the concept as an ability, and measures
emotional intelligence with a skill performance
instrument.
• “Emotional intelligence” describe individuals who
demonstrate the ability to use emotions to facilitate
reasoning processes.
• Measured using the ‘MSCEIT’ (Mayer, Salovey, Caruso
Emotional Intelligence Test), an ability test which
requires the performance of emotional tasks.

22. 3RD MODEL-MIXED MODEL
• Developed by Goleman, is widely used by
organizational consultants.
• It defines the concept as a blend of traits and
abilities, and measures emotional intelligence using
the assessment of others.
• A ‘mixed’ model of emotional intelligence which
includes both emotional abilities and personality
traits.
• Measures emotional intelligence using the ‘ECI’, a
360-degree instrument which relies on assessments
of an individual done by their supervisor, their
employees and their peers.

23. ELEMENTS OF EMOTIONAL
INTELLIGENCE (PERSONALITY
MODEL)
Below is the list of EI attributes and their operational definition
• Self-regard - Respect for and accept of one’s self
• Emotional self-awareness - Recognition of one’s feelings and
what caused them
• Assertiveness - Expression and defense of feelings, beliefs and
thoughts and rights in a non-destructive way
• Independence- Self-direction and self-control, emotional
independence
• Self-actualization - Realization of potential capabilities
• Empathy- Awareness of, understanding and appreciation of the
feelings of others
• Social responsibility- Cooperation, constructive and

24. ELEMENTS OF EMOTIONAL
INTELLIGENCE (PERSONALITY
MODEL)
• Interpersonal relationships- Making and maintaining positive
relationships and a positive work environment
• Reality testing- Assessment of differences between what is being
experienced and what is objectively happening
• Flexibility- Adjustment to a changing situation
• Problem solving Identification of problems and possible solutions
• Stress tolerance- Adaptation and coping in the midst of stress
• Impulse control- Delaying or resisting an impulse
• Optimism- Looking at the bright side, maintaining a positive
attitude
• Happiness - Satisfaction with life, the ability to enjoy self and
others

25. FUTURE OF EI IN NURSING
• What is lacking in the literature is research on nursing teams,
and intervention studies that explore methodologies to improve
emotional intelligence abilities in nurses.
• How can EI abilities be improved in nurses?

26. QUESTIONS
• Is there a correlation between EI attributes and level of
professionalism?
• Is there a correlation between EI attributes and performance?
• Is there a correlation between EI attributes and nursing
intuition?

27. • Which EI attributes have the strongest correlation to the
concept of professionalism, performance, and nursing intuition?