Emotional Intelligence: Four Branches

The Four Branches of Emotional Intelligence

Salovey and Mayer proposed a model that identified four different factors of emotional intelligence: the perception of emotion, the ability reason using emotions, the ability to understand emotion and the ability to manage emotions.

1.  Perceiving Emotions: The first step in understanding emotions is to accurately perceive them. In many cases, this might involve understanding nonverbal signals such as body language and facial expressions. The abilities involved in are:

The ability to accurately identify and express feelings

The ability for self-awareness; to be aware of your own feelings as they are occurring.

The ability to become emotionally literate.

The ability to learn to identify and label specific feelings in yourself and others

The ability to clearly and directly communicate and discuss these emotions.

2.  Reasoning with Emotions: The next step involves using emotions to promote thinking and cognitive activity. Emotions help prioritize what we pay attention and react to; we respond emotionally to things that garner our attention. The abilities involved in are:

The ability to use your feelings constructively

The ability to let your feelings guide you to what is important to think about

The ability to use your feelings to help you decisions which are healthy for both you and the rest of the human race

3.  Understanding Emotions: The emotions that we perceive can carry a wide variety of meanings. If someone is expressing angry emotions, the observer must interpret the cause of their anger and what it might mean. For example, if your boss is acting angry, it might mean that he is dissatisfied with your work; or it could be because he got a speeding ticket on his way to work that morning or that he's been fighting with his wife. This includes the abilities to understand...

The purpose of emotions; understanding their survival value to the species

The relationships between emotions; how and why they can change from one feeling to another

The emotions which lead to the behavior in yourself and others

The relationship between thoughts and feelings

The causes of emotions and their relationship to our human psychological needs, especially our unmet emotional needs.

4.  Managing Emotions: The ability to manage emotions effectively is a key part of emotional intelligence. Regulating emotions, responding appropriately and responding to the emotions of others are all important aspect of emotional management. The abilities involved in are:

The ability to manage emotions for personal and social growth

The ability to take responsibility for one's own feelings and happiness

The ability to turn negative emotions into positive learning and growing opportunities

The ability to help others identify and benefit from their emotions.