What we will explore: What specific theories about the nature and meaning of emotions have emerged since the 1980s, and how have they differed?
What's new: Why is it unscientific to over- or under-emphasize emotions?
What we will learn: How can we restore the capacity to experience emotions?
1. The fundamental problem is that one cannot "reason with emotions." This is a contradiction in terms. Reason and emotion are two very different cognitive processes, and they serve very different psychological functions ... One cannot "reason with emotions"; one can only reason about it ... what they (EI proponents) mean is not another form or type of intelligence, but intelligence applied to a specific area of life: emotions (Locke E.A. 2005) [1].
2. The ability to think and emotions. The situation about spontaneous expression of emotions was further complicated because science did not pay attention to them until the late 1980s. Then, various theories about the nature and meaning of emotions appeared in psychology. One school of psychology downplayed the importance of emotions in human life, contrasting them with intellect. Another school of psychology, on the contrary, gave emotions an exaggerated importance. This school linked two very different cognitive processes – the ability to think and emotions – into one process [2, 3, 4, 5]. The authors of this school called their concept emotional intelligence.
3. The concept of emotional intelligence. In 1990, scientists Peter Salovey (Yale University) and John Mayer (University of New Hampshire) published an article "Emotional Intelligence", in which they first outlined their concept of EI (Emotional Intelligence). This concept became known to the general public after the publication of Daniel Goleman's book "Emotional Intelligence: Why It May Matter More Than IQ*". Despite the enormous popularity of the book, the concept of emotional intelligence (EI) has been fundamentally criticized by scientists [1, 5, 6].
* Intelligence quotient (IQ) is a quantitative assessment of a human's intelligence level (intellectual development quotient).
4. Criticism of the concept of emotional intelligence. The term EI is confusing and therefore its essence is unclear. As a result, an avalanche of articles appeared, claiming to be scientific, attributing to EI a whole range of abilities, significantly exceeding another common term IQ (intelligence quotient). According to the conclusions of psychology professor Edwin Locke *, it is difficult to determine what is not included in the concept of EI. Further, Professor Locke draws attention to the main contradiction between emotions and intelligence.
"The main problem here is that you can't "reason with emotions." This is a contradiction in terms. Reason [the ability to think, author's ed.] and emotion are two very different cognitive [cognitive, author's ed.] processes, and they perform very different psychological functions" (author's italics) (Locke E.A. 2005) [1].
In addition, Professor Locke points out the concept of emotional intelligence as not meeting the requirements of the scientific approach [1, 5, 6]. Consequently, the concept of emotional intelligence is a confusing term that attempts to reconcile the very different roles of the psychological processes of reasoning and emotion. While emotional intelligence has been given exaggerated importance by its proponents, Western society has a great deal of disdain for emotions, which they believe greatly impede the ability to think [4].
* Locke, Edwin A. (born May 15, 1938) is an American psychologist and a pioneer of goal-setting theory. He is the retired Dean's Professor of Motivation and Leadership at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park. He has also been affiliated with the Department of Psychology. Locke is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, the Academy of Management, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and the Society for Organizational Behavior.
YOU ARE READING
What's wrong with the diet? What is the role of self-love?
Non-FictionConsidering the impact of diet on physical, mental, and aesthetic well-being, the author sought to create a comprehensive picture of Dietetics - the art of living - through four books. However, as he wrote, it became clear that something important w...
