Victoria Shimanskaya is a psychologist, a leading specialist in the field of research on emotional intelligence (EQ) in Russia, the author of the Monsiki methodology for developing the EQ of children, partner of the EQ-factor Laboratory, a leader of master classes and trainings on the subject of EQ - about the intellectual-emotional profile of a personality and its role in organizing and running a business.

Key Factors in Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is talked about a lot these days. The need to develop emotional intelligence has been repeatedly proven by scientists and various examples from life and business.

Obviously, a person with a higher level of emotional intelligence perceives reality more adequately and reacts to it and interacts with it much more effectively. This applies to almost all communications - both interpersonal and social; subjective and objective experiences; abstract and concrete concepts. Thus, emotional intelligence has become one of the new tools for business management, building effective communications and management.

The perception of information occurs through sensory systems. In this case, key areas of the brain act first, and then the reactions of the autonomic nervous, muscular and other systems take place. Interaction with information, with oneself and the outside world is built depending on the degree of development of the key drivers of emotional intelligence: awareness, self-esteem, motivation, adaptability.

Drivers actually contain basic personality traits, but they are not immutable and can evolve.

Each driver can be unlocked through four skills:

1. awareness through awareness of one's thoughts and emotions, one's body and behavior;
2. self-esteem through a positive perception of the world and determination, as well as through acceptance and assertiveness (a person’s ability not to depend on external influences and assessments, to independently regulate their own behavior and be responsible for it);
3. motivation through the desire for self-actualization and determination, as well as through open perception of the new, strong goal-setting and objective experience of failures;
4. adaptability through conscious empathy with another person - empathy, stress resistance, decision making and sociability.

Emotional quote

It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that emotional intelligence does not exist separately from the intellect. Over the past three decades, science has advanced significantly, studying the interaction of the emotional and intellectual spheres (IQ and EQ) in terms of brain activity, psychology and business.

“It is very important to understand that emotional intelligence is not the opposite of intelligence, it is not the triumph of the heart over the head - this is the only way for the intersection of both,” David R. Caruso, a psychologist, professor in the Department of Psychology at Yale University (USA), once said management and co-author of the concept of emotional intelligence.

Along with the well-known abbreviation IQ (Eng. Intelligence Quotient - intelligence quotient or intelligence quotient), there is the concept of emotional EQ ( English. Emotional Quotient), which was introduced by clinical physiologist Reuven Bar-On back in 1985. In 1996, at a meeting of the American Psychological Association in Toronto, he presented his EQ-i (Emotional Quotient Inventory) test, which contained a list of questions to determine the coefficient of emotional intelligence, from which the now famous Bar-On model of emotional intelligence was born.

Despite the fact that the interaction of IQ and EQ is recognized by many researchers, the first model that clearly showed the interaction of these two coefficients was developed by Russian scientists at the EQ-factor Emotional Intelligence Laboratory under the leadership of N. Koro and V. Shimanskaya.

Intellectual-emotional profile of the leader's personality

This model is an integral part of the intellectual-emotional profile of the IEPP personality. According to this model, emotional intelligence EQ is a kind of base of the personality pyramid in the coordinate system. The vectors of this system are EQ drivers and form different strategies of behavior in various spheres of life:

1. awareness - the "strategy of philosophers";
2. self-esteem - the "strategy of the stars";
3. motivation - "strategy of heroes";
4. adaptability - the "strategy of leaders".

When emotional intelligence connects with the IQ intelligence vector, the “strategy of creators” is formed - a strategy that is key in all areas of life, and even more so in business.

It is the “strategy of the creators” that makes it possible to realize the potential of a person to such an extent that in the end he reaches the highest level of self-realization. Therefore, the larger this pyramid has (due to the development of EQ drivers and IQ itself), the more opportunities a person will have to influence his own life, the lives of other people and the world as a whole.

In today's world, any leader and entrepreneur must be a creator - to create not just a product or service, but the best product, the best service, the best service and the best experience. And this is almost impossible without the ability to manage your emotions.

How to develop EQ?

As already noted in this article, the development of EQ occurs through the development of its main factors - drivers. Therefore, it is necessary first of all to develop them.

1. Exercise for the development of "mindfulness"

1. Close your ears and concentrate on the surroundings, try to see all the details. How the picture will become "brighter" and you will notice something that you did not pay attention to before.
2. Then close your eyes and concentrate on the sounds. In a normal situation, we subconsciously concentrate on a zone of no more than 1.5 meters around us. “Expanding” our hearing, we begin to notice the nuances of natural and mechanical.
3. Close your eyes and ears together. Feel how your body interacts with the world around you - for example, the touch of wind or grass on it, if you are ready to take off your shoes.

It is enough to do this exercise once a week so that the ability to recognize the voice intonations of interlocutors, the nuances of facial expressions become much higher. This will allow you to more accurately determine the explicit and hidden messages of the interlocutors and, most importantly, your own reaction to certain processes, as well as understand how your body reacts to information, how it experiences emotions.

2. For the development of “adaptability”, a simple training on “emotion cards” is suitable

You depict anger, joy, sadness or interest - depending on which card you draw. This is a simple and effective way to "work out" your emotional expression. At the same time, your efficiency as a negotiator increases several times.

3. To develop “self-esteem”, you should first master the poses of power

Power poses are postures of the human body that "start" the production of dopamine: a straight back, arms raised up, head held high. The production of this hormone contributes to a better memorization of material and information.

One minute of this exercise before negotiations will make you feel much more confident.

4. To develop "motivation" do the following right now

Write down ten things you enjoy doing. Then reformulate them so that only the verbs remain. Find exactly the verb that best conveys this or that occupation.

Use these verbs to create a plan for the month. And during this month you will need to live ten days under the motto of this word. Traveling or laughing, tasting and learning new things, jumping or counting - there are many options.

For example, under the motto of the verb "tasting", you can go to a specialty restaurant or wine boutique - or maybe have a party at home. And it can also become a concept for the presentation of goods and services of your company.

Just live each of these days 200% with the ten words of action that really make up your essence of growth - what you can give to the world.

By doing these exercises, you are sure to move closer to your true goals than you have in the past few years, because you will be engaged in the most important business of a successful businessman or leader - the implementation of the “creator strategy”.

Does it make sense to measure your intelligence? Research shows that a high IQ does not guarantee success in life. American scientists Peter Salovey and John Mayer popularized the term "emotional intelligence" and proved that in order to succeed in a career, it is not enough to be smart.

The level of emotional intelligence affects achievement sometimes more than IQ.

We spoke with EI experts and learned how to distinguish a person with a high emotional intelligence from a person with a low one, why develop EI and how it helps in work and business.

The following experts took part in the interview:

Marina Taran

Co-founder and coach of the Golden Staff, Senior Practitioner Coach according to the standards of the European Council of Mentoring and Coaching (ESMK), President of the ESMK Ukraine.

Alena Sysoeva

Business coach, coach, host of the Zhivoe Delo School of Trainers, director of the AS Corporate Training Center.

Ekaterina Gaiduchenko

Business coach, coach, consultant of the Meta-Business project.

What is emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence, or EI, is the ability to accept and manage your own and others' emotions. Together, IQ and EI create the individual "soul" of a person.

Alena Sysoeva emphasizes that" emotionality" and" emotional intelligence" are different concepts:

An emotional temperamental person often has a low EI, which is associated with his inability to analyze his emotions. And a calm and balanced person can show a high level of EI.

There is no relationship between IQ and EI. It is easier for a smart individual with low emotional intelligence to assemble and disassemble the hadron collider than to communicate with other people.

It also happens the other way around: a person does not really know the multiplication table, writes with errors, but thanks to the built-in "emotional scanner" he feels comfortable in the company of others and still finds how to build a business and make money on it.

There are also lucky ones whom nature has rewarded with intelligence and sensitivity.

Emotional intelligence has 4 components:

Self-awareness: awareness of one's own emotions and needs.

Control over your feelings and behavior.

Good perception of people: a deep understanding of other people's feelings.

Managing the emotions and reactions of other individuals.

Marina Taran focuses on the importance of the first component - understanding yourself:

"In work and business, we strive to quickly "turn on or off" your emotions.

Often we want to activate a good range of feelings (obedience, respect, politeness, positive thinking) and suppress aggressive impulses (irritation, anger, fatigue, rebellion).

My favorite interpretation of EI is the relevance, the adequacy of the situation. If my aggressive reaction, dressed in the appropriate form of the circumstances, will more effectively move the team to the result, then I show harshness.

It makes no sense to replace it with "good" insincere emotions if it causes others to slip further, slowing down business".

How to measure your EI

On the Internet or specialized books, you will find tests that determine the level of emotional intelligence. Testing for IQ is more objective: when answering questions, it is impossible to lie and deceive the "system". And when testing yourself for emotional intelligence, you can cheat, sometimes unintentionally.

High EI Personalities − self-sufficient, they cannot be controlled or imposed on someone else's opinion .

Everyone experiences negative emotions. Only a person with a high EI passes them through and lets go, while individuals with a low EI get stuck in experiences for a long time, for example, they live in resentment for a week or in depression all their lives.

It is more difficult to work with such people in one team or on a common project.

Ekaterina Gaiduchenko believes that individuals with low EI can also be approached:

The meaning of communication is in the emotional response it evokes. If I don't like the person's reaction to my words or actions, I may start speaking or behaving differently. By communicating with others, we create a kind of system with them. By changing something on our part, we influence the interaction as a whole. Therefore, it is worth developing the flexibility of thinking and behavior. The easier we change tactics, the more effective our communication with people.

By and large, the level of EI is manifested in how a person lives in society: builds relationships, copes with difficulties, makes difficult decisions.

People with developed emotional intelligence treat each other with respect and do not commit rash actions in the heat of the moment. Such individuals are self-sufficient, it is impossible to control them or impose someone else's opinion.

Experts discuss how to distinguish between high and low EI people:

Alena Sysoeva:

“High EI is manifested in the ability to be aware and accept, rather than suppress your emotions.

In the ability to choose a meaningful, rather than stereotypical or spontaneous reaction to different situations.

When it comes to leadership, a leader with a high EI is proactive and can inspire employees to achieve common goals.

A low level of emotional intelligence is manifested in touchiness, stiffness, detachment and criticality. A person with low EI is unable to recognize his emotions, he blocks feelings" .

Marina Taran believes that people with developed EI achieve great results in business because they know how to manage:

Time. They plan a schedule and do not delay the deadlines. If they are late, they are looking not for the guilty, but for a way out of the situation.

Communications. They do not humiliate the interlocutor, do not win back their complexes on him. Build relationships on respect.

result. They do not take on tasks that they cannot complete at the proper level and on time. They make decisions based on the benefits both for the business and for themselves - in equal shares. They don't complain about problems, they solve them. Take responsibility for the result.

Why develop emotional intelligence?

If we understand our feelings, it is easier for us to cope with stress, depression and other unpleasant conditions that make a person with low EI fall into a stupor.

Ekaterina Gaiduchenko says that it is easier for people with high EI to join a team and work in a team:

When you manage your mood, you become more efficient: you complete tasks faster, with less effort and more pleasure. And if you understand and influence the emotional well-being of others, you can instill confidence in them and inspire them to new achievements. Without developed EI, without noticing it, we can negatively influence people, suppress and devastate them.

Individuals with high EI use different emotional states for the benefit of themselves and others. They know that sadness promotes analytical thinking and try to think things through in this mood.

They understand that a happy person wants to share joy, while a sad person seeks solitude.

An individual with a developed emotional intelligence goes through life more cheerfully and is less likely to make mistakes, because he feels in his gut when to speak / ask / insist, and when it is better to wisely remain silent and wait for the right moment.

Emotional intelligence makes a person a professional, and a professional - a person.

EI should be "pumped" and used by directors - this will increase the efficiency of employees and help establish trusting relationships with them.

Alena Sysoeva explains that the higher the rank of the leader, the more developed his EI:

“If a person has a high IQ, but his EI is low, he is unlikely to become a successful manager. After all, the work of a boss is 90% communication.

Great leaders channel the emotions of subordinates so that they work with passion and show their best qualities.

If we talk about salespeople and representatives of other professions who work in the field of "person-to-person", then IQ affects their ability to achieve results only by 33%, 67% of success depends on EI. For managers, the importance of emotional intelligence is even higher - 85%".

How to develop EI

Emotional intelligence evolves throughout life. To increase EI, you need to learn to focus on your emotions and accept them.

Many suppress fear, anger, resentment, which leads to feelings, stress and illness. Psychologists do not recommend holding back or hiding your feelings from people.

The easiest way to express emotion is the so-called I-message, when we voice our feelings: “I get offended when you don’t call me back”, “I just get mad when you take my car and don’t wash it!”.

The main thing is not to attack a person with the phrases "You piss me off / piss me off", which will inevitably lead to conflict, but to talk about what you yourself are experiencing: "I'm pissed / angry."

Marina Taran shares a useful exercise:

"When something angered or offended you, try to figure out which part (social role) you react this way. You are annoyed as "to whom" ? Business partner, manager, woman, personality?

By sorting yourself out, you will find which of the social roles is more sensitive and touchy. Now we need to understand why. As a rule, that "part" , which does not receive something important. Your task is to recognize your need and find a way to satisfy it. The more response options we have, the more mature we become" .

Emotional intelligence develops throughout life.

Awareness of one's own emotions

Observe your state and track your attitude to what is happening.

Each emotion has its own set of physiological responses. From them you can recognize experiences. Try to give them clear names.

Managing your feelings

Simplified, the chain of emotion development looks like this:

The stimulus that causes the experience

Triggering of neurons responsible for the physiological manifestations of emotion

Behavior that follows an emotion

At each stage, a person can control himself. First you need to find the impulse that triggers the experience. It can be a cry, a certain word, intonation, thought, etc.

By tracking stimuli, in the future you can stop them (if the subsequent emotion is unpleasant) or reward (if it suits you).

To learn to control your behavior, choose actions consciously. When you are angry, you can express this feeling in different ways: break the dishes, yell, or clean the apartment. We decide how to show emotions and what actions are appropriate in a particular situation.

Our reactions often depend on how we interpret the event. If you work in sales and perceive a customer's question as an objection and a hindrance, then you will probably start to get angry. If it is treated as a request for help, then it will be answered with joy.

Learn to look at situations from different angles — and life becomes more pleasant.

Understanding other people's experiences

This skill has two sub-skills. The first is the ability to understand the state of a person by non-verbal signs (facial expressions, posture, gestures). For some emotions (fear, anger, joy, sadness, disgust, contempt, surprise) there are universal mimic manifestations.

Having studied them, you can quickly read the mood of others.

The second skill is empathy or empathy. There are those who know how to put themselves in the place of others, to experience their experiences. Trying to feel people, we better understand their actions.

Conscious influence on the reactions of others

If we know what causes a particular emotion in a person, then we can easily predict his behavior. This means that we can decide how we should act in order to achieve the desired result and, for example, prevent a conflict.

Step 3: Take control of your condition

The task at this stage is to learn how to move into a neutral emotional state, or better, choose the most useful and appropriate from the spectrum of experiences. To do this, remember what makes you smile, joy, calmness, peace.

Focus on how you want to feel and how the situation should be resolved. Speak, or rather, write down the desired scenario of events and stick to your plan of action.

When a person consciously relates to emotions, his level of EI increases.

The Dalai Lama said that emotional intelligence is directly related to the spiritual growth of a person, and the cause of all negative events on Earth is the negative emotions that people experience. Isn't this a good reason to work on your EI?

IQ allows you to determine the level of a certain group of mental abilities for logic, abstract thinking, learning. Scientists say that a high IQ is like being tall in basketball, but you need other abilities to be a great basketball player. However, there are also subjective features of undeveloped intelligence and emotional immaturity. Here are 15 signs of both intellectual and emotional deficiencies that are extremely difficult to deal with.

Interestingly, a high IQ does not necessarily mean that you are smart. It happens that people who do not shine with sharpness of mind do well on IQ tests. The most striking example is George W. Bush, whose mental abilities were ridiculed throughout his 8-year presidency. There were too many gross mistakes in his actions, and his idiotic statements on various occasions became a byword. Bush passed an IQ test and his result was incredibly high - 120! (A score of 100 is normal, 160 is super high, and 70 is low. Bill Gates can't be left out - his score of 160 explains part of his success.)

If you have ever taken an IQ test, it must have been the Eysenck test (the creator of the IQ test) or one of its many modifications. By today's standards, these tests can be considered outdated and inaccurate, but they have penetrated deeply into various structures (educational and even military), and now they are ubiquitous on the Internet, which simply does not work. In fact, the average IQ test measures your ability to analyze new information (both using and not using old information) relative to your age.

Psychologists remind that the average IQ test gives not only a very approximate, but also a very average value, because it consists of several subtests, each of which tests different types of thinking. Thus, a person with outstanding abstract thinking and weak verbal thinking is more likely to get only an average result.

Psychologists have the term "emotional intelligence" (EQ), which includes the ability to hear and understand other people, anticipate their behavior, control their own and other people's emotions. Perhaps you need to evaluate a person both in terms of IQ and EQ. For example, Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, Mr. Howard Gardner introduces the concept of "multiple intelligences".

There is such a joke that high Eysenck test scores do not indicate a person’s intelligence, but only his ability to pass intelligence quotient tests well. There is some truth in every joke: IQ scores have nothing to do with practical intelligence or creative abilities.

15. Difficulty learning new material

One of the hallmarks of a person with a low IQ is difficulty understanding new or changing familiar concepts. This is a problem, especially given our time, with its rapid development of technology and changing lifestyles. These people not only find it difficult to understand and accept more complex systems and ways of thinking, but even a simple abstraction is accepted with an internal struggle. They also struggle with numbers and sequences. They have to overcome significant obstacles when it comes to analytical processing of information.

It is assumed that there are certain barriers for people with low IQ in relation to the work of the mind and the laws of logic. Since IQ tests measure a person's ability to think abstractly, this type of test question seems to be the most difficult. Many of them feel frustrated, this is a constant challenge for them, they quickly become angry and lash out at others because of their inability to understand abstract categories. Emotionally developed people are more flexible and able to adapt. They go out of their comfort zone because they understand that the fear of the new paralyzes and blocks the road to new victories.

14. Poor control of their emotions

Are you able to control yourself? Some people have an explosive temperament, and flare up at every little thing, in fact, that does not require such a violent reaction. It's more than just getting up on the wrong foot or feeling frustrated with every challenge. Where does this anger come from? There is often no rational explanation. However, a person with low IQ and EQ is constantly in a state of uncontrollable rage, and any seemingly small catalyst can cause a fit of anger, and for them everything looks quite logical and rational...

Such people tend to have violent outbursts in a public place or any other place where scandals are inappropriate. Don't get us wrong, just because the rude lady at Starbucks in line in front of you had a bad morning doesn't mean she's low on IQ...although it could very well be...

13. They think they have all the answers.

You might think that a know-it-all has a higher IQ than most people, but quite the contrary. There are people who really seem like a walking encyclopedia, and there are others who don't really know much, but put on airs like they're the smartest. The latter do not necessarily need facts or logic, sometimes they are just so full of information that it should alert you: perhaps you are not a very smart person in front of you. This has little to do with real intelligence, rather, before you is a classic honor student.
People with lower IQs often feel out of place when trying to socialize in society, so they imitate their own perception of the ideal role model, which includes such a position - always have answers to any questions. They do not have the ability to "read" information about the social environment and understand the hierarchy of a particular group (who is at the top, who is outcast, etc.), they do not know how to recognize the social signals that interlocutors give, and which, in fact, can be they are not at all aware of the issues that accidentally pop up in the conversation.

12. Failure to learn from your mistakes

If you are a living person, you make mistakes. It's undeniable that many of us make the same mistakes twice, but there are people who generally don't learn from their mistakes. It's like putting your hand over a fire and getting burned, and keep repeating this action every five minutes, until you completely self-destruct.

Emotionally intelligent people don't take mistakes to heart, but they don't ignore them either. They benefit from the experience gained and are always ready to admit their guilt. While people with low emotional intelligence never apologize for their mistakes and often try to blame others for their mistakes.

11. Inability to understand the emotions of other people

Emotional deafness is characteristic of people with low IQ and EQ. At parties and in other social situations, they do not understand body language and do not read signals; their communication is ineffective, it is difficult for them to understand what other people are doing and why.
Although there are many smart people who are "socially awkward", they at least know how to get away from talking or interacting with people they don't care about (FYI, come to a party and sit in the kitchen with a dog all evening is certainly a wise conscious decision). Emotionally retarded people don't see the limits of social protocol - Professor Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory is a great example.
Emotionally developed people quickly calculate the emotions of others simply by their eyes and gestures, this helps to correct their behavior and make the right decisions. After all, it makes no sense, for example, to discuss important things with a person immersed in their problems, or to try to build communication with a completely indifferent interlocutor.

10. Lack of basic social skills

There are skills that help us get through the day, communicate effectively, interact with others, and be able to take care of our basic necessities of life. People with a low level of emotional and intellectual development will find this short list too complicated, they will need help with two or more items on this list, and daily. They may forget to shower, or not know how to defrost a meal in the microwave, not to mention more complex culinary tasks. This is not because it is physically difficult for them to perform these activities, but because they do not have the mental capacity of an average person. They will have to be reminded of the simplest things if they are unable to remember them on their own. As a rule, such people live under someone's supervision.
Here it is appropriate to recall the phenomenon of modern Japan called "hikki" or "hikikomori" - literally meaning "acute social self-isolation". This term refers to people who refuse social life, do not have a job and live on the dependents of relatives. The Japanese Ministry of Health defines hikikomori as people who refuse to leave their parental home, isolate themselves from society and family in a separate room for more than six months, and do not have any work or income. Psychologist Tamaki Saito, who coined the term, originally assumed that the number of hikikomori in Japan was just over a million, or about 1% of the country's population. But according to a Japanese government report, there could be many more such people. "The Lost Generation" - that's what they are called Self-isolation, demonstrated by hikikomori, is a common symptom in people suffering from depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders or autism spectrum disorders (this includes Asperger's syndrome and "classic" autism).

9. They live beyond their financial means.

High financial IQ is another subtype of IQ.
The Kardashians are used to spending money like it grows on trees, but they have bank accounts that are pretty full of money. And in order to support their extravagant purchases, people with a low intellectual level have to overspend with absolutely empty bank accounts. Credit credit, of course, strife. And there are justified expenses. But the desire to possess luxury goods without having the means to do so, and the tendency to get bogged down in endless debts, testifies to obvious narrow-mindedness and immaturity.
You need to use a loan carefully, clearly understanding the purposes for which you take it, and how justified these purposes are. And be sure to know in advance how you will give it away. But there is a whole army of people who do not understand the obvious: they will have to give back, and with interest! Unbelievable, but true: look around how many people take out loans for expensive cars that they cannot afford, without even having their own housing and savings. The inability to plan your budget and getting stuck in debt is a clear sign of low financial IQ. We hope this is not about you!

8. They are self-centered.

The navel of the Earth - a familiar situation? Being socially incompetent not only means that people with low IQs cannot function in a social environment; it also means that they tend to see the world through the lens of their own person only. They are unable to look at ideas, opinions through the eyes of someone else. They only care about their own position and point of view. Their selfishness does not arise from malicious intent, such is their nature, and it is based on their intellectual potential.

Seeing the world through other people's eyes and taking into account their needs requires the ability to perceive abstract concepts, but this is emotionally difficult and psychologically difficult. Emotional egoism is characteristic of people who, when perceiving the world and evaluating situations, are so fixated solely on their own emotions that they think too little about the feelings of others.

7. They don't take criticism

Criticism, of course, is different. And any criticism should be accepted with dignity, humor and absolute calmness, and then analyzed - is it constructive or trolling? And draw your own conclusions - ignore or take note, correcting your actions. The process described above, oddly enough, is completely beyond the capacity of an emotionally and intellectually undeveloped person. He can neither analyze criticism for its constructiveness, nor distinguish good advice from simple envious lies.

Lacking effective communication skills and not being able to control himself, a person with a low IQ cannot cope with any kind of criticism. They see it as an attack and a threat rather than words that give them a chance to grow and develop. Critical analysis is an attack on everything they stand on, at least that's what they believe. Stubbornness and intransigence are the usual companions of such immunity to criticism. These people definitely need help.

6. They blame everyone around them for their own failures.

Very smart people are able to assess the likely risks and understand the consequences of their decisions. Less intelligent people will not look for the reasons for their failures in their own miscalculations, find fault with themselves - this is not in their egoistic nature. Instead, they blame their failures on anyone - parents, spouses, colleagues, and so on.

Self-reflection is a sign of inner work, analysis and the process of self-improvement, which is why smart people usually do not consider themselves as such. Success in life largely depends on how a person reacts to failure. People with developing thinking believe that, although with effort, they can improve everything. As a result, they outperform those with a fixed mindset, even if they have a lower IQ. A high IQ when faced with adversity helps to find solutions to their problems, unlike people with a low IQ who begin to drown in self-pity and lash out at others with blame for their own disasters.

5. Wranglers without brakes

Some people are just argumentative, no matter what their IQ level is. There is a type of people who are always on the verge of resentment, they are just waiting to start a debate on any issue. Among them, there is a fairly high percentage of people with low IQ levels, because they do not know how to properly assess their emotions and do not know when to stop in an argument that is getting too heated.

They are incapable of respecting opinions other than their own. And they lack the intelligence and delicacy to remain silent in certain situations. Sometimes for themselves, this behavior becomes a tragedy - they simply drive themselves into a corner and doom them to isolation. They should ask themselves: what do I want? To be right at any cost and have the last word in the dispute? Or I want to be a calm and happy person, able to respect others. But for this you need brains and an IQ slightly above average!

4. They don't know how to plan

We have already mentioned that new ideas and concepts are difficult for a person with a low IQ to grasp. The ability to plan your own affairs is not given to everyone. Tasks pile up in huge numbers, they are all diverse and most of them are not related to each other. It is almost impossible to remember everything. Keeping a diary and using various reminders is possible, but it so happens that they only confuse the situation more. Especially when it comes to multi-stage tasks. For a person with low IQ and EQ, this is practically intractable.

They are simply not able to plan anything, whether it is a daily work plan or an event in the long term. If you add to this the inability to plan finances and immunity to criticism, then the result will always be a failed project - no matter whether it is a party or a quarterly report. Any attempt to help or control will be perceived as distrust and insult. Truly, resentment is an indicator of weakness! The strong will accept both help and advice.

3. Don't stay long at one job

Some employers demand a lot from their employees, while others take a more relaxed approach that requires little to no effort. For a person with a low IQ, both of these options are too difficult to handle. As we have already discussed, they are not able to plan their work, they do not understand how to acclimatize in the working environment, they are poorly trained and do not socialize.

They are tolerated for a while, they can even go through a trial period, but sooner or later it turns out that a person cannot cope. As a rule, this cycle is equal to a year. So if a person who changes jobs every year comes to work for you, do not rush to hire him! And, if you, looking into your work book, see a similar picture in it, then you should think about it. If you have constant rush at work, you constantly live in a situation of lack of time, overwork, and at the same time do not stay out of one job for more than a year - stop and look at the situation from the outside.

2. Can't concentrate

People with low IQ are not prone to abstract thinking, it would not occur to them to conduct high-quality training to expand their skills and develop their mental abilities. They focus on trivial things, and you can tell a lot about them based on their primitive passions.

We, however, live in a superficial society, and sometimes a person with a low IQ cannot be identified at first glance. Just because someone chooses to keep up with the Kardashian family, doesn't read books, and doesn't develop their brain, it doesn't necessarily mean they have a low IQ (although sometimes it does). Nevertheless, if a person constantly interrupts the interlocutor's thought, is not able to formulate a single problem himself and constantly loses thought, this may be due to his intellectual capabilities. It is easier for him to switch to another topic that is closer and more accessible than to feel like an idiot. You can understand!

1. Lack of maturity

We are not talking about scammers, this is not about fans of cartoons and video games. It is very important to be able to have fun and remain a child (or just young) at heart. We are not talking about this ... rather, we are talking about a general trend towards the infantilization of society, which is especially clearly reflected in people with low intellectual development and emotionally immature.

The inability to communicate with other people, to manage one's own affairs on one's own, a complete discord in one's personal life... infantilism means an unwillingness to grow up. The term "infantilism" is used by psychologists to denote the immaturity of a person, especially emotional and volitional qualities. An adult does not want to make serious decisions, expects that “somehow everything will resolve itself”, and that someone will come and decide everything for him ... have you heard about the “Peter Pan syndrome”?
Sometimes a person over 35 in his behavior resembles a 9-year-old baby. Egoists, who tend to deny everything, they do not think about the future, about the consequences of their actions, they try to think about real life as little as possible, basically, they have fun and do not try to delve into any problems. Such a person is more a spectator than a participant in his life. Such people like to dream, over time they begin to look for the reasons for their failures in others. In order to "distract", a person begins to drink, hang out at a computer or TV, and ... continue to wait for everything to be decided by itself. But this is a dead end path, and they will have to mature psychologically and emotionally.

The concept of emotional intelligence is one of the most important indicators that affect the possible success of an employee's career in many positions. Therefore, every personnel specialist should know what it is - emotional intelligence. Different levels of emotional intelligence reflect a person's skills in various areas of life and can be assessed both in combination and separately using various tests.

Emotional Intelligence - What is it?

Intelligence is a person's ability to think logically, make the right decisions, learn and apply the acquired knowledge in practice. Now there are many different methods that allow you to assess the intelligence of a person with a fairly high accuracy. Therefore, various tests used to assess this indicator are widely used in labor relations. However, standard indicators of intelligence do not always reflect the ability of an employee to conduct work effectively.

High intelligence is far from always a guarantee of career growth and development, just as its average or even relatively low indicators do not mean that an employee is completely unsuitable for work. Given this fact, various psychologists and personnel specialists in the 20th century began to look for other criteria for evaluating employees and job candidates. One of these indicators was emotional intelligence, which more accurately reflects the potential of workers.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to operate primarily not with knowledge, but with emotions. It implies the ability to understand and interpret, as well as to use both other people's and one's own emotions for one's own purposes. Accordingly, given the peculiarity of such an indicator, it does not always correlate with the standard interpretation of a person's general intelligence. There are many examples of highly sought-after and popular people with relatively low IQs, as well as vice versa - many anti-social or simply unsociable and incapable of effectively interacting with other people can have a high IQ.

A similar but not identical measure of emotional intelligence is social intelligence. The first indicator primarily affects the ability to operate and use emotions, while the second mainly affects the issues of adaptation and integration into the current society, which can be accompanied by both the use of emotional intelligence and the use of other mental mechanisms.

When to evaluate emotional intelligence

Given the features and scope of emotional intelligence, it must be understood that this indicator is not always an important criterion when evaluating current employees or potential job candidates. So, first of all, it should be paid attention to by employees who are employed in positions related to the use of social skills and communication with other people.

Emotional intelligence measures are important, contrary to popular belief, not only for salespeople and other employees who interact directly with customers. This characteristic is no less important for managers, as it directly reflects their ability to manage a team and conduct effective activities. In addition, it is also relevant for other categories of workers directly related to work with other people, including within the enterprise. Especially relevant are the high requirements for emotional intelligence for HR and HR specialists.

Accordingly, it will be effective to evaluate this indicator for all employees whose duties are somehow related to communication with people. For accountants, blue-collar workers, lower-level service personnel, and technicians, an emotional intelligence assessment is not mandatory.

Despite the fact that emotional intelligence is not of paramount importance for the above categories of workers, its assessment can still make some sense. So, by testing this indicator, you can easily determine the psychological compatibility of an employee with colleagues and effectively influence the psychological microclimate of the team.

Emotional Intelligence Levels

Emotional intelligence as an indicator is always evaluated comprehensively according to various, often independent, criteria. Given a fairly broad interpretation of this concept and definition, different levels of emotional intelligence are distinguished. Next, three main methods used in international practice will be considered.

The Mayer-Salovey-Caruso model is considered to be the main one in modern psychological studies of emotional intelligence. It has only four levels:

Another popular model of emotional intelligence is that proposed by journalist Daniel Goleman. It provides for the division of emotional intelligence into five main components:

1. Self-knowledge. This aspect refers to the ability of a person to study, understand and determine their own emotions. In addition, it also includes the ability to determine life goals and control motivation, as well as to be aware of the positive and negative traits of one's own character.
2. Self-regulation. This aspect concerns the ability to self-manage emotions, contain their negative impact and improve the positive one.
3. Motivation. It refers to the ability of a person to set goals and achieve them, as well as to use and control incentives and various types of interest in the result.
4. Empathy. This aspect affects the ability of a person to understand the emotional aspirations and state of other people, to empathize with them.
5. Social intelligence. It refers to the ability to use one's own emotions and the emotions of other people to achieve a certain place in society and obtain the necessary status.

The above mixed method model of Daniel Goleman is the most criticized in terms of science. This is due to the fact that the main works in which it is presented were created primarily for commercial purposes and contain few references to real research and research. Unlike other models of emotional intelligence, which have a wider evidence base.

The third of the popular international models of emotional intelligence levels is the extended model, the creator of which is Reuven Bar-On. Its characteristic feature is the simultaneous assessment of both indicators of emotional and social intelligence. It includes fifteen different levels:

1. Self-awareness. This level of emotional intelligence refers to the ability of a person to evaluate his own personality and accept it.
2. Emotional awareness. This level involves the ability of a person to evaluate and understand their own emotions along with the reasons for their manifestation.
3. Self-expression. This level refers to the ability of a person to express their own feelings and use emotional mechanisms to achieve goals.
4. social independence. This criterion evaluates a person's ability to make decisions regardless of the opinions of others.
5. Empathy. It refers to the ability to understand and feel the emotions of other people.
6. Responsibility. In the context of emotional intelligence, it means the feeling of a person as part of a team and the awareness of their tasks in it and the importance of their solution.
7. social skills. The indicated level controls constructive communication with other people, touches upon issues of mutually beneficial cooperation and partnership, and the ability for emotional relationships.
8. Stress tolerance. This criterion considers a person's sensitivity to stress and irritants in the context of an emotional reaction to them.
9. Self control. The indicated level considers the ability of a person to suppress impulsive emotions and control them.
10. Objectivity. This criterion considers the ability of a person to compare his vision of the world with objective reality.
11. Flexibility. It means the ability to adjust emotions, behavior and thoughts depending on the circumstances.
12. Efficiency. This criterion is in many ways similar to the standard criteria for assessing intelligence and considers the ability to find solutions to a problem.
13. Self-realization. The desire of a person to improve his skills, objective growth and development of potential in all areas of life.
14. Optimism. This level of social intelligence assesses the general attitude of a person to the surrounding reality and the ability to look at things positively, regardless of the circumstances.
15. Satisfaction. The indicated level considers the general psychological state of a person and his personal, subjective well-being and attitude towards himself and the world at a given moment in time.

How to increase your emotional intelligence

Since emotional intelligence is an important component of a person's overall success in life in almost any field, many are interested in how to develop it. Like general intelligence, this characteristic of a person largely depends on innate characteristics and initial development. But just as ordinary mental abilities can develop over time, emotional intelligence can also develop.

There are now a large number of emotional intelligence trainings, many of which are nothing more than a commercial ploy. Therefore, in this matter, it is best to be guided primarily by scientific literature from well-known psychologists and authors of the above methods for assessing it. In general, general recommendations on how to increase your emotional intelligence can be as follows:

1. Increasing self-control. It is necessary to control and record, if possible, every fact of the manifestation of one's own emotion.
2. Expanding horizons. A person experiences a wide range of emotions, but not everyone knows the difference, for example, between anger, anger and rage - and after all, initially these feelings are completely different mechanisms from the point of view of psychology and neurophysiology. The more emotions and their characteristics a person knows, the higher his emotional intelligence will be.
3. Communication. Broad social contacts can accelerate the development of emotional intelligence, especially with the above recommendations. Being able to recognize the emotions of other people and understand the reasons for their occurrence, you can succeed in almost any kind of activity.

There are many specific methods for developing emotional intelligence, and each of them has both certain advantages and disadvantages. This is largely due to the general vagueness of the concept of social intelligence.

Advantages and disadvantages of assessing emotional intelligence in employees and job seekers

As a criterion by which current employees and, in particular, applicants for a vacant job, can be evaluated, social intelligence is a fairly convenient indicator for personnel specialists. However, it should not always be used, since its assessment has both certain advantages and disadvantages. The benefits of assessing social intelligence as a criterion can be as follows:

However, like any other assessment method, the emotional intelligence test also has a number of disadvantages:

• Low efficiency in the selection of certain types of personnel. It is not necessary to use the indicated testing to evaluate employees in positions not related to working with people in general, with the exception of assessing possible adaptation to the team.
• Mandatory other tests. An emotional intelligence assessment does not provide an opportunity to test the professional knowledge of an employee, which in many industries may be mandatory. Therefore, it is possible to apply an assessment according to this criterion only together with other methods of testing when applying for a job.
• Risks of the expected response. Many emotional intelligence questionnaires are typical, which allows the job seeker to simply memorize the answers necessary for the employer, and not give them on their own. At the same time, unlike the assessment of general intelligence, the search for “acceptable” answers in the case of testing emotional intelligence is an order of magnitude easier even without knowing the original questions.
• Low evidence base. Compared to methods for assessing a person's general intelligence, testing the emotional intelligence level has a much less scientific basis and is often criticized in its individual aspects and may be subjective, not objective.

1. Am I adequate in assessing my capabilities?

Surely you have met very boring people who sincerely believe that they have a great sense of humor. Or graphomaniacs who claim to be excellent writers or journalists. Or photographers who take pictures that only they like, and the rest simply do not understand the artist ... With a high degree of probability, these are people with a low level of EQ.

A well-developed emotional intelligence assumes that a person is well aware of his strengths and weaknesses, develops virtues and fights against shortcomings that prevent not only him, but also those around him from living.

To be sure to recognize a person with a low level, tell him that he does not understand the feelings of other people. The response will be the statement that he is a better empath than you and everyone around you combined.

Low EQ sign: you often feel that you are not understood and appreciated, that you are not recognized for your merits, that you are criticized unfairly, that you are not evaluated correctly.

2. Do I criticize a lot?

People with low EQ tend to be very critical of others. The call to understand and forgive is not for them. They get irritated when asked to step in, be condescending, and like to judge and give advice.

Generally, people with low emotional intelligence believe that others are too sensitive (because they don't feel the same way). They can joke beyond the bounds, at the wrong moment, make fun of shortcomings: usually this is done ostensibly for good, in order to open their eyes to the truth. They do not realize that in this way they can make a person worse, increase his pain, make him unhappy.

The reason is simple: people with low EQ do not understand how others feel.

Low EQ sign: if a person reacts painfully to your joke, you conclude that he is too emotional, attaches too much importance to nonsense. If you are asked to display emotions in response, this causes annoyance, irritation, anger.

3. Am I accepting someone else's point of view?

Another feature of the owners of low EQ is the love of controversy and inflexibility. Such people are so sincerely confident that they are right that it is impossible to convince them. They refuse to accept arguments that are different from their point of view, they consider them deliberately false.

Low EQ sign: you often start an argument from scratch (anything can be a reason) and always require your opponent to provide a large number of arguments. A lot of people are involved in the verbal battle: friends, relatives and colleagues. The dispute often becomes emotionally exhausting for all parties.

4. Do I blame others for my mistakes?

The inability to manage your feelings often leads to emotional outbursts. It is easier for a person who has a higher EQ level to avoid them, because he understands what is happening to him and tries.

But the picture is completely different for those who have a low level of EQ. Controlling what you don't understand is very difficult. Therefore, those around them, who have a more developed emotional intelligence, evaluate such outbreaks as inadequacy.

Low EQ sign: you usually blame your inappropriate behavior not on yourself, but on other people or some circumstances. This happens instinctively, because you do not realize that you yourself caused the emotional outburst. You are sure that you had no choice, and others simply do not understand this. Because of this, you feel like a victim, you are offended.

5. Do I hide my true emotions?

A feature of people with a low level of EQ is the inability to cope with situations that cause strong emotions. They try to avoid them. Therefore, they hide their true emotions from others.

Low EQ sign: You find it difficult to maintain friendships and love relationships. You are annoyed by the need to make concessions and seek compromises, to reckon with the opinion of the person next to you. You do not find a feeling of compassion in yourself, it is difficult for you to understand exactly how you can and should support a loved one.

6. Can I put myself in someone else's shoes?

Everything is simple here: since with a low level of emotional intelligence a person does not understand either his own or other people's emotions, he is deprived of empathy. However, in some cases, he may try to empathize (for example, homeless kittens and puppies can touch him). But when it comes to dealing with people, things are different.

Low EQ sign: you never think about what you would feel, what emotions you experienced, being in the place of another person.

A Few More Features of People with Low EQ

• They are not interested in people, they do not want to understand what their character is, what is hidden behind their actions.
• They experience negative emotions, but often cannot understand their cause.
• They are focused on themselves, do not always notice that others need help.
• They are afraid of mistakes and do not draw conclusions from them, they come to their senses after a failure, often get hung up on mistakes, and engage in self-flagellation.
• They do not trust intuition, they think that it is stupid.
• They do not adapt well to new conditions, do not like change.
• They do not know how to listen and hear.

In order to determine the level of your emotional intelligence, you can also take a test developed by psychologist Nicholas Hall.

How to develop emotional intelligence

• Study yourself. To do this, you need to write down events and what emotions they aroused in you for a certain time (for example, a week). Write about everything: what feelings you woke up in the morning, what you feel when you drink your first cup of coffee, go to work, get a scolding from your boss, meet friends and so on.
• Determine how your body reacts to different emotions. Do you feel butterflies in your stomach when you are in love? How do you behave during: do you want to cry or, on the contrary, destroy everything around? What happens when you get tired? What is the aftertaste of strong emotions that you experienced?
• Find the connection between emotions and your behavior. For example, if you are annoyed, then transfer the negativity to the one who is nearby. Or, if you are ashamed, you prefer not to communicate with anyone. Analyze this relationship and determine for yourself what you would like to change.
• Find your source of positive emotions. It can be a visit to your favorite cafe, delicious coffee, a child's smile, a beautiful view from the window, a walk through the forest. This will be your emergency supply for those times when you need a positive recharge. Be an optimist.
• In dealing with other people, be as open and calm as possible. Clearly argue your position, but do not push.
• To learn how to accept a different point of view, try to analyze, for example, television debates. Side with one opponent and then the other.
• Develop empathy: put yourself in the shoes of others more often, try to imagine what emotions a person is experiencing, how you can help him.
• Be interested in other people, their opinion, position. Try to guess their emotions by gestures, facial expressions, voice.
• Determine how you act on people. Annoying or happy? Are you nervous or calm? You can ask this question to your loved ones, but don't be discouraged by unpleasant answers. There is always a way to fix it.
• Remember: when you begin to understand the patterns of your behavior, it will become easier to control it. You can not succumb to emotions, but consciously decide how to act in this or that case.