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PREFACE Preface Not long ago, psychologists interested in the differences between individuals thought they had a good handle on how to describe individual differences systematically. Differences in aptitude for performing mental and physical tasks belonged to the domain of abilities. The most famous of these is general intelligence (g or IQ), along with a host of other, more narrowly defined abilities. Differences in people’s typical experiences of the world, along with characteristic behavioral styles, were part of personality. Multiple personality traits, such as extraversion and neuroticism, were discriminated. Individual differences in motivation, such as needs for achievement or affiliation with others, were sometimes seen as a third domain. This overall scheme for describing individual differences had its roots in the late 19th century, and, over more than a century, spawned a huge enterprise of psychometric test development, along with numerous lines of research on just what it is that is measured by these tests. Developments in research and popular culture upset this settled view in the 1990s when the new concept of emotional intelligence (EI) came along. Broadly, EI refers to abilities for understanding and managing emotions, which may be especially important for relating constructively to others. EI may be different from conventional intelligence in that, in the realm of the emotions, success depends not so much on rational analysis ix Matthews_PTR_FM_12-10-11_i-xviii.indd ix 10/12/2011 8:48:05 PM
PREFACE but on being in tune with the enigmatic wisdom of the heart. In fact, EI chimes with current interest in psychology in “implicit” processes, which exert powerful but unconscious influences on our behavior. EI differs from personality in that it is more than a temperamental quality, such as preferring one’s own company, or being prone to being upset by little things. EI refers to adaptive traits that will help the person navigate the treacherous cross-currents of the emotions, turning challenges into opportunities, or at least providing the wisdom to accept the reverses of life. This upstart construct thus threatened the established order of individual differences. Could it really be that psychologists had missed one of the major features of human nature? If so, standard accounts of individual differences in ability, personality, and motivation were severely lacking. EI also had profound applied implications. Existing knowledge of individual differences supports an extensive testing and assessment industry, pursuing in modern times mostly worthy goals such as identifying academic and work potential, as well as supporting diagnosis, guidance, and therapy for those who might possess some problematic personal attributes. EI was introduced as a “street-smart” rather than a “book-smart” ability that was essential for dealing with the real world. There was a suggestion that academic psychologists, locked in their ivory towers, had failed to recognize these critical personal qualities. Understanding EI would then lead to practical benefits in educational, organizational, and clinical psychology, which simply could not be accomplished by working with existing personality and ability measures. In 1999, the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences held its conference in Vancouver, Canada. The three authors of the present volume engaged in a wide-ranging discussion of EI, with the aid of a few liquid refreshments. Although our research backgrounds were rather different, we found we were in agreement. EI held the promise of being a major new idea in psychology, with far-reaching theoretical and applied x Matthews_PTR_FM_12-10-11_i-xviii.indd x 10/12/2011 8:48:05 PM
Page 2 and 3: The Psych 101 series James C. Kaufm
Page 4 and 5: Emotional Intelligence 101 Gerald M
Page 6 and 7: To the new generation of emotional
Page 8 and 9: Contents 2 Chapter 1 Introduction 1
Page 12 and 13: PREFACE ramifications. But the stro
Page 14 and 15: PREFACE the extent to which researc
Page 16 and 17: Creativity 101 James C. Kaufman, Ph
Page 18 and 19: Emotional Intelligence 101 Matthews
Page 20 and 21: 1 Introduction Science must begin w
Page 22 and 23: INTRODUCTION FIGURE 1.1 Portrait of
Page 24 and 25: INTRODUCTION play a role in crime,
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Page 28 and 29: INTRODUCTION key aptitudes, compete
Page 30 and 31: INTRODUCTION Emotional intelligence
Page 32 and 33: INTRODUCTION TABLE 1.2 THE ADULT SA
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Page 36 and 37: INTRODUCTION Is EI Really an Intell
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Page 40 and 41: INTRODUCTION FIGURE 1.5 Théodore G
Page 42 and 43: INTRODUCTION what is emotionally in
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Page 46 and 47: INTRODUCTION Basic Processes in EI.
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Page 56 and 57: INTRODUCTION distressing emotional
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INTRODUCTION emotional functioning.
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