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INTRODUCTION distressing emotional experiences, and coach them toward positive transformations of emotion. The case for EI might also refer to the role of emotionregulation in certain mental disorders. Some patients appear to regulate their feelings of anxiety or distress in ways that are counterproductive, such as fruitless, repetitive rumination (Wells, 2000). Another example is provided by a condition called “alexithymia.” This is not a mental disorder, but a trait that is quite common in range of disorders including autism, anorexia nervosa, and depression. Alexithymics have a range of emotional difficulties, including identifying and verbalizing their own feelings (Parker, 2000). Loosely, a common theme here seems to be difficulties in getting cognition and emotion “to talk to each other,” corresponding to assimilating emotions into thought in the Mayer et al. (2000) model. The cognitive restructuring of emotions appears to be therapeutically beneficial. Intriguing studies conducted by Pennebaker (1997) showed that simply writing about a stressful event improves well-being. Psychotherapy for PTSD may also involve integrating memories of the event with normal cognitive and emotional processes (Foa, Keane, Friedman, & Cohen, 2008). The first challenge here is to show that EI does offer something new. The ideas about emotion-regulation just discussed predate interest in EI, and so “emotion-focused” clinicians need to show that EI is more than just a relabeling of existing concepts. In addition, the various disorders we have described are highly diverse, and are typically seen as having different etiologies and outcomes. Attributing all of them to low EI may be too coarse-grained an approach. Again, the research needed to address such issues requires valid tests for EI, and demonstration that individuals with disrupted emotional functioning score lower on these tests than “normal” controls. There is a need also to document the underlying processes involved. At the same time, we should remain open to the possibility that work on EI may open up new therapeutic interventions, and we will return to these issues in Chapter 6. 37 Matthews_PTR_Ch 01_12-10-11_1-42.indd 37 10/12/2011 10:46:55 AM
CHAPTER 1 Educational Psychology In looking at the relevance of EI to education, we can pick up on previous themes. As in the workplace, a primary concern is the improvement of students’ cognitive performance (in this case, learning) and grades. Given the large number of students who drop out of school all along the educational pipeline (estimates are as high as 60% in the United States), EI might also play a role in retention. The child’s emotional issues may affect their attention and effort in the classroom, suggesting that better management of negative emotions may boost learning. In addition, school work is not necessarily intrinsically interesting, and students who are able to maintain positive attitudes will do better. Educators have increasingly moved on from the Victorian model of children as empty vessels into which the teacher pours knowledge. The child’s active engagement with the learning process is critical. To this end, emotional skills such as self-motivation, self-control, and effective self-regulation become critical (Zins et al., 2007). As in clinical psychology, educators are also concerned with abnormality in emotional functioning. According to Nastasi, Moore, and Varjas (2004), around a fifth of America’s children and adolescents have diagnosable disorders that require some form of mental health treatment. Often, these disorders involve emotional dysfunction. Teachers may face two kinds of troubled students (Zeidner & Matthews, 2011). Children with “internalizing” disorders experience excessive negative emotion, similar to adult anxiety and depression. These conditions affect the child’s ability to stay focused on learning in the classroom, and to use working memory in problem solving. By contrast, those with “externalizing” disorders are more likely to be immediately troublesome. Children with poor impulse control and aggressive tendencies are those that are most disruptive in the classroom, and most likely to fight with others. Beyond improving grades and securing therapy where needed, educational and school psychologists also have wider 38 Matthews_PTR_Ch 01_12-10-11_1-42.indd 38 10/12/2011 10:46:55 AM
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The Psych 101 series James C. Kaufm
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Emotional Intelligence 101 Gerald M
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Page 8 and 9: Contents 2 Chapter 1 Introduction 1
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Page 18 and 19: Emotional Intelligence 101 Matthews
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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
Page 38 and 39: INTRODUCTION TABLE 1.3 CAPSULE DESC
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 52 and 53: INTRODUCTION More recently, this me
Page 54 and 55: INTRODUCTION challenges that arise.
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