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INTRODUCTION concerns with the child’s personal development. Children learn much more than academic content from school, perhaps most importantly social–emotional skills for getting along with other children and adults. Typically, such learning occurs informally in classroom and playground encounters. However, the education system may serve children better if the curriculum includes some more systematic training in such skills. In Chapter 5 we will look at programs that seek to enhance interpersonal skills, such as conflict resolution and self-regulative skills, such as resisting peer pressure to take drugs. The concern with the child’s personal development as a fully rounded human being chimes with the growing “positive psychology” movement, which seeks to support personal growth and selffulfillment. The value of a science of EI now becomes clear. In principle, training programs that elevate the child’s EI should improve grades, mitigate emotional disorders (through psychotherapy), and help the child to grow into adulthood capable of forming mature, constructive relationships with others. These laudable aims face the same general challenge that we have already mentioned, namely that the science and measurement of EI is still in its infancy. There are also potential barriers to progress that may be unique to education, including the difficulty of finding time for social–emotional learning in a crowded academic curriculum. Successful intervention is likely to require a sustained effort from administrators, teachers, and parents, and it may not be straightforward to secure the necessary commitment. This is the point where we can start to ask about the emotional literacy of the adults in the child’s life and their willingness to support programs that may not produce an immediate payoff. As in business, there is also a danger from fads that may do more harm than good. For example, the movement to raise self-esteem, irrespective of the child’s actual behavior, has been criticized as doing more harm than good (Twenge & Campbell, 2009). 39 Matthews_PTR_Ch 01_12-10-11_1-42.indd 39 10/12/2011 10:46:55 AM
CHAPTER 1 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS There is no doubt that EI is potentially an exciting new frontier for both basic and applied psychologists. Despite its promise, we need to tread carefully in entering a territory where myths and legends abound. On the positive side, psychologists already have quite a good understanding of relevant topics, including emotion, abilities, and personality. The trick is to find the evidence that will show that EI is a distinctive ability that adds something to existing understanding. One of the barriers to this research enterprise is the role of emotion in pop culture. At worst, its siren song leads researchers astray into developing folksy but incoherent definitions of EI, junk questionnaires with no construct validity, and quick-fix self-help advice that is no more than a passing fad. Nonetheless, popular writers may be correct in identifying a neglect of emotional abilities and skills in psychological theory. The following points cover our conclusions about the path toward developing a psychological science of EI that is strong enough to support real-world applications. 1. Reliable and valid measurement of EI is essential for any kind of research in the area. Without standardized measurement tools, psychologists can do little more than trade opinions. Improving assessment of EI is also intimately related to the difficult task of finding a satisfactory definition and conceptualization of the construct. A coherent definition that says what is and what is not EI is necessary to take the first steps in building measurement instruments. Work on the psychometric properties of these instruments should in turn inform and refine definition. Currently, EI researchers are split into two camps. Those who see EI as a true ability gravitate toward developing objective tests, which, like conventional intelligence tests, have right-or-wrong answers. Those who see “trait EI” as closer to personality than to a true ability favor questionnaires that rely on self-reports of 40 Matthews_PTR_Ch 01_12-10-11_1-42.indd 40 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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