: A Clandestine Element for Acquiring Life

Dr. Neha Sharma

Asstt. Professor, Department of Applied Sciences and Humanities,

Govt. Engineering College, Jhalawar (Raj.) India.

ABSTRACT

To cope up with the budding scientific techniques and advancement of life, our students require new life -set like the talent to deal with different challenges at different stages of life. In a broad way, a positive approach to life skills develops different skills in youth to build the necessary abilities for human growth and to accept the situations positively which assist them to effectively deal with their daily life. Through the escalation of and emotional skills, life skills lend a hand to students in the transitional phase of shifting from childhood to maturity. On the other hand, Emotional Intelligence is related with acquiring life skills. The skills of getting satisfied with life, problem-solving skills and to cope up with stress are significantly related with emotional intelligence. It is a need of time that children should be guided for social behavior so that they can be adapted to their own environment. The knowledge of emotional aspect helps to improve relationships, creates affectionate harmony between people, there makes team work possible, and smoothens the progress of social acceptance. So it is very helpful in developing life skills. It is a known fact that the people who are able to manage their emotions can do better in their lives. Emotional intelligence is a way of identifying, understanding, and selecting how we believe, sense, and act. In the growing era of Artificial Intelligence which is lacked by moral values and humanity, Emotional Intelligence is very much essential for our society and youth to maintain the balance between technology and human values. It should be imparted through our educational curriculum at different levels of education matching with the needs of specific life skills.

Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, Life-management, Life-skills, Self-awareness, Personality Development.

Introduction to Emotional Intelligence:

Each nation is depended on young generation as they shape its future. For learning new skills, instilling positivity and creating a mentally healthy environment is very much essential. These objectives can be achieved by promoting thinking, intellectual abilities, personal qualities and 629 | P a g e

interpersonal skills, or we can say emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence, unlike intellectual intelligence, can be developed and strengthened. The graduation years proves to be the best years for students to improve their emotional intelligence level.

Keeping in mind the increased rate of emotional and behavioral problems like low self-esteem, anxiety and depression disorders in children and young adolescents, people around the world believe that teaching skills in the field of emotional intelligence to children and students is essential. These skills lead to increased conformity and a greater chance of success, even in situations with serious risk factors. On the other hand, life skills are defined as personal and social skills, by which people can behave properly with themselves and others. These skills have been beneficial in various programs of mental health filed by preventing of many risk factors such as, anger, depression, low self-esteem, teenage pregnancy, AIDS, and licentious sexual relationship, murders etc. These skills include several key skills that include: Problem-solving, creative thinking, critical thinking, adaptive interpersonal behaviors, self-awareness, with others, and coping with negative emotions and stressors. These skills contribute to emotional intelligence, which unlike intellectual intelligence, is a flexible one, and can be improved.

Emotional Intelligence is the collection of abilities, competencies and skills that signify an accumulation of knowledge in order to cope with life effectively. Therefore, it is closely related to take decisions under stressful and difficult situations which is a mandatory proficiency for the personal and professional growth of the individuals. Emotional intelligence, abbreviated as EI, refers to the ability to perceive, control and evaluate emotions. Some researchers suggest that emotional intelligence can be learned and strengthened, while others claim it is an inborn characteristic. Emotional Intelligence has generated great interest in scientific fields (Mayer & Salovey, 1997).

Concept of Emotional intelligence:

Emotional intelligence plays a major role in organizational effectiveness. It is defined by theorists as the ability to learn how to deal with new and challenging situations. The cognitive ability through which an individual learns to reason well and to adjust effectively from their own experiences is emotional intelligence. Many theorists states that emotional intelligence entails “capabilities to perceive, appraise and express emotion; to access and/or generate feelings when they facilitate thought; to understand emotion and emotional knowledge; and to regulate emotions to promote emotional and intellectual growth.” (Mayer & Salovey, 1997)

There are three main models of emotional intelligence.

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1. The first model by Peter Salovey and John Mayer perceives emotional intelligence as a form of pure intelligence, that is, emotional intelligence is a cognitive ability. 2. A second model by Reuven Bar-On visualized emotional intelligence as a mixed intelligence, consisting of cognitive ability and personality aspects. This model emphasizes how cognitive and personality factors influence general well-being. 3. The third model, A Mixed Model of Emotional Intelligence, introduced by Daniel Goleman, also observes emotional intelligence as a mixed intelligence involving cognitive ability and personality aspects. However, unlike the model proposed by Reuven Bar-On, Goleman's model focuses on how cognitive and personality factors determine workplace success.

Goleman (1995-2003) has encouraged the notion of emotional intelligence and formulated it in terms of a theory of job and work performance. According to Goleman, five primary provinces of emotional intelligence are:

1. Knowing one's emotions. People with greater certainty of their moods and feelings are better navigators of their lives. They can take good resolution and set sensible expectations.

2. Managing emotions: People who have ability to cope with adverse or miserable emotions can soothe themselves at the appropriate time. They can shake off uncontrolled anxiety, gloom or irritability. They show a form of "stress" hardiness.

3. Motivating oneself: People with the capacity for self-efficacy not only manifest emotional self-control, but also use this to accomplish specific pre-set goals. This ability to repress impulsiveness underlies accomplishments of all sorts.

4. Recognizing emotions in others. People with the ability to make out other's emotions based on situational and expressive indications possess information which can be used to create desirable outcomes. Empathetic abilities come with the capacity to not only recognize but also share the emotions felt by others.

5. Handling relationships. People with this skill can get things done with and through others. Over time, the consistent capacity to handle relationships will create leadership opportunities for the individual with this competence.

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Concept of Life skills:

Life skills is a term used to describe a set of basic skills acquired through learning and/or direct life experience that enable individuals and groups to effectively handle issues and problems commonly encountered in daily life.

They include , critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, the ability to communicate and collaborate, along with personal and social responsibility that contribute to good citizenship – all essential skills for success in the 21st century, both for healthy societies and for successful and employable individuals.

To grow into well-functioning adults, it is critical that youth learn key life skills. Life skills include critical and creative thinking, decision-making, effective , as well as skills for developing healthy relationships and a positive self-concepts. Life skills help people make responsible and informed choices and can promote healthy lifestyles as well as career skills. According to WHO, life skills may be defined as “abilities for adaptive and positive behavior, that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life… Every school should enable children and adolescents at all levels to learn critical health and life skills.”

There is no authoritative set of life skills. Some skills may be more or less relevant to us depending on our life circumstances, our culture, beliefs, age, geographic location, etc. However, in 1999, the World Health Organization identified six key areas of life skills:

1. Communication and interpersonal skills 2. Decision-making and problem-solving 3. Creative thinking and critical thinking 4. Self-awareness and empathy 5. Assertiveness and equanimity, or self-control 6. Resilience and ability to cope with problems

Relation between Life Skills and Emotional Intelligence (EI):

Just like other aspects of our persona, for example, I.Q., Emotional Intelligence, , etc. Emotional intelligence is a trait that is there since birth and continues to develop throughout life.

1. Communication and interpersonal skills & EI: Feelings play a big role in communication. Emotional awareness, or the ability to understand feelings, will help us succeed when communicating with other people. If we 632 | P a g e

are emotionally aware, we will communicate better. We will notice the emotions of other people, and how the way they are feeling influences the way they communicate. This broadly describes the skills needed to get on and work with other people, and particularly to transfer and receive messages either in writing or verbally. Administrators and leaders must develop social skills. People who do well in this element of emotional intelligence are great communicators. They are just as open to hearing bad news as good news, and they are experts at getting their team to support them and be excited about a new mission or project. Administrators who have good social skills are also good at managing change and resolving conflicts tactfully. 2. Decision-making and problem-solving & EI: This describes the skills required to understand problems, find solutions to them, alone or with others, and then take action to address them. Leaders emerge from their decision- making powers. Emotional intelligence plays a significant role in many aspects of leaders. It is important to make effective decisions in day to day life in an organization. Strong emotions help leaders to make effective decisions. All workplaces require decision making and all decisions have both cognitive and emotional components. A decision maker‟s emotional processing ability depends on previous experience, current emotional capital or capacity and the emotional investment an individual is willing to make in the decision‟s outcome. 3. Creative thinking and critical thinking & EI: This describes the ability to think in different and unusual ways about problems, and find new solutions, or generate new ideas, coupled with the ability to access information carefully and understand its relevance. Ironically, when we most need creativity, we tend to be in an emotional state where creativity is least accessible. Fear and distress activate the limbic system at the base of our brains. This shuts off the cerebral cortex, where creativity and problem-solving live. Love is the antidote to fear and the wellspring of creativity. For most people, most creativity comes from solving the zillions of problems we all encounter every day. Emotional intelligence encourages us to take risks for creativity and critical thinking. 4. Self-awareness and empathy& EI: Self-awareness and Empathy are the two key parts of emotional intelligence. They describe understanding ourselves and being able to feel for other people as if their experiences were happening to us. If people are self-aware, they always know their feelings and how emotions affect the people around them. Being self-aware people are in administrator or leadership position also means having a clear picture of their strengths and weaknesses. Empathy is decisive factor to manage a successful team or organization. Administrators and leaders with empathy have the ability to put themselves in someone 633 | P a g e

else's situation. They support and develop the people on their team, challenge others who are acting unfairly, give constructive feedback, and listen to those who need it. 5. Assertiveness and equanimity, or self-control & EI: These describe the skills needed to stand up for ourselves and other people, and remain calm even in the face of considerable provocation. Administrators and leaders who regulate themselves successfully hardly verbally attack others, make rushed or emotional decisions, stereotype people, or compromise their values. Self-regulation is all about staying in control. This element of emotional intelligence also covers an administrator and leader's flexibility and commitment to personal accountability. To improve ability to self-regulate, person must

 Know values.  Hold himself accountable.  Practice being calm.

6. Resilience and ability to cope with problems & EI: Emotional resilience describes the ability to recover from setbacks, and treat them as opportunities to learn, or simply experiences. In a broad way, emotional resilience means bouncing back from a stressful encounter and not letting it affect our internal motivation. Emotional resilience is an art of living that is entwined with self-belief, self-compassion, and enhanced cognition. It is the way through which we empower ourselves to perceive adversities as „temporary‟ and keep evolving through the pain and sufferings. (Marano, 2003)

How can we improve our emotional intelligence?

A good starting point for improving our emotional intelligence is to interact with different people from a range of backgrounds. As we‟ve discussed, people with higher emotional intelligence can see things from other people‟s points of view, even if they themselves don‟t agree with them, and the best way to begin to do this is to meet other people and get to know how they think. Another exercise would be to read news and opinion pieces from a wide range of sources, particularly those that we don‟t agree with, and consider the different perspectives taken on topics and why that might be. The aim here isn't necessarily for us to change our views but to understand why people might think differently.

The other aspect of emotional intelligence is getting to know ourselves and how we think. Perhaps most importantly, learn to recognize our triggers for stress or for any negative behaviours and develop strategies for avoiding them. Identify, too, our strengths and what

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combination of circumstances leads you to be at our best. This level of self-awareness will be very attractive to employers and prepare you to achieve our ambitions in the workplace.

To summarize, Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and understand emotions and their impact on behaviour and attitudes. Those who have a high degree of emotional intelligence are in tune with both their own emotions and the emotions of other people with whom they come in contact. Recently, focus on understanding emotions in organizations has resulted in increased attention to the role of Emotional Intelligence.

References:

Goleman, D. 1998. Working with Emotional Intelligence. US: Bantam Books

Kingsley, B. (November 2015). Self Awareness and Emotional Intelligence. Speech at “ and their role in employability – New perspectives in teaching, assessment and certification”, workshop in Bertinoro, FC, Italy.

Salovey, P. and Mayer, J. 1997. What is Emotional Intelligence? Emotional Development and Emotional Intelligence: Educational Implications. New York: Basic Books. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4185134/

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