Cognitive and Non-cognitive Abilities Relating to Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence refers to an individual’s capability of recognizing, controlling and evaluating their emotions, of others and of groups; and can be an inborn characteristic or learned characteristic (Cherniss, 2000). Emotional intelligence enables people to effectively communicate with others, understand their emotions and those of others, relate better to others, build healthier relationships, attain greater achievement at work, and lead more fulfilling lives. This concept is applied to organizational behavior when individuals are dealing with leadership and relationships between co-workers in an organization setting in terms of perception and interpretation of situations and individual differences (Baack, 2012).
Cognitive abilities are the brain skills an individual employs when carrying out any tasks from their simplest to the most complex forms. They have to do with an individual’s understanding of the environment surrounding them and include items such as memorization and problem solving. (Baack, 2012).
The non-cognitive abilities refer to the interpersonal and communication skills, diligence, and other “soft skills” that determine whether or not an individual can get along well with others, and form good relationships (Cherniss, 2000). These abilities cannot be objectively measured and may not be naturally acquired, but can be learned.
In general, the cognitive intelligence is founded on the intelligence quotient while the emotional intelligence is a combination of the cognitive and the non-cognitive abilities, as factors that determine an individual’s ability to attain success (Cherniss, 2000).
Currently, the world is in the information age, and all human beings depend on information acquisition and effective utilization in order to achieve success in whatever they are doing. The introduction of the model of emotional intelligence has increased our knowledge and understanding of the people and the environment surrounding us and has also increased our abilities to problem solve. An example of practical use of emotional intelligence is when a colleague in an office setup is seemingly disturbed and unable to carry on with the day’s activities. It is upon you to utilize the emotional intelligence to reach out to them and bring them back on track to carry on with their duty.
References
Baack, D. (2012). Organizational behavior. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc
Cherniss, C. (2000). Emotional intelligence: What it is and why it matters. In annual meeting of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, New Orleans, LA (Vol. 15).