What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

What exactly is “illiteracy”? Is it this common theme within the community that places certain individuals into a certain group? Does it represent the kids that “didn’t try” hard enough in school. Does it represent those minorities struggling in communities? For many of people this is all too common of an issue that is not given a though during a day, week, or even month. We spend time obsessing over those with AIDS but we have more pressing issues than just that one. Illiteracy is a common issue which correlates to economic, financial, life, comprehension, and so many more different types. The one associated with the word, the majority of the time, is comprehension illiteracy. This means you can’t read nor write whatever your situation is. It is not meant to “represent” a group of people as it is meant to represent a social problem. This is a worldwide epidemic in which we ignore. In America we have over 79 different organizations. We tend to not see the bigger picture, as it is not our fault, but those of the media in which it is not covered. There has been little in regards to awareness from the federal government it creates a problem. Illiteracy can affect lives in so many different ways: not being able to sign forms or visit the doctor, always be in financial burden, not being able to understand social cues and how to act in public, and the fact you can’t read and write. 1 in 7 people will not be able to read this paper. There are solutions, but not all are 100% agreed upon. What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

 

EPermalink: https://nursingpaperessays.com/what-is-the-mean…racy-essay-paper/ ‎motional literacy is made up of ‘the ability to understand your emotions, the ability to listen to others and empathise with their emotions, and the ability to express emotions productively. To be emotionally literate is to be able to handle emotions in a way that improves your personal power and improves the quality of life around you. Emotional literacy improves relationships, creates loving possibilities between people, makes co-operative work possible, and facilitates the feeling of community.^[2]:11

Steiner breaks emotional literacy into 5 parts:

1. Knowing your feelings.
2. Having a sense of empathy.
3. Learning to manage our emotions.
4. Repairing emotional problems.
5. Putting it all together: emotional interactivity.

Having its roots in counseling, it is a social definition that has interactions between people at its heart. According to Steiner emotional literacy is about understanding your feelings and those of others to facilitate relationships, including using dialogue and self-control to avoid negative arguments. The ability to be aware and read other people’s feelings enables one to interact with them effectively so that powerful emotional situations can be handled in a skillful way. Steiner calls this “emotional interactivity”. Steiner’s model of emotional literacy is therefore primarily about dealing constructively with the emotional difficulties we experience to build a sound future. He believes that personal power can be increased and relationships transformed. The emphasis is on the individual, and as such encourages one to look inward rather than to the social setting in which an individual operates.What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

In Britain, the term ’emotional literacy’ is often used and has developed, building on the work of Steiner and Goleman^[3] as a social construction – as opposed to the more individualistic ’emotional intelligence’ with the attempts to measure it as if emotions were measurable in a relatively rational way.^[4][5][6] Educators did not like the way that ’emotional intelligence’ focused so much on the individual and there were clear attempts to avoid the narrow EQ tests that were in use for two reasons:

1. The idea of an EQ test had resonance with discredited^{[citation needed]} psychometric measures of intelligence such as IQ tests.
2. People were also concerned with the way that pupils could be subject to even more control through the introduction of emotional intelligence into the curriculum.^[4][5][7][8]

The National Curriculum in England and Wales emphasized a range of cognitive skills that were controlled through exams. Educators saw the need to expand the range of skills that pupils required and were also concerned with social inclusion. The Labour Government provided an overarching rationale for this with its promotion of well-being.^[9][10] However, when the Department of Children, Schools and Families developed a scheme for schools – called the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) – it was based on Goleman’s definition of emotional intelligence.^[11][12] Hence any distinctions between the terms emotional intelligence and emotional literacy were blurred. Even so, key educators in Britain continued to use the term emotional literacy. Emotional literacy took on an aspect that was concern with personal growth. For example, the importance of developing relationships is, to a degree, in Weare’s definition:What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

The ability to understand ourselves and other people, and in particular to be aware of, understand, and use information about the emotional states of ourselves and others with competence. It includes the ability to understand, express and manage our own emotions, and respond to the emotions of others, in ways that are helpful to ourselves and others.^[13]

Similarly, the organization Antidote^[14] defined emotional literacy as:

the practice of interacting with others in ways that build understanding of our own and others’ emotions, then using this understanding to inform our actions.

These definitions acknowledge both the individual and other people and so inter-personal relationships and the need for dialogue are included. Sharp^[15] has taken a broad approach to emotional literacy in a Local Education Authority (LEA) where he considers its development is important for teachers as well as pupils.

However, there was still an underlying assumption about the individual and how they develop as if they were culturally isolated and separate from factors such as religion and gender.^[4] Also, the development of emotional literacy was justified by arguing that its introduction would help to improve other factors such as behavior, attendance and academic achievement. Boler^[4]researched four of the emotional programs in America. She pointed out that the programs tended to view pupils as individuals who are in need of development through enabling them to control their impulses. This can mean that pupils are to become responsible for their own control and that other social factors can be ignored. It is possible that these programs can open the way for greater control of pupils with even their emotions being assessed. On the one hand the development of emotional literacy programs can be seen as progressive, but on the other the focus seems quite inward, as there is little reference leading to any broader concept of social and political reform  What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

^{This study investigates the relationship between the levels of trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) of teachersof English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and the teaching strategies they use in the classroom to develop students’ emotional literacy (EL). It also examines the influence of factors such as teaching experience and class size on teachers’ choice of EL strategies. The study used a mixed methods design, first administering questionnaires to EFL teachers (N = 102) within Cyprus and locations outside the country, followed by in-depth interviews with a smaller number of respondents (N = 11). Overall, the questionnaire results indicated a correlationbetween teachers’ trait EI and teaching practices. Furthermore, the content analysis of the interviews, showed that the level of educational sector (school vs university) plays a significant role in the use of these strategies and identified areas for improvement. The results form the basis for recommendations for an EL training program targeting the promotion of EL in the EFL classroom.}

In the same way that Goleman^[11] discusses emotional intelligence educational programs, emotional literacy programs can also be more about coping with the social and political status quo in a caring, interactive and emotionally supportive environment than with any systematic attempt to move beyond it to social improvement.When it comes to happiness and success in life, emotional intelligence (EQ) matters just as much as intellectual ability or IQ. Emotional intelligence helps you build stronger relationships, succeed at school and work, and achieve your career and personal goals. Building your emotional intelligence can also help you to connect with your feelings, manage stress, turn intention into action, and make informed decisions about what matters most to you. Learn more about why emotional intelligence is so important and how you can boost your own EQ by mastering a few key skills.What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

What is emotional intelligence or EQ?

Emotional intelligence (otherwise known as emotional quotient or EQ) is the ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict. EQ also allows you to recognize and understand what others are experiencing emotionally. For the most part, this is a nonverbal process that both informs your thinking and influences how well you connect with others.

Everyone’s always talking about Emotional Intelligence (EI) but what exactly is it? One important aspect of emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, control and evaluate emotions – in oneself and others – and to use that information appropriately. For example, recognizing emotional intelligence in oneself can help you regulate and manage your emotions, while recognizing emotions in others can lead to empathy and success in your relationships, both personal and professional.

Given the importance of emotional intelligence, I thought it might be helpful to give a very brief overview of the topic, as well as 10 ways to enhance your emotional intelligence, originally published in my book “The Emotional Revolution.”What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

In 1990, Yale psychologists John D. Mayer and Peter Salovey originally coined the term emotional intelligence, which some researchers claim that is an inborn characteristic, while others suggest that you can improve it with proper guidance and practice. I agree with both schools and obviously with the latter – or I wouldn’t be giving you tips as to what you can do to improve your EI.

It may not be possible for everyone to have a psychotherapist. But you can become your own therapist. (After all, Freud analyzed himself.) It all starts with learning how to listen to your feelings. While it may not always be easy, developing the ability to tune in to your own emotions is the first and perhaps most important step.

Here are 10 Ways to Enhance Your Emotional Intelligence:

1. Don’t interrupt or change the subject. If feelings are uncomfortable, we may want to avoid them by interrupting or distracting ourselves. Sit down at least twice a day and ask, “How am I feeling?” It may take a little time for the feelings to arise. Allow yourself that small space of time, uninterrupted.What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

2. Don’t judge or edit your feelings too quickly. Try not to dismiss your feelings before you have a chance to think them through. Healthy emotions often rise and fall in a wave, rising, peaking, and fading naturally. Your aim should be not to cut off the wave before it peaks.

3. See if you can find connections between your feelings and other times you have felt the same way. When a difficult feeling arises, ask yourself, “When have I felt this feeling before?” Doing this may help you to realize if your current emotional state is reflective of the current situation, or of another time in your past.

4. Connect your feelings with your thoughts. When you feel something that strikes you as out of the ordinary, it is always useful to ask, “What do I think about that?” Often times, one of our feelings will contradict others. That’s normal. Listening to your feelings is like listening to all the witnesses in a court case. Only by admitting all the evidence will you be able to reach the best verdict.

Social awareness enables you to recognize and interpret the mainly nonverbal cues others are constantly using to communicate with you. These cues let you know how others are really feeling, how their emotional state is changing from moment to moment, and what’s truly important to them. When groups of people send out similar nonverbal cues, you’re able to read and understand the power dynamics and shared emotional experiences of the group. In short, you’re empathetic and socially comfortable.

Mindfulness is an ally of emotional and social awareness

To build social awareness, you need to recognize the importance of mindfulness in the social process. After all, you can’t pick up on subtle nonverbal cues when you’re in your own head, thinking about other things, or simply zoning out on your phone. Social awareness requires your presence in the moment. While many of us pride ourselves on an ability to multitask, this means that you’ll miss the subtle emotional shifts taking place in other people that help you fully understand them.What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

• You are actually more likely to further your social goals by setting other thoughts aside and focusing on the interaction itself.
• Following the flow of another person’s emotional responses is a give-and-take process that requires you to also pay attention to the changes in your own emotional experience.
• Paying attention to others doesn’t diminish your own self-awareness. By investing the time and effort to really pay attention to others, you’ll actually gain insight into your own emotional state as well as your values and beliefs. For example, if you feel discomfort hearing others express certain views, you’ll have learned something important about yourself.

Relationship management

Working well with others is a process that begins with emotional awareness and your ability to recognize and understand what other people are experiencing. Once emotional awareness is in play, you can effectively develop additional social/emotional skills that will make your relationships more effective, fruitful, and fulfilling.

Become aware of how effectively you use nonverbal communication. It’s impossible to avoid sending nonverbal messages to others about what you think and feel. The many muscles in the face, especially those around the eyes, nose, mouth and forehead, help you to wordlessly convey your own emotions as well as read other peoples’ emotional intent. The emotional part of your brain is always on—and even if you ignore its messages—others won’t. Recognizing the nonverbal messages that you send to others can play a huge part in improving your relationships.

Use humor and play to relieve stress. Humor, laughter and play are natural antidotes to stress. They lessen your burdens and help you keep things in perspective. Laughter brings your nervous system into balance, reducing stress, calming you down, sharpening your mind and making you more empathic.

Learn to see conflict as an opportunity to grow closer to others. Conflict and disagreements are inevitable in human relationships. Two people can’t possibly have the same needs, opinions, and expectations at all times. However, that needn’t be a bad thing. Resolving conflict in healthy, constructive ways can strengthen trust between people. When conflict isn’t perceived as threatening or punishing, it fosters freedom, creativity, and safety in relationships.What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

Emotional intelligence is commonly defined by four attributes:

1. Self-management – You’re able to control impulsive feelings and behaviors, manage your emotions in healthy ways, take initiative, follow through on commitments, and adapt to changing circumstances.
2. Self-awareness – You recognize your own emotions and how they affect your thoughts and behavior. You know your strengths and weaknesses, and have self-confidence.
3. Social awareness – You have empathy. You can understand the emotions, needs, and concerns of other people, pick up on emotional cues, feel comfortable socially, and recognize the power dynamics in a group or organization.
4. Relationship management – You know how to develop and maintain good relationships, communicate clearly, inspire and influence others, work well in a team, and manage conflict.

Why is emotional intelligence so important?

As we know, it’s not the smartest people who are the most successful or the most fulfilled in life. You probably know people who are academically brilliant and yet are socially inept and unsuccessful at work or in their personal relationships. Intellectual ability or your intelligence quotient (IQ) isn’t enough on its own to achieve success in life. Yes, your IQ can help you get into college, but it’s your EQ that will help you manage the stress and emotions when facing your final exams. IQ and EQ exist in tandem and are most effective when they build off one another.

Emotional intelligence affects:

Your performance at school or work. High emotional intelligence can help you navigate the social complexities of the workplace, lead and motivate others, and excel in your career. In fact, when it comes to gauging important job candidates, many companies now rate emotional intelligence as important as technical ability and employ EQ testing before hiring.

Your physical health. If you’re unable to manage your emotions, you are probably not managing your stress either. This can lead to serious health problems. Uncontrolled stress raises blood pressure, suppresses the immune system, increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes, contributes to infertility, and speeds up the aging process. The first step to improving emotional intelligence is to learn how to manage stress.What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

Your mental health. Uncontrolled emotions and stress can also impact your mental health, making you vulnerable to anxiety and depression. If you are unable to understand, get comfortable with, or manage your emotions, you’ll also struggle to form strong relationships. This in turn can leave you feeling lonely and isolated and further exacerbate any mental health problems.

Your relationships. By understanding your emotions and how to control them, you’re better able to express how you feel and understand how others are feeling. This allows you to communicate more effectively and forge stronger relationships, both at work and in your personal life.

 

 

 

Your social intelligence. Being in tune with your emotions serves a social purpose, connecting you to other people and the world around you. Social intelligence enables you to recognize friend from foe, measure another person’s interest in you, reduce stress, balance your nervous system through social communication, and feel loved and happy.

Building emotional intelligence: 4 key skills to increasing your EQ

The skills that make up emotional intelligence can be learned at any time. However, it’s important to remember that there is a difference between simply learning about EQ and applying that knowledge to your life. Just because you know you should do something doesn’t mean you will—especially when you become overwhelmed by stress, which can override your best intentions. In order to permanently change behavior in ways that stand up under pressure, you need to learn how to overcome stress in the moment, and in your relationships, in order to remain emotionally aware.

The key skills for building your EQ and improving your ability to manage emotions and connect with others are:

1. Self-management
2. Self-awareness
3. Social awareness
4. Relationship management

Building emotional intelligence, key skill 1: Self-management

In order for you to engage your EQ, you must be able use your emotions to make constructive decisions about your behavior. When you become overly stressed, you can lose control of your emotions and the ability to act thoughtfully and appropriately.

Think about a time when stress has overwhelmed you. Was it easy to think clearly or make a rational decision? Probably not. When you become overly stressed, your ability to both think clearly and accurately assess emotions—your own and other people’s—becomes compromised.

Emotions are important pieces of information that tell you about yourself and others, but in the face of stress that takes us out of our comfort zone, we can become overwhelmed and lose control of ourselves. With the ability to manage stress and stay emotionally present, you can learn to receive upsetting information without letting it override your thoughts and self-control. You’ll be able to make choices that allow you to control impulsive feelings and behaviors, manage your emotions in healthy ways, take initiative, follow through on commitments, and adapt to changing circumstances.

 Self-awareness

Managing stress is just the first step to building emotional intelligence. The science of attachment indicates that your current emotional experience is likely a reflection of your early life experience. Your ability to manage core feelings such as anger, sadness, fear, and joy often depends on the quality and consistency of your early life emotional experiences. If your primary caretaker as an infant understood and valued your emotions, it’s likely your emotions have become valuable assets in adult life. But, if your emotional experiences as an infant were confusing, threatening or painful, it’s likely you’ve tried to distance yourself from your emotions.What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

But being able to connect to your emotions—having a moment-to-moment connection with your changing emotional experience—is the key to understanding how emotion influences your thoughts and actions.

Do you experience feelings that flow, encountering one emotion after another as your experiences change from moment to moment?

Are your emotions accompanied by physical sensations that you experience in places like your stomach, throat, or chest?

Do you experience individual feelings and emotions, such as anger, sadness, fear, and joy, each of which is evident in subtle facial expressions?

Can you experience intense feelings that are strong enough to capture both your attention and that of others?

Do you pay attention to your emotions? Do they factor into your decision making?

If any of these experiences are unfamiliar, you may have “turned down” or “turned off” your emotions. In order to build EQ—and become emotionally healthy—you must reconnect to your core emotions, accept them, and become comfortable with them. You can achieve this through the practice of mindfulness.

Mindfulness is the practice of purposely focusing your attention on the present moment—and without judgment. The cultivation of mindfulness has roots in Buddhism, but most religions include some type of similar prayer or meditation technique. Mindfulness helps shift your preoccupation with thought toward an appreciation of the moment, your physical and emotional sensations, and brings a larger perspective on life. Mindfulness calms and focuses you, making you more self-aware in the process.

Characteristics of Emotional Intelligence

In his book titled “Emotional Intelligence – Why It Can Matter More Than IQ” 1995, /community/BookInsights/EmotionalIntelligence.phpDaniel Goleman, an American psychologist, developed a framework of five elements that define emotional intelligence:What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

1. Self-Awareness – People with high emotional intelligence are usually very self-aware . They understand their emotions, and because of this, they don’t let their feelings rule them. They’re confident – because they trust their intuition and don’t let their emotions get out of control.They’re also willing to take an honest look at themselves. They know their strengths and weaknesses, and they work on these areas so they can perform better. Many people believe that this self-awareness is the most important part of emotional intelligence.
2. Self-Regulation – This is the ability to control emotions  and impulses. People who self-regulate typically don’t allow themselves to become too angry or jealous, and they don’t make impulsive, careless decisions. They think before they act. Characteristics of self-regulation are thoughtfulness, comfort with change, integrity , and the ability to say no.
3. Motivation – People with a high degree of emotional intelligence are usually motivated . They’re willing to defer immediate results for long-term success. They’re highly productive, love a challenge, and are very effective in whatever they do.
4. Empathy – This is perhaps the second-most important element of emotional intelligence. Empathy  is the ability to identify with and understand the wants, needs, and viewpoints of those around you. People with empathy are good at recognizing the feelings of others, even when those feelings may not be obvious. As a result, empathetic people are usually excellent at managing relationships , listening , and relating to others. They avoid stereotyping and judging too quickly, and they live their lives in a very open, honest way.
5. Social Skills – It’s usually easy to talk to and like people with good social skills, another sign of high emotional intelligence. Those with strong social skills are typically team players. Rather than focus on their own success first, they help others develop and shine. They can manage disputes, are excellent communicators, and are masters at building and maintaining relationships.

Terms reproduced by permission of Bloomsbury Press.

As you’ve probably determined, emotional intelligence can be a key to success in your life – especially in your career. The ability to manage people and relationships is very important in all leaders, so developing and using your emotional intelligence can be a good way to show others the leader inside of you.What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

How to Improve Your Emotional Intelligence

The good news is that emotional intelligence can be learned and developed. As well as working on your skills in the five areas above, use these strategies:

• Observe how you react to people. Do you rush to judgment before you know all of the facts? Do you stereotype? Look honestly at how you think and interact with other people. Try to put yourself in their place , and be more open and accepting of their perspectives and needs.
• Look at your work environment. Do you seek attention for your accomplishments? Humility can be a wonderful quality, and it doesn’t mean that you’re shy or lack self-confidence. When you practice humility, you say that you know what you did, and you can be quietly confident about it. Give others a chance to shine – put the focus on them, and don’t worry too much about getting praise for yourself.
• Do a self-evaluation. Try out our emotional intelligence quiz . What are your weaknesses? Are you willing to accept that you’re not perfect and that you could work on some areas to make yourself a better person? Have the courage to look at yourself honestly – it can change your life.
• Examine how you react to stressful situations. Do you become upset every time there’s a delay or something doesn’t happen the way you want? Do you blame others or become angry at them, even when it’s not their fault? The ability to stay calm and in control in difficult situations is highly valued – in the business world and outside it. Keep your emotions under control when things go wrong.
• Take responsibility  for your actions. If you hurt someone’s feelings, apologize directly – don’t ignore what you did or avoid the person. People are usually more willing to forgive and forget if you make an honest attempt to make things right.
• Examine how your actions will affect others – before you take those actions. If your decision will impact others, put yourself in their place. How will they feel if you do this? Would you want that experience? If you must take the action, how can you help others deal with the effects?

If you are one of the unlucky people who must deal with a clueless colleague or a brutish boss, you’re not alone. Sadly, far too many people at work lack basic emotional intelligence. They simply don’t seem to have the self-awareness and the social skills that are necessary to work in our complicated multicultural and fast-moving companies. These people make life hell for the rest of us.What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

What can you do to turn these folks around and make work a healthier, happier, more productive place to be? Whose job is it, anyway, to fix these people?

If one of these socially awkward or downright nasty people works directly for you, it is indeed your job to do something. They ruin work teams and destroy productivity, not to mention morale. They’re little time bombs that go off when you least expect it — sucking up your time and draining everyone’s energy. They need to change, or they need to leave.

Here’s the problem: EI is difficult to develop because it is linked to psychological development and neurological pathways created over an entire lifetime. It takes a lot of effort to change long-standing habits of human interaction — not to mention foundational competencies like self-awareness and emotional self-control. People need to be invested in changing their behavior and developing their EI, or it just doesn’t happen. What this means in practice is that you don’t have even a remote chance of changing someone’s EI unless they want to change.

Most of us assume that people will change their behavior when told to do so by a person with authority (you, the manager). For complicated change and development, however, it is clear as day that people don’t sustainchange when promised incentives like good assignments or a better office. And when threatened or punished, they get downright ornery and behave really badly. Carrot and stick performance management processes and the behaviorist approach upon which they are based are deeply flawed, and yet most of us start (and end) there, even in the most innovative organizations.

What does work is a) helping people find a deep and very personal vision of their own future and b) then helping them see how their current ways of operating might need a bit of work if that future is to be realized. These are the first two steps in Richard Boyatzis’ Intentional Change theory — which we’ve been testing with leaders for years. According to Boyatzis — and backed up by our work with leaders — here’s how people really can begin and sustain change on complex abilities linked to emotional intelligence:What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

First, find the dream. If you’re coaching an employee, you must firsthelp him or her discover what’s important in life. Only then can you move on to aspects of work that are important to this person. Then, help your employee craft a clear and compelling vision of a future that includes powerful and positive relationships with family, friends, and coworkers. Notice that I’m talking about coaching your employee, not managing him. There’s a big difference.

Next, find out what’s really going on: What’s the current state of this person’s emotional intelligence? Once a person has a powerful dream to draw strength from, he’s strong enough to take the heat — to find out the truth. If you are now truly coaching him, you’re trusted and he’ll listen to you. Still, that’s probably not enough. You will want to find a way to gather input from others, either through a 360-degree feedback instrument like the ESCI (Emotional and Social Competency Inventory), or a Leadership Self Study process (as described in our book, Becoming a Resonant Leader), which gives you the chance to talk directly to trusted friends about their EI and other skills.

Once you have the dream and the reality, it’s time for a gap analysis and a learning plan. Note that I did not say “performance management plan,” or even “development plan.” A learning plan is different in that it charts a direct path from the personal vision to what must be learned over time to get there — to actual skill development.What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

Learning goals are big. Take, for example, one executive I know. Talented though he was, he was in danger of being fired for his distinct lack of caring about the people around him. He wanted what he wanted, and watch out if you were in his way. He couldn’t seem to change until it finally dawned on him that his bulldozer style was playing out at home too, with his children. That didn’t fit at all with his dream of a happy, close-knit family, living close to one another throughout their lives. So, with a dream in hand and the ugly reality rearing its head at work and at home, he decided to work on developing empathy. As a learning goal, empathy is one of the toughest and most important competencies to develop. The capacity for emotional and cognitive empathy is laid down early in life, and then reinforced over many years. This gentleman had a good foundation for empathy in childhood, but intense schooling and a stint at an up-or-out management consulting firm drove it out of him. He needed to relearn how to read people and care about them. He was able to succeed. Yes, it took a good while, but he did it.

This sounds like a lot of hard work for your employee, and it can be. Here’s where a final important piece of the theory comes into play. They — and you — can’t do it alone. People need people — kind and supportive people — when embarking on a journey of self-development. Are you there for your employees? Do you help thme find other supporters, in addition to yourself, who will help when their confidence wanes or when they experience inevitable setbacks?

Developing one’s emotional intelligence can make the difference between success and failure in life and in work. And, if you’re the one responsible for people’s contributions to the team and your organization, you are actually on the hook to try to help those (many) people who are EI-challenged, deficient, and dangerous. It’s your job.

But what if you’re not the boss? You can still make a difference with colleagues, too. All of the same rules apply to how people change. You just need to find a different entry point. In my experience, that entry begins with you creating a safe space and establishing trust. Find something to like about these people and let them know it. Give them credit where credit is due, and then some (most of these folks are pretty insecure). Be kind. In other words, use your EI to help them get ready to work on theirs.

Emotional Intelligence is highly important in a teen’s development. There is considerable evidence pointing to its positive role in helping students deal with stress, develop relationships, and handle the transitions facing them.What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

Whether you’re a teacher, parent, or a student yourself, you’ve probably become well aware of how it’s been popping up everywhere recently, in lessons, curricula, and even exams.

Here, we’ll look at the fascinating research on Emotional Intelligence for teens and students—why it matters, and how to develop it. Then we’ll dive into an in-depth look at some different ways that teachers and teens alike can take this knowledge and use it in practice.

In our work with schools, it’s now commonplace for us to hear those in education talking about helping students (and staff) develop their emotional intelligence. But what do we mean exactly? Why and how should teachers support its development in their students?

Emotional intelligence can be said to cover five main areas: self-awareness, emotional control, self-motivation, empathy and relationship skills. It is, of course, important for good communication with others – and is therefore a gateway to better learning, friendships, academic success and employment. Skills such as these developed in our formative years at school often provide the foundation for future habits later on in life.

The term emotional intelligence was popularised in the mid 90s by journalist Daniel Goleman’s book, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. The book’s claims that emotional intelligence is more important than IQ is a source of debate among psychologists, but it does look as if emotional intelligence could be a factor in academic achievement.

An iconic study tracked high-IQ students from childhood to late adulthood and found that those who achieved notable adult career success showed greater “will power, perseverance and desire to excel”. Meanwhile, evidence from the seminal marshmallow test – which gave children the option to have more treats if they could wait before eating them – suggested delayed gratification and self-control are important, with these characteristics being linked to better school grades, earnings and job satisfaction.

Regardless of debates over whether emotional intelligence can be measured, we believe it’s worthwhile for schools to explore some of its main facets. Here’s how.

The skill of active listening is a key part of helping create genuine two-way communication – and it is about far more than just paying attention. It involves genuinely following dialogue and responding to others using your own body language, then being able to demonstrate that you have understood by verbally summarising back key messages that have been received.

In the classroom, this can affect how students take on feedback from teachers. A recent review found that 38% of feedback interventions do more harm than good. This may be in part because people often make common mistakes when receiving feedback – misinterpreting it as being a personal judgement on who they are, for example, and thinking about when the speaker will finish talking so they can reply instead of listening fully to what is being said.What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

A vocabulary for feelings

Researcher Lisa Barrett states that interpersonal skills can be enhanced by helping students increase their emotion vocabulary. Encouraging students to understand the difference between “sad”, “disappointed” and “upset” acts as springboard to develop appropriate strategies for each. In short, every emotion word you learn is a new tool for future emotional intelligence.

A simple way to introduce this to students is to play the alphabet game: as a class you see how many different emotions you can come up with for each letter of the alphabet. Afterwards, discuss the differences between each, what might prompt the emotions, and how students could individually respond. If looking for inspiration on this, we recommend this poster as a possible starting point.

Developing self-awareness

When we have low self-awareness, we’re at risk of not realising how we come across to others, and letting an over inflated self-image skew our behaviour and social interactions.What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

A well-known study once saw researchers ask students how they thought they did in a test, and then compared their perceptions with their actual results. They found that most students overestimated their ability, with this most likely to be the case in students who had done poorly. This is known as The Dunning-Kruger effect and is one of the most common thinking biases in education.

They also found that strategies to help students improve their self-awareness include teaching them metacognitive strategies. One way of doing this is to encourage them to ask self-reflective questions such as “What could I have done differently?” Or use a communication self-evaluation questionnaire, which can help students begin to understand their interpersonal skills.

Showing empathy as being ‘with’ others

Empathy is the ability to take the perspective of another person while being non-judgemental, recognising the emotions they are feeling, and being able to convey their perspective back to them. Evidence suggests that reading is a great way to develop this skill. Researcher Brené Brown’s animated short video is also a great conversation starter to use with students.

Reflecting back the other person’s perspective helps to make the other person feel understood, which in turn increases the likelihood of collaboration and support. Children generally develop empathy through observing how others show it – including watching teachers and students empathise with each other. Using phrases such as “I understand/realise/can see” can help to show students how understanding of other perspective can be expressed.

Managing emotions and self-regulation

The Sutton Trust states that helping students improve their self-regulation – the ability to manage thoughts and feelings – is one of the most effective and efficient ways to support students. This is especially so in secondary schools, with the gap between impulse control and sensation seeking being at its widest in early teenage years.

What do self-regulation techniques look like? There are approaches that are used by athletes which can be applied to the classroom – the principles remain the same. These include seeing events as an opportunity rather than a threat and helpful self-talk , for example. Reinforce to students that emotional management skills are not fixed but can be developed. This takes a considerable amount of effort and patience from both the student and the teacher, as it is often a gradual process over a large period of time.

1. Identifying which specific emotions you’re feeling.

For example, do you know the difference between feeling jealous and feeling envious? How about the difference between shame and embarrassment? (*see the bottom of this article to find out if you’re right.) Do you recognize when you’re feeling anxious, angry, or ashamed? Are there some emotions you’re better at identifying in yourself than other emotions? (Many people have a hard time identifying when they feel ashamed but an easier time recognizing when they feel anxious.)What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

2. Identifying which specific emotions someone else is feeling.

For example, do you notice when your partner is reacting angrily because they are feeling anger + embarrassment, instead of just recognizing the anger element.

Try to label others’ emotions correctly rather than just labelling others as “in a bad mood.”

You’ll be able to provide more effective reactions if you can correctly identify which specific emotions other people are having. If you realize you’re unsure, you can ask the person to help you understand.

3. The ability to start and persist with pursuing goals even when you feel anxious.

If you can tolerate feeling anxious you’ll be less likely to avoid trying new things, more likely to try things a second time if it didn’t go well the first time, and less likely to abandon projects before they’ve become successful.

4. The ability to tolerate awkwardness.

Can you communicate clearly and directly when it makes sense to do this even when you’re feeling awkward? For example, when you need to explain to someone why you’ve decided not to use their service. Or, do you avoid these situations?

5. The ability to have intimate conversations rather than stonewall, avoid, or flee.

For example, if your partner wants to talk about having another baby and you’re not on the same page, do you flat out refuse to have the conversation (termed “stonewalling,”) try to change the subject whenever it comes up, or disappear from the room when the subject is raised?

A cautious answer is that psychologists still are not sure whether adults can enhance their emotional intelligence. Current research suggests, however, that people can almost surely increase their emotional competence.

To explain the distinction, I first need to define these terms. Emotional intelligence is the ability to reason about emotions and emotional information, which includes recognizing, understanding and managing feelings in ourselves. Psychologists view intelligence as mental capacities. Demonstrating an increase in a person’s potential to learn something is very difficult, which is why we do not know whether emotional intelligence can improve.What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

In contrast, emotional competence—a person’s emotional functioning or ability to learn about emotions—is relatively straightforward to measure. The largest review of curricula in social and emotional learning, which aggregated studies with thousands of participants, indicated that the programs improve students’ social interactions, well-being and sometimes even academic achievement. The few studies that have focused exclusively on adult learning appear to follow the same pattern, so there is good reason to believe that emotional knowledge and functioning can be enhanced in adulthood.

Finally, I would ask: Is it worth improving our emotional functioning? Some pundits overestimate the importance of emotional intelligence—saying, for example, that emotional intelligence explains more than 85 percent of outstanding performance in top leaders and that emotional intelligence—not IQ—predicts exemplary performance. My colleagues and I have never found such claims to be true. Rather we have uncovered more modest benefits, namely that greater emotional intelligence can improve relationships and happiness over time.

Individuals can find success in many ways and may not feel the need to improve emotional intelligence. But those who do want to learn about their emotions may be pleased with the rewards.

Together with their family and friends, each couple is full of hopes and dreams for their future life together. But the road to a happy marriage is far from easy. And as today’s divorce statistics demonstrate all too well, many couples opt not to complete the journey.

It would be easy to blame our high rate of marital failure on things like not spending enough quality time together, allowing bitterness and resentment to build in our hearts and failing to keep communication lines open. There’s no end to books, articles and seminars that tell you how to improve these and many other aspects of your relationship. But while quality time, forgiveness and communication are vitally important to creating a happy marriage, if such things aren’t happening, it’s usually a sign of a much deeper problem. And until this problem is addressed, no amount of external behavior modification will work.

To get a hint of what this deeper issue might be, let’s take a look at the following Scripture passage:

One of them, an expert in the law, tested him [Jesus] with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it:

‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:35-40)

I believe that virtually every marital problem can be traced back to one or both partners failing to abide by these two laws. The same is true of any relationship. The minute we begin to focus on our own wants and needs over those of God or our partner; we’re destined for trouble.

Experiencing communication problems in your marriage? How often do you really focus on listening to what your partner (or God) has to say instead of insisting on more airtime? Feeling bitterness and resentment growing toward your partner? When was the last time you brought him or her before the Lord in prayer and truly thanked God for your relationship? Struggling to find quality time together? How about praying with your partner and asking God how he would like you to use your time?What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

As you begin to do these things, you’ll notice that your focus automatically starts to shift away from you and your desires and over to God and your partner. As a result, communication problems begin to improve, anger and resentment fade away and you naturally want to spend more time together. Of course, you can’t expect such changes to happen overnight. Your relationship is also bound to face financial pressures, child-rearing issues and other problems that are beyond your control. But if you commit your relationship to God and make a conscious decision each day to put God and your partner first, your marriage will be able to weather any storm. Not only that; you’ll also have plenty of fun together along the way!

We often find ourselves talking about ‘emotional literacy‘ and ‘emotional intelligence‘, and attempting to define these two concepts in order to carry on a useful dialogue about them. To this end we’re summarising in this particular post what Susie Orbach writes in her introduction to her excellent book ‘Towards Emotional Literacy’. [1999, Virago]

It’s interesting that throughout this book there’s no mention of ’emotional intelligence’, which is a concept that’s widely spoken about elsewhere. 3Di has its own take on emotional intelligence, which we’ll blog about later this week. We’ll also comment on Daniel Goleman’s seminal book entitled “Emotional Intelligence”, and we’ll offer a critique of Goleman’s usage of that concept.

In our view this issue is far from a quarrel over semantics. Emotional literacy needs to be developed in homes and in schools (and if necessary in workplaces), as does emotional intelligence. Through becoming emotionally literate, children and young people (and if necessary adults) learn the language of feelings and emotions and learn to register and recognise such inner states. Through interactions with parents, teachers and their peers they learn to practice emotional intelligence, which is the positive management of destructive (or potentially destructive) emotions.

Hence, according to Matthews, emotional literacy is a social process that takes place in a social setting, is something that is never really achieved, and has to be seen in conjunction with others. This indicates that key components of emotional literacy, which is a continual process, that includes dialogue, acceptance of ambiguity and the ability to reflect. Judgments are made on a person’s individual-in-group emotional literacy. He argues:Matthews (2006)^[7] argues against the concept of ’emotional intelligence’ and for a developed definition of ’emotional literacy’. His starting point is that all social and emotional interactions take place in a cultural context and that generally all emotions are felt because of interactions with other people. He argues that a group may, for example, contain men and women and people from a range of ethnicities. One could judge a person’s emotional literacy by observing what they brought to the situation, the way they interacted and the degree to which they showed empathy, and, the recognition of “self” and “others”. The way that one can reliably gauge the emotional literacy of a person is to see them interacting in a group and see how they behave towards other people of different genders, sexuality and social class. Hence, it makes little sense to talk about emotional literacy of a person as if it were separate from such factors – someone may be able to empathize with people of their own sex, but not different sexualities or religions. Also, one may think that they can empathize with the other sex, or another religion, but the other person may not agree with them. Indeed, the views of other people are essential in deciding upon such factors. There is always a social context and in any context power differentials operate. Any form of paper and pen test will only give access to what a person thinks, not to the important view of how others think. For example, many men (and women) would say that they were not sexist, yet a person from the opposite sex may not agree. A person cannot tell how well they, say, empathize, only other people tell them if they are. A manager may think they are self-confident, open and friendly, but others find him or her aggressive and bullying.What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

Emotional literacy involves factors such as people understanding their own and others’ emotional states; learning to manage their emotions and to empathize with others. It also includes the recognition that emotional literacy is both an individual development and a collective activity and is both about self-development and the building of community so that ones own sense of emotional well-being grows along with that of others, and not at their expense. Emotional literacy involves connections between people and working with their differences and similarities while being able to handle ambiguity and contradiction. It is a dynamic process through which the individual develops emotionally and involves culture and empowerment. For example, it includes understanding how the nature of social class, ‘race’ and gender (sexism and homophobia) impinge on peoples’ emotional states to lead to an understanding of how society could change. Hence it incorporates an understanding of power exchanges between people and a challenging of power differentials.^[16]

On this view emotional literacy is developed to help people understand themselves, others and the power connections between them. Matthews links emotional literacy to equality and social justice. Emotional literacy is not just to be “nice”, but also to know when to stand up for viewpoints and fight for a case. It is not about more control over people, but less. As McIntosh and Style^[17] argue schools are always involved in social, emotional and power relations, yet “power relations are a taboo subject in K-12 schooling and in the majority culture of the United States. Power relations are therefore little understood systemically. Students, however, learn about power by watching, by imitating, by avoidance of what they fear”.

The term emotional intelligence refers to the ability to recognise, understand, handle and appropriately express our emotions.What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

Also known as emotional literacy, it involves:
• How we feel
• How we think
• How we behave

Emotional intelligence is increasingly thought to be a key ability that influences the success of all children, adults and organisations. It can affect a wide variety of skills including academic success and social interactions.

Over the years I have trained a number of schools, and other people / groups, in emotional literacy.

Aims of sessions:

The sessions are part of a long-term strategy agreed by the school to develop emotional literacy for all children and adults. As emotional literacy is a process of developing skills and attitudes, this is the first part of a number of activities to be decided and undertaken by the school, over a period of time. A key aspect of the process is to enable staff to retain ownership of, and decide, the direction and rate of change over time.

These initial sessions include:

• Introduction to emotional literacy.
• Developing this attribute in children.
• Examining and improving our own emotional literacy.
• Becoming an emotionally intelligent school.

The sessions include both presentations as well as interesting and fun, practical activities.

Further information
Emotional intelligence is a key skill in coping with both educational and personal needs. Other terms are also used, usually interchangeably Personal and Emotional Learning. The level of Emotional Literacy at an early age can be a far better predictor of success in school and throughout life than early literacy skills or general intelligence. Teaching Emotional Literacy by parents/ carers from an early age enables young children to enter school well prepared for the demands of learning.What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

Emotional Literacy is a key skill for all children and can be taught in schools as a specific subject, provided that it is a regular part of the curriculum. However it is best developed as a whole school approach both within the curriculum and as a way in which the entire school functions generally. Implications for schools and other organisations are that individual adults and the organisation as a whole need to reflect on and develop their own Emotional Intelligence in order to best meet the emotional needs of young people.

Emotional literacy is the first step towards emotional intelligence. It is the ability to recognize, understand and appropriately express our emotions. It is an essential skill which we must work to develop. Once acquired, it gives us an alternative to violence, illness, drug abuse, dysfunctional relationships, and global societal conflicts.

As we evolve and our cultures change, new forms of literacy are required to give us the proper tools to deal with a broad and ever-changing spectrum of issues. Today the need for Emotional Literacy is ever increasing, and is one of the best investments that we can make for ourselves and our generations.

Emotions are an integral part of human nature and they are natural. Through them we respond to life in many different ways, such as with anger, happiness, fear, love and loneliness. Emotions influence our thoughts and actions; they inspire our needs; they affect our bodies and impact on our relationships.

This is my second advanced essay. I chose to write about literacy in music after brainstorming about which skills have lead me to competency in school. At the end of the day, understanding of music has made me a more creative and dedicated student, so wouldn’t you know it, that’s what you’ll be reading all about! My greatest challenge while writing this essay was refining my thesis. In fact, my thesis didn’t manifest itself in words until after I had written a couple of scenes of memory and collected outside quotes. I am proud of my utilization of evidence from personal experience and research to support my thesis. I’m also proud of my collaboration with peers; I found things to look out for in my own essay by editing peers’ essays. In the future, I would like to spend more time connecting paragraphs seamlessly with fluid transitions.

Essay

“Literacy” has multiple definitions. While the conventionally accepted definitions of literacy are, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “the ability to read and write; knowledge that relates to a specified topic,” literacy in a subject is often more complex than knowledge base, and to be literate in a topic often requires more than just comprehension. To be literate in music is to learn through music. Many people consider themselves auditory learners. Many others love music and have immersed themselves in music from young ages; these people tend to come from families that value music. All of these types of people learn about life through music, whether they use music as a teaching tool or inadvertently gain knowledge from music; because of the benefits of literacy in music, music should be taught to kids from a young age. Music is appreciated in almost all cultures and societies. Conversely, when programs must be cut in school districts in the US, music programs are often decimated and severely undervalued. There must be more advocacy for music programs in the country because literacy in music aids in becoming literate in many other subjects.What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

I first learned about my own literacy in music at a young age. I have a knack for memorizing song lyrics, and my ability to learn and remember words attached to music has helped me become the reader and thinker that I am today. Kelsey Tarbert from Oneota Reading Journal, in reference to a study done by Wiggins in 2007, writes “Whereas finding fluency in speaking poetry takes practice, music has the rhythm built into it. The score tells students which notes and syllables to stress and which to make longer or shorter. Performing a text in this manner can help students figure out how to do this for non-musical texts without teacher instruction. Both vocabulary and rhymes have a place within literacy and music, and these skills help students become effective language users.” In third grade, I memorized my multiplication tables with Schoolhouse Rock songs. It struck me as shocking when my third grade teacher had to pull me aside during a test on multiplication tables. I was a good student. I immediately felt panic course through my veins; I assumed that I was about to be accused of cheating or that I had broken some other rule. Instead, my teacher politely told me, “Eva, you’re humming and singing the multiplication tables. You have to quiet down.” It dawned on me that Schoolhouse Rock’s ridiculously catchy “Three is a Magic Number” had been stuck in my head throughout the week. My personal experience certainly serves as evidence to support Wiggins’ study; music helps children to remember and understand concepts that they may otherwise have had trouble grappling with.

In my education and in my life, music has played a pivotal role in my understanding of many ideas. Multiplication tables are just one example. As well as helping me to memorize important facts for school, music has helped me to learn about beauty, love, and ultimately, what it means to be human.

One of the first times where words struck me as beautiful was while listening to the Beatles’ song “In My Life” when I was a little kid. My dad carefully helped me place the record of Rubber Soul on our turntable. I turned the volume down, pressed my ear against the smooth, brushed wood of the stereo, and let the Beatles’ voices swim through my head. The fourth track of side B came on and John Lennon crooned “there are place I remember all my life, though some have changed; some forever, not for better; some have gone and some remain. All these places have their moments with lovers and friends I still can recall; I know I’ll often stop and think about them. In my life… I love you more.” I quickly fell in love with the lyrics; in my mind, they were the epitome of perfect lyricism. I felt that no expression of love or sentiment about life had ever been so beautifully and eloquently delivered. The meaning I attached to this song’s words and the feeling that it filled me with still strike me with pangs of nostalgia and joy when I listen to the song, and I’ll never forget the epiphany of attaching emotion to words. This marked a beginning of learning about emotions through music.

Besides interpreting my own emotions, music has taught me how to empathize with others, because as I’ve gotten older, music has required me to attempt to understand different cultures and different people. In this way, people that are literate in music learn how to perceive the world around them differently. People that listen to music that is bold and vivid in its lyricism about political and social issues learn about these issues and, ideally, become more vocal about the issues; music encourages people to revel with each other in their shared humanity. When people become literate in music at young ages, they will find that music is an outlet and a tool for learning, thinking, and self expression.What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper

Despite all of these benefits of literacy in music, ranging from basic cognitive skills to developing empathy for others, music education is poorly funded. Nick Rabkin, a senior research scientist at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, says, “I think the biggest reason for [the cutting of arts education] has to do with a misconception about the cognitive value of the arts. That for the most part, people think about the arts as things that are effective and expressive, but not academic and cognitive.” From my literacy in music and my research, it can be concluded that teaching music and encouraging literacy in music must be encouraged in schools and in households. Literacy in music helps people to read the word and the world.

Instead of creating a digital story, I chose to create a children’s book/PSA to spread the messages conveyed in my essay. I took this route because I had no interest in using a video modality to express an argument, but I was intrigued by how I might express an argument by utilizing visuals and short sentences. There isn’t much on each page of my story. This was a deliberate choice; I wanted white space with graphic text and line drawings to catch a viewer’s eye. I believe that the central argument of my thesis is hammered in my illustrations. The series of pictures creates a sense of urgency to act to improve musical education for literacy in music, and there is an homage to a scene of memory from my essay (the child imagining multiplication tables is an excerpt of personal experience). Overall, I think that my alternate mode of storytelling is effective, but I might have liked to spruce the illustrations up with handy-dandy, super-duper collage. What is the Meaning of Emotional Illiteracy Essay Paper