I just took one of those internet EQ
(Emotional Quotient) tests and I scored 90% when the average person scores 50%.
This must mean I have high emotional intelligence, right?
Not quite. You see, I was trying to get a high score. If I
had been honest, I probably would get 50% or worse,
depending on how much of a bastard I felt like being today. But
the question becomes, if I know the right answers to the test, why don't I try to live my life according to these
answers so I can be emotionally intelligent? Do I want to be
emotionally stupid? The truth is, the "right" answers are determined by people, who are inherently subjective and
have no authority in saying their belief system is the best
for the rest of us by claiming that it represents some sort of
intelligence!
To have true emotional intelligence, I take it, means that
you are able to monitor your feelings as they arise and are
less likely to be ruled by them. This means you
take into account your long-term goals in the decisions
you make. And voila, success! If this were the only
definition of emotional intelligence the inventors of the
term use, I wouldn't have a problem with it. But wait, there's
a lot more. One example that comes up a lot is that emotionally
intelligent people are self-motivated and resist the temptation
to act on impulse. In other words, a highly emotionally
intelligent person is extremely ambitious and lacks spontaneity.
These traits may help one achieve success in the materialistic
sense, but by many other definitions of success these people
would fall far short. Are all the other definitions of success
simply incorrect? Are all the fun-loving spontaneous people
emotionally stupid just because they
listen to the beat of a different drummer?
No, emotional intelligence is a phony "intelligence" term used
primarily by business leaders in order to train those of us who
score low on traditional IQ tests (which have their own problems)
into becoming good productive
workers. Everyone wants to be intelligent, well you can be
intelligent too! Simply put everyone else's feelings before
your own, repress your impulses and act not like a normal
human being but rather a robotic company pet, and
we'll call you intelligent! This is not quite what is meant
by the emotional intelligence theorists, but this is how
ordinary people often feel pressured to behave at work these days, trying to be emotionally
intelligent to impress their bosses so they won't get fired. Companies operate so much
smoother when everyone acts this way, only exhibiting proper
emotions at proper times. At least they're called intelligent.
It must be good for business, but is it good for you? I suppose a truly "emotionally intelligent" person would have an answer to that - of course it is! Are you stupid or something?