
For Leah Cassely, senior, emotional intelligence isn’t just an important skill; it’s the basis of her career choice.
Cassely will be studying social work at the University of Missouri-Saint Louis (UMSL) in the fall, where she said emotional intelligence will be an important part of her work.
“Some people think that everyone has emotional intelligence, but it’s definitely a skill that you gain throughout your process of working with other people,” Cassely said.
Cassely said emotional intelligence means identifying a person’s emotion and also understanding how they feel on a deeper level.
Of employers, 71% value emotional intelligence such as empathy more than technical skills when assessing applicants, according to the Harvard Business Review.
Cassely said getting better at understanding emotions begins with talking to others and asking “why” questions.
THE VALUE OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Miles Rowe, senior, is a cadet teacher in a third grade classroom and plans to go into elementary education. He said answering these “why” questions can especially help younger children understand the emotions of others.
In his class, Rowe said he sees some kids, mostly girls, have a lot of empathy and can read emotions easily, while other students haven’t reached this level yet.
In addition to students, Rowe said teachers also depend on emotional intelligence.
“There’s so many factors that go into how kids act that I feel like teachers really have to put a lot of thought into and pay so much attention to different kids’ behaviors,” Rowe said.
Rowe said he wants younger students to know that different kinds of intelligence means there are many different paths in life.
“Society’s not uniform. There’s so many different niches for everybody’s interests and what everybody’s good at,” Rowe said.
Dr. Bob Jones, retired psychology professor at Missouri State, said assessments like the Wonderlic Personnel Test may provide a better profile of a person’s mental abilities than solely relying on IQ. The Wonderlic is a standardized test that measures a person’s personality, cognitive abilities and technical skills.
“Everything from people who are going to work as an administrative assistant in a corporation to your NFL and NBA draft pick numbers are determined partly by your scores on the Wonderlic,” Dr. Jones said.
During and after graduate school, Dr. Jones also worked in an assessment center where he, along with highly trained executives and managers, evaluated candidates for a management position by assessing their behavior in a given scenario.
In studies he worked on, Dr. Jones found that candidates who were able to read and understand emotions were more likely to be successful later on in their careers.
“To me, emotional intelligence is this complex combination of being able to identify emotion, which most of us can do, and then, because we’re knowledgeable about a situation we’re serving, understanding how these different motives are going to play out,” Dr. Jones said.
Dr. Jones said people such as Gardner have argued for multiple kinds of intelligence based on abilities a person may already have or develop. However, intelligence is not necessarily instinctive.
“I’m not a big believer in general intelligence, it starts to get blurred with expertise,” Dr. Jones said.
STRENGTHENING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Katie Waters, social emotional specialist, agrees.
“A common misconception of intelligence in general is that it’s fixed, rather than something that evolves over time with use, learning, and effort,” Waters said.
Waters said that people don’t approach a situation only using one type of intelligence.
“How we respond in any given situation is informed by a blend of intelligences, pulling out knowledge and capacities that seem necessary or helpful in that moment,” Waters said.
Waters said that factors such as upbringing, values and schooling may influence a person’s development of emotional intelligence.
“Individuals with well-developed EQ skills may have had those skills modeled to them by caregivers at home, teachers at school, or adults in other community settings,” Waters said.
People can strengthen their emotional intelligence through intentional practice, like journalling, and seeking feedback, such as asking questions to understand others’ perspectives, Waters said.
Paula Ake, college and career counselor, also recommends getting involved to strengthen emotional intelligence. This may include holding leadership roles or being part of a club, organization or team.
Ake said that one of the best opportunities to grow emotional intelligence at MHS is buddy classes, such as PE or cooking.
“Ask anyone who has been a mentor, and you will certainly find an emotionally mature and intelligent person who has learned a lot about themselves and others through the experience,” Ake said.
After high school, Ake said emotional intelligence, as well as skills like adaptability and maturity, is important when finding a job and succeeding in it.
“Understanding the roles and responsibilities of the job you are applying for and knowing how to answer questions that will come up in an interview are both important,” Ake said. “If someone is not emotionally intelligent, they may struggle when problems arise, and their job performance might be negatively impacted by increased stress levels.”