Question 1
Emotional Intelligence Instruments
Reflect on what you learned about the concept of emotional intelligence based on what
you read in your textbook and online. Based on your results with the EI tools, what would
you consider to be your strengths and weaknesses with respect to emotional
intelligence? Discuss the concept with a loved one, friend, or trusted colleague. What are
their perceptions with respect to your self-appraisal?
Your Answer:
It is interesting because I had a conversation about this very thing with an attorney that
was leaving our office to pursue being a sole practitioner just the other day. We spoke
about how I mentioned to him a few months ago that I didn’t see him lasting at our firm
and that he didn’t seem happy. At the time, he had played it off. The other day, he
confessed that when we had that conversation a few months back, he had already been
90% sure that he was leaving us. He said that I can read people pretty well and the tests
I took seem to reflect that. I would say that a strength in regard to emotional intelligence
is that I am able to take those facial cues and understand where that person may be at
mentally and take that in consideration when trying to talk to him or her. I’m just aware.
Question 2
Radical Experiment in Empathy
What did you think of the "Radical Experiment in Empathy" video? Were you able to “step
outside of your thoughts and behavioral patterns” and reserve a part of your mental
capacity to “listen” to and monitor your internal reactions as a means of gaining a deeper
insight into the nature of yourself? What’s your perspective on this notion of
“self-awareness” in the present moment as a tool to learn more about yourself? Was this
“radical experiment” an effective one in terms of helping you understand the concept of
empathy?
Make some connections between the “Radical Experiment in Empathy” TED Talk and the
ideas you have been reading and learning about this week. Be sure to describe your
connections carefully and use in-text cites as applicable.
Your Answer:
So I am Vietnamese. As someone who is not Caucasian, it has always been easier for
me to relate to what others around the world that one may not normally or usually think
of as acceptable behavior. When Mr. Richards asked to try and understand how Arabs
must be feeling, I admit, I was a little taken aback. But as he kept speaking, I did try and
put myself in that situation. I get a little of this from time to time actually. When
someone learns what ethnicity I am, the first thing mentioned, is the Vietnam War, which
the Vietnamese won. In the beginning of a conversation, there is a bit of contention but
then the conversation evolves to – Oh. Well you guys won the war so there’s that. I
wasn’t even born yet. Not even thought of yet when that war had gone on so it is hard
for me to relate but I understand where those individuals are going with it. I was once
the enemy just because of my race. But then they see me as a person and not a person
of a different color and life changes. The take away that I received from this exercise
was the hindrance stressor (Chapter 7.2, Page 210). It was interesting that there was
term for factors that detract us from personal growth. I felt this exercise was the perfect
example of this. “Rumination - An inability to let go of past events and obsessively
thinking about them (Chapter 7.2, Page 218).” Before the reading, I didn’t realize there
was a term for that as well. I felt that really summed up that exercise. It is hard to grow
as a person if you’re constantly holding it in or constantly talking about it and not having
the ability to let it go, or really think about why it is you’re upset in the first place. It did
make me feel more empathetic towards the situation and really made me step back and
look at the full picture.
Question 3
Stress: Portrait of a Killer
Contrast your textbook’s discussion of stress with National Geographic’s documentary
“Stress: Portrait of a Killer.” What, specifically, was most interesting to you with respect
to the film? What kinds of connections can you make between stress, personality, and
human behavior in the workplace? (Be explicit)
Provide a couple of examples of specific stressful situations from your life – as well as
your own stress-related behaviors in those instances.
What stress management approaches work best for you? Based on what you learned
here, what might be some additional strategies you might employ to reduce your stress?
Your Answer:
I completely understood where these baboons were coming from as far as hierarchy. As
a paralegal, I work with some attorneys who really puff up their chests and feel they’re
superior to everyone else. I am surrounded by JDs, PhDs, and MBAs. I connected with
this week’s reading regarding general mental ability as that overall intelligence level is
constantly being tested day in and day out (Chapter 4, page 126). As far as personality,
the firm I work at take that quite seriously. We are an out-of-the-box firm and very
non-traditional. I will be excited to be able to use the term, person-organization fit, as
that is exactly what we do when we interview candidates. We just recently interviewed a
family law attorney candidate and the first thought was that he wouldn’t fit in with our
personalities.
As far as stress goes, the challenge stressors, the demand that cause stress but also
promote individual growth is exactly how I would describe my job (Chapter 7, page 210).
The job is just generally stressful. But I learn so much on an everyday basis which helps
me grow as a person. I thought it was really interesting the stress level among the not
so high on the totem pole baboons and the very superior baboons. Then the contrast
once those superior baboons died and how the stress levels had gone down with the
rest of the group. That very thing happened at work. I was working with some very
demanding and stressful attorneys and once they left and I started working for
attorneys that weren’t as demanding, my stress level had gone down. The way we
combat stress is we have Fun Fridays. We have birthday celebrations. We’re allowed to
take mental health days. Those really help us get back on track when on the verge of
getting burnt out. I liked how this week’s lesson emphasized the good stress can also
do.
