Positive Psychology
Module
2.4 Emotional Intelligence and Emotional Creativity
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Emotions can be valuable when managed effectively, leading some to consider emotional intelligence (EI) as a
form of intelligence. According to Mayer, Caruso, and Salovey (2000), EI involves recognizing, understanding,
and managing emotions, as well as perceiving and responding to the emotions of others. High EI individuals
demonstrate adept emotional regulation and social understanding. While there's consensus that EI can be
developed, debates arise over its nature. Salovey and Mayer view it as an ability, while Petrides (2001) sees it as
a personality trait. Others, like Goleman (1995), emphasize both abilities and traits. Despite these perspectives,
all agree that EI is trainable.
Dimensions of Emotional Intelligence
Peter Salovey and John Mayer (1990) presented the original model for emotional intelligence. They proposed
that five characteristics aptly defined emotional intelligence:
1. The first is knowing one’s emotions, or the ability to recognize an emotion as it occurs. People high in
EI are able to accurately recognize what they are feeling when they are feeling it. This can include the
ability to accurately express the emotion.
2. Second, it includes the ability to handle interpersonal relationships well. People high in emotional
intelligence are socially competent and good at creating and maintaining effective interpersonal
relationships.
3. Third, EI includes the ability to use emotions to motivate oneself. This means that people high in EI are
able to control and marshal their emotions to reach goals and remain focused.
4. Fourth, EI is related to the ability to recognize emotions in others. This refers to the skills of reading
what other people are feeling and being empathetic.
5. Fifth, EI involves the ability to manage one’s emotions. This can include abilities to regulate one’s
moods, handle stress, and rebound after an emotional setback. Interestingly, high EI may be found most
often with moderate ability to regulate one’s own emotions, rather than with high emotional control
(Salovey, Meyer, & Caruso, 2002). Too little control of emotions leads to impassivity; however, too
much control leads to repression and the inability to use information from our emotions to learn about
our world and ourselves.
Mayer, Caruso, and Salovey (2000) outlined a hierarchical development of emotional intelligence (EI), starting
with perceiving and expressing emotions, leading to understanding and regulating them. Research by Salovey,
Mayer, Caruso, and Yoo (2009) indicates that high EI is linked to enhanced well-being across various domains.
It improves social relationships, family dynamics, work performance, academic achievement, and psychological
health. Higher EI individuals experience better relationships, increased life satisfaction, and contribute
positively to workplace environments. Additionally, collective EI in groups can predict individual EI growth
and overall well-being.
A study found that women with higher emotional intelligence (EI) reported more frequent orgasms. EI is linked
to understanding one's own and others' emotions, and studies suggest that life experiences over time correlate
with increases in EI. While adolescents with high EI show improved well-being, adults demonstrate a stronger
relationship between EI and well-being. Older individuals may actively use their EI to enhance life satisfaction.
Although women may score higher in empathy, recent findings on gender differences in EI are mixed. EI
comprises self-insight, self-control, empathy, and social skills. It is possible to increase EI through training
programs focusing on emotional perception, expression, understanding, and regulation. Studies have shown
significant improvements in emotional identification and management following such programs.
Workplace training programs focusing on emotional intelligence (EI) for managers have shown associations
with higher business growth rates. Similar efforts have been implemented in school systems, teaching skills
such as emotional awareness, communication, conflict management, and empathy. The RULER program by
Yale University fosters EI among students by focusing on recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, and
regulating emotions. Additionally, theories like emotional creativity suggest that using emotions in creative
ways can enhance life's meaning and fulfillment. While research in this area is still evolving, there's evidence
that understanding and using emotions wisely and creatively is linked to personal well-being.
Emotional intelligence is linked to other positive constructs such as resilience, well-being, and mindfulness, and
it plays a role in leadership skills. While research suggests that emotional intelligence can be learned and
trained, further studies are needed to understand its neurological substrates fully.
EMOTIONAL CREATIVITY
Emotional creativity refers to the ability to use emotions in creative ways to enhance one's life, relationships,
and overall well-being. It involves harnessing emotions as a source of inspiration, insight, and motivation for
creative expression and problem-solving. Emotional creativity encompasses:
1. Emotional Awareness: Being in tune with one's own emotions and recognizing their impact on thoughts,
behaviors, and decision-making processes.
2. Emotional Expression: Finding constructive outlets for expressing emotions, whether through art,
writing, music, or other forms of creative expression. This allows individuals to process and
communicate their feelings effectively.
3. Emotional Understanding: Gaining insight into the complex nature of emotions, including recognizing
patterns, triggers, and the underlying causes of emotional experiences.
4. Emotional Regulation: Develop strategies to manage and regulate emotions in healthy ways, such as
practicing mindfulness, deep breathing, or seeking social support when needed.
5. Emotional Adaptability: Being flexible and adaptive in responding to changing emotional states and
external circumstances, allowing for resilience and effective coping mechanisms.
6. Emotional Integration: Incorporating emotional experiences into one's personal growth and
development, using them as opportunities for learning, self-discovery, and creative problem-solving.
History
The concept of emotional creativity stems from a social constructionist perspective of emotions, which suggests
that emotions are not fixed but are shaped by social and cultural factors. This idea is not tied to any single
theoretical framework but draws from various historical antecedents.
William James, in his Varieties of Religious Experience, noted the unique life experiences of individuals with a
natural talent for certain emotions, suggesting that emotional genius is not limited to a few exceptional
individuals.
Otto Rank and Abraham Maslow also explored the relationship between creativity and emotions. Rank believed
that neurotic symptoms could reflect creative impulses expressed in harmful ways, while Maslow distinguished
between routine creativity and primary creativity, which involves being inspired and fully immersed in the
moment.
Contemporary concepts like emotional intelligence, emotional competence, and emotional literacy, as well as
Gardner's intra- and interpersonal intelligences and Epstein's constructive thinking, share similarities with
emotional creativity. These concepts emphasize the functional and adaptive aspects of emotional behavior,
although they may have different theoretical foundations.
A model of emotion
The theoretical model outlined in the text proposes that emotions are influenced by both evolutionary factors
and cultural beliefs and rules. Emotional syndromes, such as anger or grief, are not solely intrapsychic
phenomena but are shaped by culturally specific beliefs about the nature of emotion. These beliefs constitute the
"rules" of emotion, similar to social roles, and individuals internalize them to form emotional
schemas.Emotional states are temporary dispositions to respond in a manner consistent with an emotional
syndrome, activated by external or internal conditions. These states are not fixed traits but can vary based on
individual differences in temperament, socialization, and cultural background.
Emotional responses occur when individuals are in an emotional state and can manifest as instrumental acts,
physiological changes, expressive reactions, cognitive appraisals, or subjective feelings. These responses are
influenced by both stored experiences in memory and general guidelines about appropriate emotional behavior.
Overall, the model highlights the dynamic and complex nature of emotions, shaped by both biological
predispositions and cultural influences.
Emotion as creative products
Emotions are depicted as creative products, with a bidirectional relationship among emotional
syndromes/schemas, states, and responses. This creativity can stem from changes in beliefs and rules governing
emotional syndromes or from changes in behavior, leading to subsequent adjustments in beliefs and rules.
Drawing parallels with art, the analysis explores three levels of emotional creativity:
1. Ready-made emotional creativity involves effectively applying preexisting emotions or combining
emotions in new ways.
2. Representational emotional creativity entails modifying standard emotions to better suit individual or
group needs.
3. Revolutionary emotional creativity involves developing entirely new forms of emotional expression,
accompanied by fundamental changes in the beliefs and rules shaping emotional syndromes.
Like in art, emotional creativity can manifest in various forms, ranging from traditional to innovative
expressions, with evaluation based on the novelty, effectiveness, and cultural context of the emotional products.
Criteria for Judging an Object as Creative
Creativity is not an inherent quality but a judgment made about behavior, including emotions. The debate over
whether emotions involve special processes parallels the debate about creativity. The model presented suggests
no unique emotional processes but views emotions as judgments about behavior.
Criteria for judging creativity include novelty, effectiveness, and authenticity:
1. Novelty involves bringing something new into being, compared to previous standards. This standard
may be an individual's past behavior or group norms.
2. Effectiveness refers to the usefulness or impact of the response, which varies depending on the context.
3. Authenticity entails the response being a genuine expression of the individual's beliefs and values, not
merely a copy of others' expectations.
These criteria apply to both creative behavior and emotions, emphasizing the importance of authenticity in
emotional expression.
Individual differences in emotional creativity
Individual differences in emotional creativity exist, influenced by cultural variations and personal traits.
Cultural variations in emotions arise through the accumulation of small innovations made by individuals. Not
everyone is equally emotionally creative, similar to other domains like arts and sciences. Emotional creativity
can be assessed using the Emotional Creativity Inventory (ECI), which includes items related to emotional
preparedness, novelty, effectiveness, and authenticity. Factor analysis reveals three facets: preparedness,
novelty, and a combination of effectiveness and authenticity. Scores on the ECI correlate with various
behavioral and personality variables, including peer ratings of emotional creativity, ability to express emotions,
and personality traits like alexithymia and mysticism.
Alexithymia and the Language of Emotion
People with alexithymia struggle with identifying and describing their emotional experiences, as indicated by
the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). They have difficulty differentiating feelings from bodily sensations
and expressing their emotions to others. However, emotionally creative individuals also face challenges in
identifying and describing their emotions, but their difficulty stems from the complexity and originality of their
experiences rather than an impoverished inner life. A poem by William Cartwright illustrates this distinction, as
his apparent inability to appreciate love abstractly in the poem "No Platonique Love" may suggest alexithymia.
However, Cartwright's ability to eloquently describe emotions in other writings contradicts this interpretation.
Poetry, closely allied with emotions, serves as a means to explore and express novel emotional experiences
effectively. Language, through poetry, has the power to shape our understanding and expression of emotions,
though it may sometimes fall short in capturing profound and creative emotional experiences like those labeled
as mystical.
