emotional intelligence

a type of intelligence that involves the ability to process emotional information and use it in reasoning and other cognitive activities, proposed by U.S. psychologists Peter Salovey (1958– ) and John D. Mayer (1953– ). According to Mayer and Salovey’s 1997 model, it comprises four abilities: to perceive and appraise emotions accurately; to access and evoke emotions when they facilitate cognition; to comprehend emotional language and make use of emotional information; and to regulate one’s own and others’ emotions to promote growth and well-being. Their ideas were popularized in a best-selling book by U.S. psychologist and science journalist Daniel J. Goleman (1946– ), who also altered the definition to include many personality variables.

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Psychology term of the day

September 8th 2024

drift

1. a reduction in variation in genetic traits that can occur when sampling from continually smaller groups, such that some traits ultimately become excluded from possibility.

2. a reduction in the reliability of technical instruments orin the accuracy of observers over time. See instrument drift; observer drift.