And like any skill, being able to read people can be used for good or evil. In some jobs, being in touch with emotions is essential. More than two decades have passed since psychologists Peter Salovey at Yale and John Mayer at the University of New Hampshire introduced the concept of emotional intelligence in 1990. Well: recently I came accross an article published in The Atlantic written by the professor in management and psychology Adam Grant, who shows us what the latest research have to say about the dark side of emotional intelligence. “The strategic disguise of one’s own emotions and the manipulation of others’ emotions for strategic ends are behaviors evident not only on Shakespeare’s stage but also in the offices and corridors where power and influence are traded.”. I said, ‘Here, cry at this point in the … meeting.” When viewing Roddick as an exemplar of an emotionally intelligent leader, it becomes clear that there’s a fine line between motivation and manipulation. A baseball bat is for play, but in the wrong hands it can kill people. Show all responses. 14/4/19, 4’11 pm The Dark Side of Emotional Intelligence - The Atlantic Page 1 of 7 The Dark Side of Emotional Intelligence In some jobs, being in touch with emotions is essential. In settings where emotions aren’t running high, emotional intelligence may have hidden costs. Of course, people aren’t always using emotional intelligence for nefarious ends. According to these experts, emotional intelligence helps people disguise one set of emotions while expressing another for personal gain. Emotional Intelligence - the dark side is in the detail, not the concept. In some jobs, being in touch with emotions is essential. When Martin Luther King, Jr. presented his dream, he chose language that would stir the hearts of his audience. Practicing his hand gestures and analyzing images of his movements allowed him to become “an absolutely spellbinding public speaker,” says the historian Roger Moorhouse — “it was something he worked very hard on.” His name was Adolf Hitler. “Instead of honoring this sacred obligation” to liberty, King thundered, “America has given the Negro people a bad check.” He promised that a land “sweltering with the heat of oppression” could be “transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice,” and envisioned a future in which “on the red hills of Georgia sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.”, Delivering this electrifying message required emotional intelligence — the ability to recognize, understand, and manage emotions. Ironically, audience members were so moved by the speech that they claimed to recall more of it. However, emotional intelligence was consequential when examining a different behavior: challenging the status quo by speaking up with ideas and suggestions for improvement. Emotional intelligence is important, but the unbridled enthusiasm has obscured a dark side. As his speechwriter Clarence Jones reflected, King delivered “a perfectly balanced outcry of reason and emotion, of anger and hope. The Dark Side of Emotional Intelligence Adam Grant In some jobs, being in touch with emotions is essential. As emotion experts Sigal Barsade of Wharton and Donald Gibson of Fairfield University lament, “One might compare this approach to assessing mathematical skills by asking respondents, ‘How good are you at solving algebraic equations?’ rather than asking the person to actually solve an algebraic equation.”, Thanks to more rigorous research methods, there is growing recognition that emotional intelligence — like any skill — can be used for good or evil. Salespeople, real-estate agents, call-center representatives, and counselors all excelled at their jobs when they knew how to read and regulate emotions—they were able to deal more effectively with stressful situations and provide service with a smile. After Daniel Goleman popularized the idea in 1995, many researchers—perhaps awestruck themselves by enthusiasm for the concept of emotional intelligence—proceeded to conduct studies that were fatally flawed. Being able to identify and recognize emotions, consciously think about them and use them in a logical manner are the main components of emotional intelligence. They take advantage of reciprocity. As University of Lausanne professor John Antonakis observed, “practice and voodoo science is running way ahead of rigorous research.”, One of the most persistent problems was the use of self-report measures, which asked employees to rate their own emotional abilities on items like “I can tell how people are feeling even if they never tell me” and “I am generally very good at calming someone down when he or she is upset.” Abilities cannot be accurately measured with self-reports. The Dark Side Of Emotional Intelligence // This video covers the dark side of emotional intelligence. Since the 1995 publication of Daniel Goleman’s bestseller, emotional intelligence has been touted by leaders, policymakers, and educators as the solution to a wide range of social problems. Then, Cote’s team assessed how often the employees deliberately undermined their colleagues. Emotionally intelligent people “intentionally shape their emotions to fabricate favorable impressions of themselves,” Professor Kilduff’s team writes. In one case, after noticing that an employee often “breaks down in tears with frustration,” Roddick said it was acceptable to cry, but “I told her it has to be used. One observer reflected that Hitler’s persuasive impact came from his ability to strategically express emotions — he would “tear open his heart” — and these emotions affected his followers to the point that they would “stop thinking critically and just emote.”. Productivity Isn’t About Time Management. It’s About Attention Management. His free monthly newsletter on work and psychology is at www.giveandtake.com. ), his Atlantic article has a more thoughtful and important point. New evidence shows that when people hone their emotional skills, they become better at manipulating others. In others, it seems to be a detriment. Emotionally intelligent employees spoke up more often and more effectively. Ebooks library. For mechanics, scientists, and accountants, emotional intelligence was a liability rather than an asset. The Dark Side of Emotional Intelligence – Adam Grant – The Atlantic. However, in jobs that involved fewer emotional demands, the results reversed. [4] The Dark Side of Emotional Intelligence – Adam Grant – The Atlantic Emotional intelligence is important, but the unbridled enthusiasm has obscured a dark side. In settings where emotions aren’t running high, emotional intelligence may have hidden costs. In emerging research led by University of Cambridge professor Jochen Menges, when a leader gave an inspiring speech filled with emotion, the audience was less likely to scrutinize the message and remembered less of the content. His tone of pained indignation matched that note for note.”. As Professor Kilduff and colleagues put it, it is high time that emotional intelligence is “pried away from its association with desirable moral qualities.”, How the Brain Creates Personality: A New Theory, What the Vaccine’s Side Effects Feel Like, A Day of Deaths 25 Percent Higher Than Spring’s Worst. The Dark Side of Emotional Intelligence. His tone of pained indignation matched that note for note.”. Sergey Sobolev. Adam Grant. As a result, emotional intelligence is now taught widely in secondary schools, business schools, and medical schools. Adam Grant: free download. In jobs that required extensive attention to emotions, higher emotional intelligence translated into better performance. More than two decades have passed since psychologists Peter Salovey at Yale and John Mayer at the University of New Hampshire introduced the concept of emotional intelligence in 1990. When they brought ideas for innovation to senior leaders, their ability to express enthusiasm helped them avoid threatening leaders. Sure. If their values are out of step with our own, the results can be devastating. Recently, psychologists Dana Joseph of the University of Central Florida and Daniel Newman of the University of Illinois comprehensively analyzed every study that has ever examined the link between emotional intelligence and job performance. And like any skill, being able to read people can be used for good or evil. Chief amongst the sceptics is organisational psychologist Adam Grant, whose seminal article The Dark Side of Emotional Intelligence reveals that "like any skill, being able to read people can be used for good or evil". SHARE. Social scientists have begun to document this dark side of emotional intelligence. SelfAwarePatterns Zeitgeist January 3, 2014 1 Minute. 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