Emotional Intelligence Models, Mental Ability , Mixed Models, John Mayer, Peter Salovey, Cognitive Component, Emotional Component, Motivational Component, Interplay Between Intelligence and Emotions

There are two fundamental models around which theories of emotional intelligence revolve:

Mental Ability Model: This model focuses on thinking about emotions, and some of its prominent proponents include Mayer and Salovey, and Linda Eldar. In contrast, there is the Mixed Models Model, which not only emphasizes mental ability but also includes a range of diverse traits. Notable pioneers in this model include Bar-On, Goleman, and Shapiro.

Mental Ability Model (Mayer & Salovey, 1990) Among the prominent figures in this model are John Mayer and Peter Salovey.

The Evolution of Emotional Intelligence in Mayer and Salovey: John Mayer and Peter Salovey were the first to use the term "emotional intelligence" in its academic sense, introducing their theories on emotional intelligence. Their model is based on interpretations of mental abilities. In the human configuration, emotions stand out as one of the three fundamental parts of the mind: knowledge, emotions, and motivation. The cognitive component encompasses memory, reasoning, logical judgment, and abstract thinking. The emotional component includes feelings, moods, and various emotional states. The motivational component involves driving forces, whether physiological or social. According to Mayer and Salovey, the term "emotional intelligence" derives from the combination of "intelligence" and "emotion." This indicates the interaction between intelligence and emotions. The primary role of emotions in Mayer and Salovey's model is highlighted, revealing the connection between mood and thought. Good thinking can create a good mood, while negative thinking can generate a negative mood. Thus, emotional intelligence is seen as an average of the interaction among the three components of the mind, emphasizing the integration of the cognitive-emotional system. Presently, there is a growing emphasis on the psychological importance of emotions and their functions independently of cognitive predispositions, as suggested by Darwin (who indicated two beneficial functions of emotions: first, that emotions strengthen adaptive behavior, and second, that emotions rise to an independent and interconnected system that provides survival benefits for entire species and individual systems. Emotions are the primary source of motivation, stimulating and directing human actions. Emotional experiences provide individuals with important information about their environments and situations, shaping judgments and actions.

This underscores the role of emotions in guiding thought, whether positively or negatively. This led Mayer and Salovey to consider emotions, in all their forms, as potentially contributing to thinking more than being irrational. The fundamental assumption in Mayer and Salovey's work is that individuals differ in their emotional perception, understanding, and utilization of emotional information. An individual's level of emotional intelligence contributes to their intellectual, emotional happiness, and growth. An individual's ability to adapt to and succeed in life depends on the integrated employment of their emotional and cognitive capacities. An intellect without emotions becomes sterile, while emotions without intellect become blind.

The Theoretical Foundations of Emotional Intelligence According to Mayer and Salovey: The Mayer and Salovey model is based on several key assumptions:
- First, emotional intelligence is a logical result of scientific achievements in the field of intelligence in general. This model benefits from a general evolution of the concept of emotional intelligence in the history of research. Whether in Thurstone's social intelligence theory or Gardner's multiple intelligences theory, it incorporates the concept of emotional intelligence.
- Second, this model draws on the progress of neuropsychological anatomy and the indication of the relationship between thought and emotion.
- Third, the model utilizes the progress in psychological theories regarding educational psychology, including:
  - Embracing a multifactorial concept in measuring emotional intelligence.
  - Leaning on Piaget's theory of development and progress.
  - Leveraging the information-processing approach to explain the emotional intelligence as essentially involving information processing.
  - Incorporating insights from psychology theories in suggesting that thoughts can influence emotions.

Global Meaning of Emotion: This model relies on a fundamental rule, emphasizing the universal meaning of emotions, while recognizing the cultural specificities of emotional attribution. Universal emotions are linked to universal meaning, which researchers have noted since ancient times. For instance, the feeling of anger is linked to the perception of injustice, and sadness is linked to loss.
Classification of Intelligence in Terms of Warmth and Coldness: Intelligence in the model is divided into two main types:
- Cold Intelligence: This includes spatial intelligence, verbal intelligence, and logical information processing. It's characterized by objective thinking without any self-involvement.
- Hot Intelligence: It comprises social practical intelligence, personal intelligence, emotional intelligence, and non-verbal information processing. It deals with aspects linked to feelings and personal interactions.

The Dialectical Relationship Between Thinking and Emotion: This model is based on cognitive psychology, which emphasizes the dialectical relationship between thinking and emotion and the idea of "meta-mood" (being aware of one's mood and attempting to adjust it).

References:

Baraa Shabeeb (2000): The Effectiveness of an Enrichment Program for Teaching Emotional Intelligence Skills in Developing Creative Thinking, Social Skills, and Academic Achievement in a Sample of High-Achieving Eleventh-Grade Students (An Experimental Study in Schools for Gifted Students in Damascus City). A research submitted for the degree of Doctor of Education.
Mayer, J., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. (2000): Models of Emotional Intelligence. In Sternberg: Handbook of Intelligence. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University.
Mayer, J., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. (2000©): Emotional intelligence as Zeitgeist, as Personality, and as Mental Ability. In R. Bar-On & J.D.A. Parker (Eds) Handbook of Emotional Intelligence. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Company (pp. 92-117).
Burns, D. D. (1991): Feeling Good. William Morrow, New York.
Mayer, J., et al. (2000): "Emotional Intelligence meets Traditional Standards for an Intelligence." Journal of Intelligence, Vol. 42(4), pp. 267-298.