Understanding emotional intelligence

The term "emotional intelligence" was first raised in 1990 by psychologist Peter Salovey of Harvard University and John Mayer of the University of New Hampshire to explain the emotional qualities that seem critical to success. Salovey and Mayer defined emotional intelligence or EQ which is often referred to as: "Subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor social feelings which involve the ability of the other person, sort through it all and use this information to guide your thoughts and actions." (Shapiro, 1998:8).

Emotional intelligence is strongly influenced by the environment, not to be settled, subject to change at any time. For the role of the environment, especially the elderly in childhood greatly influence the formation of emotional intelligence. EQ skills are not opposed to IQ skills or cognitive skills, but they interact dynamically, both at the conceptual level and in the real world. In addition, the EQ is not so influenced by heredity. (Shapiro, 1998-10).

Another pioneer yentang A model of emotional intelligence proposed by Bar-On in 1992 an Israeli psychologist, defines emotional intelligence as a set of personal skills, emotional and social affect a person's ability to succeed in overcoming and claims to environmental stress (Goleman, 2000: 180 ).

Gardner in his book Frames of Mind (Goleman, 2000: 50-53) says that it is not just one kind of intelligence that monolithic important for success in life, but there is a wide spectrum of intelligence with seven main varieties namely linguistic, mathematical or logical , spatial, kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal and intrapersonal. This intelligence named by Gardner as a personal intelligence by Daniel Goleman referred to as emotional intelligence.

According to Gardner, a private intelligence consists of: "Interpersonal intelligence is the ability to understand other people, what motivates them, how they work, how to work hand in hand with intelligence. While the intra-personal intelligence is a correlative ability, but directed inward. The capability is the ability to form a rigorous model of self and refers to himself as well as the ability to use the capital earlier as a tool to effectively take life. "(Goleman, 2002: 52).

In another formulation, Gardner stated that the core of interpersonal intelligence that includes "the ability to discern and respond appropriately moods, temperaments, motivations and desires of other people." In the inter-personal intelligence is the key to self-knowledge, he lists "access to feelings -one's sense of self and the ability to distinguish between those feelings and use them to guide behavior ". (Goleman, 2002: 53).

Based on intelligence that is expressed by the Gardner, Salovey (Goleman, 200:57) chose interpersonal intelligence and intrapersonal intelligence to serve as the basis for emotional intelligence revealing the individual self. According to a person's emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize emotions, managing emotions, motivating oneself, recognizing emotions in others (empathy) and the ability to build relationships (cooperation) with other people.

According to Goleman (2002: 512), emotional intelligence is the ability to regulate one's emotional life with intelligence (to manage our emotional life with intelligence); maintain harmony and emotional disclosure (the appropriateness of emotion and its expression) skills through self-awareness, self-control, self-motivation, empathy and social skills.

In this study is the students' emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize emotions, managing emotions, motivating oneself, recognizing emotions in others (empathy) and the ability to build relationships (cooperation) with other people.