Rav learns to code

Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

Emotional Intelligence (also known as 'emotional quotient' or EQ) is a term that is thought to have first been used by academics in the 1960s and is in part also thought to be a development of the concept of "Emotional Strength" from the 1950s by American psychologist Abraham Maslow, famous for his concept of man's hierarchy of needs.

The 1995 book "Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ" by American psychologist Daniel Goleman is considered to have popularised the adoption of the concept into the mainstream, as well as the argument that an individual's emotional intelligence is as important for their success as their intelligence quotient (IQ).

Today the term emotional intelligence forms part of the vernacular and is generally understood to mean "the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically", as defined by Oxford Dictionary. Importantly, emotional intelligence is considered to be fluid and to be able to be developed with practice.

Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

Intelligence quotient (IQ) is a number that is the result of standardised tests that assess a person's verbal comprehension, visual-spatial or perceptual reasoning, working memory, fluid reasoning, and processing speed. The tests became widely used and accepted in the early to mid twentieth century by employers and social institutions, notably schools, and a person's IQ score became generally accepted as being a relevant indicator of a person's potential for success in academic and professional and/or societal settings. It was generally understood that, despite the possibility for minor improvement with training, a person's propensity for success in the tests was something that they were born with.

EQ vs IQ

Both EQ and IQ are concerned with the scientific study of seeking to understand and identify what human qualities and attributes are most likely to indicate or predetermine an individual's likelihood of "success". As society has and continues to evolve, the social understanding of what defines success and what is required to achieve it have also evolved and the adoption and evolution of our understanding of the concepts of both EQ and IQ reflect that.

The notion of a person's IQ came at a time in Western history when class structures were still prevalent and social mobility was limited or even impossible. In this regard, the concept of IQ i.e., of a person having a fixed capacity for success that could be reduced to a simple number, both reflected and served the interests of the prevailing social order of that time.

Human vs non-human intelligence

The birth of the concept of EQ in the 1950s and its development in the decades that followed coincided with significant social changes in Western society that were the result of major technological advances and political changes - the entry of the television into the family home, the invention of the (personal) computer and the Internet, and the advent of the era of globalisation, too name but a few. As 'intelligent' technology (or 'computers') became increasingly integrated into our daily lives, our concepts of human/organic versus artificial intelligence evolved to recognise that our sentience (over our computational/logic-based abilities) is what distinguishes us as human beings.

At the same time, our technological advancements have gone so far as to change our understanding of how our brains work. Scientific studies have now shown through neuroimaging that the practices of meditation and mindfulness and can affect neuroplasticity - the ability of our brain's to change and adapt, effectively giving hard evidence that now legitimises and validates what Western science had either previously discounted or entirely dismissed as 'pseudoscience'.

The impact of technology on how we lead our lives can also be seen as influential in the re-evaluation of what we had previously been defined as social "success". While we still recognise the importance of our computational abilities as evaluated and represented by IQ, we have changed as a society as a whole today to assign greater signifiance to our sentience, as represented by our EQ, and there are now numerous scientific studies that support Goleman's 1995 suggestion that one's emotional approach and habits are just as important to a person's success (both personally and professionally) as their ability to reason or thinking logically.

Final thoughts

Having decided that I wanted to 'learn to code' i.e., to communicate with computers/machines, a decision that was in part driven by my desire achieve certain professional goals, I acknowledge that the current body of science suggests that my path to success is not merely reliant on my ability to remember certain syntax or algorithms but also on my ability to intelligently and healthily manage my emotions. Recognising and accepting that technological and scientific advances continue and will continue to be made throughout the rest of my life and career, I understand the importance of maintaining and developing my own emotional intelligence and thinking 'habits': to keep an open mind, to be mindful, and to treat myself and others with understanding, kindness, and empathy.