In December, as I recall, we had a long discussion about the fact that our
students do worse now than they used to, generally (i.e., poorer attitudes,
don't want to work, etc.). I noticed this over my 10 years of community
college teaching. So I got to wondering: why? I went to the public
library and checked out Daniel Goleman's 1995 book entitled EMOTIONAL
INTELLIGENCE (I guess I saw it advertised in Science News), because it
purported to have some answers. Over the Christmas vacation I read it - it
took a long time. I made notes because I found it enlightening. Thought
I'd share them with you. They are in 4 parts, which I'll post on 4 days.
Here's the first installment.
Cheers,
Jane Jackson
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EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE: why it can matter more than IQ
by Daniel Goleman, Ph.D. (Bantam Books, 1995). Goleman covers the
behavioral and brain sciences for THE NEW YORK TIMES. He received his
Ph.D. from Harvard.
These are qualities of people who excel in real life. These are also the
hallmarks of character and self-discipline, of altruism and compassion -
qualities needed if civilization is to become healthier.
The personal costs of deficits in emotional intelligence can range from
problems in mariage and parenting to poor physical health (as shown in new
research indicating that chronic anger and anxiety create as great a health
risk as chain smoking). Lack of emotional intelligence can sabotage the
intellect and ruin careers. Perhaps the greatest toll is on teenagers, for
whom risks include depression, eating disorders and unwanted pregnancy,
aggressiveness and violent crime.
Goleman discusses research which shows how the emotional lessons a child
learns actually sculpt the brain's circuitry. He provides detailed
guidance as to how parents and schools can strengthen the emotional
intelligence of kids. He offers a vision of excellence and a vital new
curriculum for life that can improve the future for us and for our
children.
Goleman says in his introduction, "These are times when the fabric of
society seems to unravel at ever-greater speed, when selfishness, violence,
and a meanness of spirit seem to be rotting the goodness of our communal
lives. Here the argument for the importance of emotional intelligence
hinges on the link between sentiment, character, and moral instincts.
There is growing evidence that FUNDAMENTAL ETHICAL STANCES IN LIFE STEM
FROM UNDERLYING EMOTIONAL CAPACITIES. For one, impulse is the medium of
emotion; the seed of all impulse is a feeling bursting to express itself in
action. Those who are at the mercy of impulse - who lack self-control -
suffer a moral deficiency: The ability to control impulse is the base of
will and character. By the same token, the root of altruism lies in
empathy, the ability to read emotions in others; lacking a sense of
another's need or despair, there is no caring. And if there any two moral
stances that our times call for, they are precisely these, self-restraint
and compassion." (p. xii)
He continues, "Perhaps the most disturbing single piece of data in this
book comes from a massive survey of parents and teachers and shows a
worldwide trend for the present generation of children to be more troubled
emotionally than the last: more lonely and depressed, more angry and
unruly, more nervous and prone to worry, more impulsive and aggressive.
If there is a remedy, I feel it must lie in how we prepare our
young for life. AT PRESENT WE LEAVE THE EMOTIONAL EDUCATION OF OUR CHILDREN
TO CHANCE, WITH EVER MORE DISASTROUS RESULTS. ONE SOLUTION IS A NEW VISION
OF WHAT SCHOOLS CAN DO TO EDUCATE THE WHOLE STUDENT, BRINGING TOGETHER MIND
AND HEART IN THE CLASSROOM....I can foresee a day when education will
routinely include inculcating essential human competencies such as
self-awareness, self-control, and empathy, and the arts of listening,
resolving conflicts, and cooperation." (p.xiv)
Jane Jackson, Prof. of Physics, Scottsdale Comm.College (on leave)
Box 871504, Dept. of Physics, Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ 85287-1504.
phone:(602) 965-8438 fax: 965-7331 e-mail: jane.jackson@asu.edu
Modeling Workshop Project: http://modeling.la.asu.edu/modeling.html