Success withinBy Vivian Chow In assessing people’s abilities, measuring their Intelligence Quotients, or IQs, is not enough. Together with Emotional Quotients and Adversity Quotients, the assessment gives a more complete picture. Also, The Bell Curve, by Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray, raised a doubts about the measurement of IQs because it suggested there were racial differences. According to Dr. Paul Stoltz, the president of PEAK learning Incorporation, the IQ is insufficient to assess people’s abilities because it measures a narrow range of intelligence that may not assure personal success. Dr. Hong Ying-yi teaches psychology at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Photo by Anita Li.Said she: “In 1995, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman was published. Many copies were sold and the EQ concept became popular.” Dr. Hong added, “Actually EQ should be called emotional intelligence. There’s still no objective measurement of EI.” There are five components of EI in Daniel Goleman’s scheme: understanding emotions, restraining emotions, sensing emotions, using emotions, using emotions appropriately, and dealing with interpersonal relationship. Dr. Hong gave an example of the effect of controlling emotions: “You know that if you don’t work hard on exams, you’ll fail. However your friends ask you out for karaoke and you really want to go. At this moment you have to suppress your desire to go out and study at home. If you want to succeed, you have to give up something,” she said. People are paying more attention to this new concept. Ms Ip Chan On-nar, a family life education officer, has organised some activities for families about EQ. “Activities are about the basic knowledge of EQ. Parents are taught to think from the children’s point of view, and children are taught to face and express their emotions appropriately. “Chinese people traditionally conceal their feelings, which is not good for the development of their interpersonal relationships,” she said. Ms Ip added that when people understand their emotions, like knowing the effects of emotion on their daily life, they can deal with their emotions better. Although knowing about EI helps, some problems about the concept exist. Dr. Stoltz said that EI has lost much of its scientific integrity. It is difficult to measure since Mr. Goleman’s five factors are distinct in and of themselves. While some are studying EI, another concept, Adversity Quotient, has emerged. AQ was created 10 years ago by Dr. Stoltz, the author of Adversity Quotient: Turning Obstacles into Opportunities. Said Dr. Stoltz: “A major finding is that how people respond to adversity is the most global predictor of their success. “Unlike EQ, AQ can be easily measured. Unlike IQ which is mainly genetic, AQ can be readily improved. We have developed the scientific-grounded skills to improve AQ by 15 to 20 percent in one day. The results are improved in resilience, perseverance, performance and health.” He advised students to learn about and measure their AQs so they can understand how to beat teachers’ expectations. However, Dr. Hong took a different point of view. “Although measuring one’s abilities by these quotients is useful, putting too much emphasis on the results would not be good. “To develop an all-rounded personality is much more important than the figures. One’s future is not simply decided by them,” she said. Sample questions from EQ testsDo you always/usually/sometimes/rarely/never
feel: 2. I find myself using my feelings to help make big decisions in my life. 3. Bad moods overwhelm me. 4. People do not have to tell me what they feel. I can sense it 5. I have trouble handling conflict and emotional upsets in relationships. 6. I can delay gratification in pursuit of my goals instead of getting carried away by impulses. 7. I can soothe or contain distressing feelings so they do not keep me from doing things I need to do. 8. When I’m anxious about a challenge, such as a test or public talk, I find it difficult to prepare well. |
