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2014 Power of Social Work ConferenceAlbany, NY
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE: An essential mind and skill set for social workers
Every response we give to another person is like music and lyrics. The intellect (lyrics) composes the
message, and the emotions (music) provide animation, meaning, and unspoken energy.
“The skill to combine intellect and emotion in this dramatic and powerful fashion is emotional intelligence, and it possesses the power to elevate even the common exchanges of everyday encounters from the base level of you-and-me to the sublimity of I-and-Thou!” Howard Hopkins, retired teacher, Montreal www.canadone.com/ezine/july04/eq_interview.html
“a multifactorial array of interrelated emotional, personal and social abilities that influence our overall ability to actively and effectively cope with demands andpressures.”
Bar-On, R., & Parker, J.D.A. (2000). The handbook of emotional intelligence. San Francisco: Josey Bass.
Emotional Intelligence (EI)
Its what you think about what you feel.
EI: the
integration of emotional
and cognitive competencies
“The ability to recognize the meanings
of emotions and their relationships and
problem-solve on the basis of them.
Emotional Intelligence is involved in the
capacity to perceive emotion, assimilate
emotion-related feelings, understand
the information of those emotions and manage
them.” Mayer, J.D., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D.
(2000). Models of emotional intelligence. In R.J. Steinberg (Ed.),
Handbookof intelligence. Cambridge, UK:
Cambridge University
Social workers navigate complex systems made up of individuals at different hierarchical levels who must constantly interrelate.
EI is an essential mind and skill set for navigating complex situations and environments
A study exploring communication in the medical field found a profound disconnect among members of the same surgical team. Communication was perceived to be:
**poor by the anesthesiologists**adequate by the nurses**good by the surgeons
“Teamwork and Communication in Surgical Teams: Implications For Patient Safety” Peter Mills PhD et al Journal of the American College of Surgeons Volume 206 Issue 1 2008 107-112
Roles, teams and systems influence
stress levels and perception
“In essence, emotional intelligence is the capacity to respond to stress-inducing events, people and situations in a conscious, creative way.
As such, EI is not about emotions per se but more about the way in which individuals effectively integrate emotions with thoughts and behaviour and so can act to reduce aversive emotional experiences.” Slaski, M & Cartwright, S “Emotional intelligence training and its implications for stress, health, and performance” Stress and Health 19: 233–239 (2003
“Emotions are a signaling system”
“Emotional competence requires being able to pilot through the emotional undercurrents always at play rather than being pulled under by them.”Daniel Goleman, Working With Emotional Intelligence, Bantam Books, 1998
The stress response is a biochemical event activated by the amygdala in the brain, which triggers the fight-flight-freeze response within milliseconds at the perception of a threat.
“…the architecture of the brain gives
the amygdala a privileged
position as the emotional
sentinel, able to hijack the brain.”
Goleman, D. Emotional Intelligence: Why It can Matter More Than IQ.
New York: Bantam Books, 1995
Lieberman, M.D., “Social Cognitive Neuroscience: A Review of Core Processes.” The Annual Review of Psychology, 2007. 58:259–89
Neuroscience has found an inverse
relationship between the
amygdala and the prefrontal cortex,
the brain’s executive
function where rational thought
and judgment sit.
“When the amygdala is active with blood and oxygen, there is less activation in the prefrontal cortex. Our thinking power is disrupted and there are deficits in our problem solving, because the blood and oxygen are in the amygdala versus the prefrontal cortex. It is like losing 10 to 15 IQ points temporarily, which explains “what was I thinking?” So we are thinking but with less capacity and brain power.” Lieberman, M.D., “Social Cognitive Neuroscience: A Review of Core Processes.” The Annual Review of Psychology, 2007. 58:259–89
The amygdala is hard wired to be
able to react quickly to danger signals
and keep us safe. In modern days, its
direct path to behavioral centers of the lower brain
can cause issues with the amygdala
being “hijacked” by emotional or psychological
stimuli.
The ability – or intelligence - to ‘read’ and manage emotions in the self and others is a moderator in the process of dealing with the stress response.Slaski, M & Cartwright, S “Emotional intelligence training and its implications for stress, health, and performance” Stress and Health 19: 233–239 (2003
Emotions are contagious
Emotional intelligence grows through increasing connections between emotions and
higher cognitive functions
Groups with supportive, reliable feedback
mechanisms for enhancing communication and interpersonal skills
Creative experiences in group s, e.g.
improvisation, role-playing, journaling or art
Mindfulness training & practice
Individual coaching to develop self-awareness
Storytelling classes and podcasts
EI is the use of brain and mind to engage with the tensions of a complex situation rather than react to them.
Self-awareness is power
“Through increased self-awareness, individuals are more able to detach themselves from events and regulate their emotions in order to prevent them from becoming ‘immersed in’ and ‘carried away’ by emotional reactiveness.”
Mark Slaski and Susan Cartwright, “Emotional intelligence training and its implications for stress, health and performance” Stress and Health Volume 19 2003
Research shows that emotional
competencies can be improved, with effective benefits on personal and
interpersonal functioning.
Kotsu I. et al “Emotional plasticity: conditions and effects of improving
emotional competence in adulthood.” Journal of Applied Psychology, 2011 July;
(96) 4: 827-39
The core competencies of
EI combine cognitive and
emotional processes
Accurate self-assessment: Knowingone's strengths and limits
Self-confidence: A strong sense ofone's self-worth and capabilities
Self-AwarenessKnowing one's internal states, preferences,resources, and intuitions
Emotional awareness: Recognizingone's emotions and their effects
Managing ones' internal states, impulses,and resources
Emotional Self-control
Maintaining integrity, acting congruently with one’s values
Adaptability and flexibility
Striving to improve or meeting a standard of excellence Readiness to act on opportunities
Persistence in pursuing goals despite obstacles and setbacks
Self-Management
EmpathyReading a group’s emotional currentsAbility to pick up others’ emotional cuesCommunication skillsConflict managementTeamwork and collaboration
Social Competence
We often tell ourselves a story about others’ real intent. Stress can be triggered by the story we tell and intensified if we are unable to check it out with the other people involved.
Communication and other interpersonal skills are most effectively cultivated in social-emotional group situations
The key to real change lies in
getting people to hold one another
accountable to agreements. This
is best achieved through dialogue
in which we express our
stories about what happened, listen to others’
stories and allow the interactions
to take the story in a new direction
The effects of conversations gone bad can be both devastating and far-reaching. Research shows that strong relationships, careers, organizations and communities all draw from the same source of power-the ability to talk openly about high-stakes, emotional, controversial topics.Patterson, K., Greeny, J., McMillan, R., Switzler, A Crucial Conversations: Tools For Talking When The Stakes are High, 2nd edition, McGraw-Hill Books, 2012
It is what you say. And how you say it.
Ask for feedback and listen without judgment – others’ perceptions are not without bias but they can be useful in our dealings with them Some ideas about
how to develop the core skills of
EI
One study found that writing that focused on thoughts and emotions about stressful events resulted in a greater awareness of the positive benefits of the stressful event. This effect was apparently mediated by greater cognitive processing during writing.“Journaling about stressful events: Effects of cognitive processing and emotional expression “ Philip M Ullrich & Susan Lutgendorf, Annals of Behavioral Medicine, Vol. 24 No. 3 244-250
Write in a journal about emotions at the beginning
and at the end of the day – be alert
to patterns and specific “hot
button” issues that show up
repeatedly.
Structures that support expressive writing that
redirects the stress response
A “holding space” in which we are sufficiently free and sufficiently safe to let go enough to experience bodily, “felt” shifts through the writing process. The “holding space” may be:• The private journal and journaling time;• A supportive group in which some writing might be shared or discussed;• A consistent practice of writing;
“Beyond Expressive Writing: Evolving Models of Developmental Creative Writing” Sophie Nichols, Journal of Health Psychology, Vol. 14 No. 2 (March 2009): 174
Key emotional intelligence skill
for social workers:
Situational awareness
Situational awareness is the capacity to rapidly grasp an existing situation, let go of assumptions and become aware of preconceived ideas we impose on it, either unconsciously or consciously.
6 SecondsThat’s how long it takes to shut down the stress response by replacing thoughts about a fight or a problem with thoughts related to positive emotional experiences
Physical activity that enhances
bodily awareness, e.g. yoga or yogic
breathing helps bring the pre-frontal cortex
back in play while keeping emotions
in focus
5-minute stress reduction through
mindfulness practice
The freeze-frame technique is a useful tool that can rapidly de-escalate the stress response. Practice it several times daily and it becomes a new habit of mind.
1. Stop. Find a quiet place to be alone. Disengage from anything external.
2. Shift focus to the area in and around your heart. Feel the breath come in as if directly into your heart and out through your solar plexus.
3. Activate a positive feeling: bring up an image – a place in nature, favorite person or pet or a richly emotional positive memory.
4. Ask yourself what would be an efficient, effective attitude or action that would balance and de-stress you in dealing with the stressful situation.
5. Observe any change in perception or feeling and sustain it as long as you can
Freeze-Frame: One Minute Stress Management by Doc Childre, published by
HeartMath, www.heartmathstore.com
Freeze-Frame: A 5-minute stress-resilience
technique for shifting out of the stress response
There are two kinds of intelligence: one acquired,
as a child in school memorizes facts and concepts
from books and from what the teacher says, collecting information from the traditional sciences as well
as from the new sciences.With such intelligence you rise in the
world. You get ranked behind others
In regard to your competence in retaining information.
You stroll with this intelligencein and out of fields of knowledge,
getting always more Marks on your preserving tablets.
There is another kind of tablet, onealready completed and preserved inside you.A spring overflowing its springbox. A freshness in the center of the chest.This other intelligence does not turn yellow or stagnate.
It’s fluid,And it doesn’t move from outside to inside
Through the conduits of plumbing-learning.
This second knowing is a fountainhead from within you, moving out.
RUMI “Two Kinds of Intelligence Translated by Coleman Barks
Emotional Intelligence: 21st century concept, 13th century wisdom
Lifestage Trainings:Creative
ExperientialEvidence-Based
496 Smithtown Bypass Suite 202 Smithtown, NY 11787 www.lifestage.org
Contact Jude Treder-Wolff, LCSW, RMT, CGP at 631-366-4265 or [email protected]