EI Skills Collaborative

The Key Differences Between EQ and EI: A Deep Dive into Emotional Intelligence

A Brief History of Emotional Intelligence

The term emotional intelligence (EI) has been used in various contexts, and it was formally introduced in a 1990 paper by John, otherwise known as Jack Mayer, and Peter Salovey. They defined EI as the ability to monitor one's own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one's thinking and actions.

You may have first become familiar with EI when Daniel Goleman wrote a book in 1995 that really got people's attention. It told a compelling story that became wildly popular. Since then, there have been hundreds, if not thousands, of articles, books, assessments, workshops, and certifications, all centered on what is usually referred to as EQ. This is where the confusion begins. There are two major ways in which EQ and EI differ: how they are defined and how they are measured.

How EQ and EI Are Defined

Emotional Quotient (EQ)

EQ, or emotional quotient, includes various skills and social/emotional traits such as self-awareness, well-being, optimism, and social skills. EQ is sometimes viewed as the opposite of IQ.

Emotional Intelligence (EI)

Emotional intelligence, on the other hand, refers to a set of hard skills and is considered a form of intelligence. EI, sometimes called the ability model of EI, includes skills such as accurately perceiving emotions, leveraging emotions to help you connect and think, understanding emotions, and effectively managing emotions. In this approach, EI is not the opposite of IQ. People can be highly emotionally intelligent as well as possessing high levels of analytical intelligence.

How EQ and EI Are Measured

Measuring EQ

EQ is commonly measured using self-report tests, which assess what someone thinks of their skills or traits. While it’s interesting to know what people think of themselves, this is very different from measuring their actual skills or abilities.

Measuring EI

EI, particularly in the ability model, typically uses an ability-based approach to measurement. The Mayer Salovey Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) is one such assessment. After Jack and Peter introduced EI as an intelligence, they partnered with David Caruso to create an ability-based test that assesses each of the four areas of emotional intelligence: the ability to perceive emotion, use emotion, understand emotion, and manage emotion. For example, rather than asking how good you are at reading people, the MSCEIT presents a person's face and asks you to indicate which emotions are present. The test taker’s answers are compared to those provided by 21 emotion experts. The test taker either knows the correct answer or does not. We like to think of the MSCEIT as an IQ test for your emotions. Interestingly, many people overestimate their level of EI, making the process of providing feedback and coaching that much more delicate and complex.

Why Emotional Intelligence Matters

But why is emotional intelligence important, and why should leaders care about it? As previously mentioned, emotional intelligence is a hard skill that can be measured objectively. Leaders higher in emotional intelligence understand that emotions are data, a form of information, and their wise use can inform decision-making, promote high levels of team cohesion and collaboration, and directly impact how things get done.

Our Book and the EI Blueprint

We wrote our book, a Leader’s Guide to Solving Challenges with Emotional Intelligence, based on the ability-based model of emotional intelligence. In part one, we define the four abilities of EI and focus on enhancing EI skills. In part two, we describe common leadership challenges and apply the four EI skills to solve these challenges using what we call the EI Blueprint. We also created a workbook called Developing Your Emotional Intelligence Skills. Together, these books can help improve your EI through theory, application, and practice!

Recap: EQ vs. EI

To recap, EQ usually measures mixed traits and social skills, is typically measured via self-report, and is sometimes viewed as the opposite of IQ. Emotional intelligence, EI, is a hard skill that measures four areas of emotional intelligence, is considered a form of intelligence, and can be measured using an ability-based objective – the MSCEIT.

If you would like to get assessed, certified, coached, and develop your EI skills, we are ready to partner with you!

What is Emotional Intelligence

Many people first became aware of emotional intelligence by reading a book by journalist Dan Goleman.

However, the theory of EI was developed by Jack Mayer and Peter Salovey back in 1990. They modified their theory in 1997:

"Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive emotions, to access and generate emotions so as to assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and to reflectively regulate emotions so as to promote emotional and intellectual growth".

EI is a set of hard skills; it predicts important life outcomes - although it is not the most important skill or attribute. The ability model is a great theory with incredible practical, everyday applications.

The four hard skills are the ability to Perceive, Facilitate, Understand and Manage emotions. Each ability has its own characteristics and all work together to form emotional intelligence. We use the more memorable labels of Map (Perceive), Match (Use/Facilitate), Meaning (Understand) and Move (Manage), for better retention.

We define EI as a broad intelligence, and we measure it objectively using the MSCEIT (Mayer Salovey Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test). This is critical because most people overestimate their EI and the more they overestimate their EI, the less interested they are in developing the skills!

It's a very practical theory and we've been using the 4 abilities of EI that we call the EI Blueprint, for more than 20 years.

You first Perceive or Map emotions (yours and others) and then you Match those emotions to the task or to other people (connect with them). These experiences are further analyzed, and you Understand the meaning of emotions - what caused them, what they are called, how they may change. Finally, you Move and Manage these emotions. If the emotions are helpful, you still need to make slight adjustments to maintain them and if the emotions are not helpful you engage in strategies to alter them.

EI Skills Collaborative offers certification courses to those who want to assess EI skills or who want to coach and develop others’ EI skills.