American psychologist invited to teach on PUCRS Online
Photo: Bruno Todeschini
PUCRS opened its doors to US psychologist Daniel Goleman, recognized all over the world for being the “founding father” of emotional intelligence. Goleman, who has written a number of bestsellers that have been translated into over 40 languages, came to Brazil to teach in five PUCRS Online programs.
At a conference on Sept 11-12, in the auditorium of Living 360°, the American scholar drew attention to the importance of developing emotional skills, as he stressed that technical expertise alone will not be enough for an individual to achieve success. “The ability to use your brain and control your emotions will be increasingly needed. Actually, many countries are investing in this kind of training in the early stages of life”, he comments.
The way Goleman sees it, when it comes to core competences for managerial positions, emotion management is blatantly needed. His figures show that I.Q. (intelligence quotient) has a role to play in 15% of all the essential or technical skills that are required whereas emotional intelligence is involved in the other 85%. In his view, having considerable technical expertise is not enough: emotional development is becoming increasingly important to deal with the challenges of the job market.
“Even if engineers have the best software programs, if they do not have persuasion skills, they will not reach out to the public and therefore will not succeed”, Goleman adds. To his mind, once you have the strategy, you will need the people.
Photo: Bruno Todeschini
To identify your and others people’s feelings, to have motivate and manage your inner emotions and relationships well are essential factors to have a real sense of accomplishment in life. Conflicts, unexpected circumstances or work under pressure are just some of the most common situations where we can fail and compromise ourselves both professionally and personally.
Goleman also looks at the exaggerated use of technology. The way he sees it, it limits human interaction and, consequently, the empathy we need to put our emotions into action. The distance that is produced is detrimental to human development.
To develop emotional intelligence, the psychologist gives a number of suggestions: take control over your emotions by breathing, meditation, or other activity that contributes to self-control; learn how to deal with negative pressure or comments, and develop self-confidence every day in an effort to recognize your weaknesses and strengths to improve them.
To his mind, some advantages of developing emotional intelligence include: lowering anxiety and stress levels, increased empathy for others, increased self-esteem and self-confidence, increased clarity in life goals and decision-making skills, refined time management and increased productivity.
Daniel Goleman has a degree in Psychology. However, the wrote science articles for the New York Times for 12 years. As a professor, he taught at Harvard University, where he received his PhD and served as senior editor of Psychology Today. In addition to the bestseller Emotional Intelligence, released in 1995, Goleman has written several other publications all over the world.
Daniel Goleman’s courses are part of the curriculum of the following programs: People Management: Careers, Leadership and Coaching; Certificate in Business Administration, Finances and Value Creation ; Positive Psychology, Wellness Science and Self-realization ; Neurosciences and Behavior and Transformative Learning: Pedagogy, Fundamentals and Practices. PUCRS Online is the object of a partnership between the University and UOL Edtech.
