John Mayer and Peter Salovey, Professors at the University of New Hampshire and Yale respectively, coined the term emotional intelligence. Their thinking is the basis for much of Daniel Goleman's subsequent, more populist work. We examine the theory, which comprises the first model of modern emotional intelligence theory.

In 1990, Mayer and Salovey published Emotional Intelligence, an article that has become the basis for most EQ models. [1] In it, the authors define emotional intelligence as:

'The ability to monitor one’s own and other’s feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and action.'

In order to distinguish this ability from other personality traits, the authors formulated a model with a cognitive focus. The model, which has four branches, is outlined below. This version is the latest, published in 1997. [2] It develops the ideas and themes expressed in the original work.

Reflective Regulation of Emotion to Promote Emotional and Intellectual Growth

The ability to:

• accept feelings, both pleasant and unpleasant
• engage/detach from an emotion depending upon how useful or applicable it is
• distinguish how emotions might affect others, and judge how useful they are
• play down negative emotion and enhance positive emotion to your own ends

Understanding and Analyzing Emotions

The ability to:

• identify emotions
• interpret the meanings that emotions convey
• understand complex feelings and identify combinations of emotions
• foresee the likely transitions between emotions e.g. frustration to anger

Emotional Facilitation of Thinking

The ability to: