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Reuven Bar-On, Ph.D. is an Israeli psychologist, and was the first person to use the term EQ to describe emotional intelligence. He has developed the most widely used measure of emotional intelligence, the BarOn EQ-i®.[1] We outline his model, explaining the various principles underlying it.
Reuven Bar-On, Ph.D. describes emotional intelligence as a non-cognitive ability comprising:
An array of emotional, personal and social abilities and skills that influence one’s ability to succeed in coping with environmental demands and pressures.
In line with the majority of academic and business research on EQ, Bar-On agrees that it is more important as a determinant of personal success than standard intelligence measures such as IQ.His model has five general scales which lean towards interpersonal contact and emotional well-being. The general scales are:
- intrapersonal: how one deals with emotions in relation to oneself
- interpersonal: how one deals with others
- adaptability: how one copes with emotions and changes in behavior given appropriate stimuli
- stress management: how one copes with challenges and unpleasant events
- general mood: overall well-being
We will now discuss these individually in more detail.
Intrapersonal
Intrapersonal EQ relates to self-awareness, motivation and coping internally with emotional stimuli. Bar-On identifies five separate measures of this:
- Self-Regard: how you view your self-worth. The respect you have for your own opinions and emotions.
- Emotional Self-Awareness: how well you can identify emotional states. The degree to which you can identify the motivation for emotions and your reasons for feeling a certain way.
- Assertiveness: how prepared you are to stand by opinions and emotional reactions when you know yourself to be in the right.
- Independence: how well you cope without others.
- Self-Actualisation: based on the work of Abraham Maslow, this is the degree to which you are fulfilled and happy in your professional and personal life.
Interpersonal
- Empathy: the degree to which you can identify emotional states in others through what they say and via non-verbal communication such as body language.
- Social Responsibility: the extent to which you concern yourselves with others as well as yourself.
- Interpersonal Relationships: the ability to form trusting and honest relationships with friends, family and colleagues.
Adaptability
- Reality Testing: how capable you are of making accurate judgements of behavioral, environmental and emotional conditions.
- Flexibility: the ability to deal with changing conditions and stimuli. Dealing effectively with unexpected or unpleasant changes.
- Problem-Solving: overcoming challenges effectively without ignoring important emotional consequences of your actions.
Stress Management
- Stress Tolerance: the extent to which you can deal with unpleasant or changing conditions without having an adverse emotional reaction.
- Impulse Control: the extent to which you can resist acting without thinking. The ability to which you can take an objective view of conditions, formulating a reaction based on all relevant emotional stimuli.
General Mood
- Optimism: the ability to always see the potential benefits of a situation regardless of the initial emotional reaction to it.
- Happiness: general sense of well-being and contentment with the circumstances in which you find yourself.
Bar-On has developed a psychometric tool that measures each of these emotional competencies and generates an EQ score for every single one. This is then measured against normed responses to provide a score and recommendations for future improvement.
The Canadian Airforce used this methodology to overcome problems of finding recruiters who could handle the pressure of quotas, the loneliness of traveling, and the frequent rejections. The existing top recruiters were profiled to create a template of the ‘norm’ which is now used to compare potential recruiters against. [2]
The BarOn EQ-i® is widely used, and can be given to almost anyone. While there is a great deal of argument over whether emotional intelligence can be quantified, there is a general consensus that the BarOn EQ-i® is the best measure. As a model, it is of interest because it focuses on non-cognitive measures (unlike, say, Mayer and Salovey) and, in particular, on well-being and happiness.
For more information on purchasing and administering the test, visit the MHS website.
