Analyzing the concept of intelligence, there seems to be considerable evidence that it has many facets. It becomes evident that intelligence is more than just cognitive reasoning, but that it is the totality of mental processes enabling the individual to solve problems and adjust to new situations.
2.3.5 Concept Analysis: Emotional Intelligence
According to Goleman (1996:42) emotional intelligence has its roots in the concept of "social intelligence", first identified by EL Thorndike in 1920 as the ability to understand and manage men and women, boys and girls - to act sagely in human relations.
Gardner (1993: 36) speaks of two forms of personal intelligence, namely interpersonal intelligence - the ability to understand other people: what
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He describes four basic elements that operate like building blocks of DNA, enabling individuals to develop specific skills and abilities- the basis of emotional intelligence. They are hierarchical, with each level incorporating and building upon the capabilities of all previous ones. The four building blocks are:
• The ability to precisely perceive, appraises, and expresses emotion.
• The ability to access or generate feelings on demand when they can facilitate understanding of yourself or another person.
• The ability to understand emotions and the knowledge that is resulting from
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• Self-motivation. Channeling emotions to reach a specific goal. This is fundamental for paying attention, for self-motivation, for mastery and for creativity. People who have this skill tend to be more productive and effective. Recognizing emotions in others. Empathy builds on emotional self awareness and is the fundamental "people skill". People who are empathetic are more attuned to recognize the emotions of others and to respond suitably.
• Handling emotions. This describes the ability to have effective relationships and is also the ability that underpins popularity, leadership and interpersonal effectiveness.
Mayer and Salovey (1993:433) defines emotional intelligence as a type of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one 's own and others ' emotions, to distinguish among them, and to use the information to guide one 's thinking and actions. Mayer and Salovey (1997) revised this definition to include:
• the ability to perceive accurately, appraise, and express emotion.
• the ability to access and/ or generate feelings when they facilitate thought.
• the ability to understand emotion and emotional