Article Critique

Emotions in the Workplace

Emotions are a daily experience in life , both inside and outside of work . They are both a response to events and situations that we encounter and a cause of our responses . Attempts at defining emotion are rooted in the earliest writings in psychology . theless , defining this concept has continued to prove an elusive goal . While individuals are generally able to tell what emotion is , the academe lacks as to its definition . Kleinginna and Kleinginna (1981 ) list 92 definitions of emotion . According to Hillman (1961 , there is a curious

and overwhelming confusion (p . 5 ) regarding the theory of emotion . Some emphasize instrumental behavior , others expressive reactions some identify emotions primarily as social processes , others biological processes . In addition , a number of stress the role of the autonomic nervous system , some stress the central nervous system , and many others highlight cognitive processes and others feeling states

In spite of their importance , the role of emotions has been deemphasized in organizational research until the 1990s . In particular more micro ' disciplines within the broader field of organization studies have focused attention much more on attitudes , behavior cognition , and personality than on emotions - yet emotions have an important impact on all of these areas . Moreover , there has been less emphasis on organizational factors that might affect performance , and even less concern for employee well-being unless it can be tied to an aspect of performance . Until recently , emotions have been generally seen as aspects of well-being that are not of organizational concern , and likely , many researchers have felt they belong more in the realm of clinical or health psychology

With the appearance of the book Emotional Intelligence in 1995 , many business people agreed with the message that success is largely affected by personal qualities like skill , self-control , and perseverance in getting along with others . They well understood how valuable emotionally intelligent people are in the workplace . In this light , this reviews two articles on emotional intelligence in the workplace : Must Have EQ ' by Landale (2007 ) and Emotional Intelligence : From the Classroom to the Workplace ' by Esmond-Kiger , Tucker , and Yost (2006

In Must Have EQ , Landale suggests that emotional intelligence or EQ (emotional quotient ) might be the answer in effectively getting people to work together . The article cites a program leader who says that how people think directly influences how they feel . According to the program leader : People with high EQ develop the facility to choose their attitude , rather than leading their emotions rule them ' This suggests that some emotions are inappropriate . However , Landale states that there are certain types of emotions that are actually helpful in achieving success in the workplace . Such emotions include energy , passion , and the ability to engage with others

In his article , Landale asks how one 's EQ can be practically developed Specifically , he presents a six-step process for developing one 's emotional intelligence (1 ) Know what you feel (2 ) Know why you feel it (3 ) Acknowledge the emotion and know how to manage it...