Can emotional intelligence be taught or is it a natural ability?
Dr. Elias: The answer is both. It’s a natural ability because everybody has some degree of emotional intelligence. Some people think it is the essence of what many of us define as our most human qualities. GC: What do you mean? Dr. Elias: What is it that makes us human? What is it that makes us special? We are special because we have compassion. We are special because we have empathy, because we have the ability to organize and do things for others and not just for ourselves. Those kinds of attributes are linked to emotional intelligence. It is also part of the human being to be goal- and plan-oriented. One of the important principles of emotional intelligence is that we need goals to help us organize. These are things that we have not been taught — they are a part of us. However, these abilities can be developed. There are social conditions that make them more or less likely to take place. In fact, there are a lot of social conditions that do not enhance the natural development of em
