Feature
The language of caring
Emotional intelligence and physician success By Hope Racine
E
motional intelligence is one of many buzzwords that has swept professional development in recent years. Often seen
by its shorthand EI or EQ, emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, regulate and empathize with emotions— both your own and others’. According to EQ advocates, flexing EQ muscles can offer a multitude of benefits to practicing physicians, from patient empathy to being a more collaborative team member and leader, to looking after your own emotional needs and preventing burnout.1
“The language of caring is universal,” says Janice Newsome, MD, FSIR, “and we can all choose to speak it.” According to Dr. Newsome, an IR at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, in an era when individuals are combatting global health crises, cultural unrest and pushing for
a more informed society, the need for emotional intelligence in healthcare providers has never been more crucial.
What is EQ? Journalist Daniel Goleman popularized the idea of EQ in 1995 with his book Emotional Intelligence,2
which used
the work of psychologists John D. Mayer, PhD, of the University of New Hampshire, and Peter Salovey, PhD, of Yale University, to posit the idea that awareness and control of emotions could improve interactions with others.3 Drs. Mayer and Salovey state that, “[Emotional intelligence is a] form of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and action.”
Drs. Meyer and Salovey highlighted four specific abilities that encompass EQ3
:
1. Recognizing and identifying emotions in yourself and others
2. Understanding emotions and their origin
3. Utilizing emotional understanding to impact thinking and problem solving
4. Regulating your own emotional reactions
Research has not established whether EQ is a trait or a learned ability, research shows that physicians who receive even brief training on the neurobiology of empathy received significantly higher empathy scores from patients.4
Becoming aware Self-awareness may be the key aspect of EQ.2
In a situation where your
emotions have flared—or have hijacked the situation, as Mr. Goleman describes it—self-awareness is crucial. Goleman recommends stepping back and asking why you felt that way, determining whether your emotional reaction was appropriate, whether it helped or harmed you, and how you would respond to a similar situation in the future.1,2
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