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Running Head: EMOTION, LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 1
Emotion, Learning and Motivation
Laketa A Byrd
American InterContinental University

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Running Head: EMOTION, LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 2
Abstract
Emotional intelligence is having the ability to use, identify, manage and understand emotions.
With the use of emotional intelligence, you can relieve stress, communicate effectively, having
the ability empathize with others, overcome challenges and diffuse conflicts as they arise.
Emotional intelligence also impacts the way you interact with others. Having emotional
intelligence can also help you recognize your own emotional state as well as the emotional state
of others. In this essay, I briefly discuss the emotional intelligence test I took, understanding
more about emotional intelligence, how it functions and how to enhance your emotional
intelligence going forward.

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Running Head: EMOTION, LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 3
Emotion, Learning and Motivation
Recently, I took an Emotional Intelligence test. This test is used to assess your capacity
to recognize the emotions of yourself and others, understand the best ways to motivate yourself
and keep yourself motivated and how to manage your feelings as well as the feelings of others.
The test took about 20 minutes to complete and had one hundred and forty-six questions on it,
but it didn’t require a lot of thinking on my part. I use emotional intelligence in my everyday life
by reading other peoples signals as well as recognizing my own signals and adapting accordingly
in every situation I may face. I received a score of seventy-eight. My emotional intelligence
skills is what helps me to be able to read others, understand how they feel and identify my own
emotions, which in turn may help others to express their emotions.
How successful we are will depend on how well we’re able to read other people and how
to react appropriately to them by using the five categories of emotional intelligence, self-
awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills (Bressert, 2007). Self-
awareness is having the ability to recognize emotions as it happens by tuning into your feelings.
Self-regulation is how you handle emotions and recast situations in a more positive light.
Motivation is how you function in order to achieve your goals and how to maintain a positive
attitude while achieving them. Empathy is the ability to recognize feelings of others and the
ability to discern those feelings. Social skills are developing interpersonal skills in order to
succeed and become successful in life and in your career. Using emotional intelligence will help
you understand how to relate better with people, form healthier relationships, achieve greater
success and lead a happier, healthier and more fulfilling life.
According to Educational Business Articles (2012), a psychologist by the name of Daniel
Goleman helped make the idea of emotional intelligence popular with his concept that there are

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Running Head: EMOTION, LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 4
four elements involving the theory of emotional intelligence such as self-awareness, social
awareness, self-management and social skills. The theory behind these elements was that the
more you’re in control and able to handle each of these elements, the higher your emotional
intelligence will become. Some examples of emotional intelligence is being able to recognize
and manage your own emotions appropriately, being able to recognize and effectively deal with
others’ emotions and being able to motivate yourself and maintaining successful relationships.
Emotional intelligence is very important because it teaches us how to interact with others
as well as how to control your own emotions, especially since emotions are constantly being
communicated from one person to another on a daily basis. Many people think it’s always the
smart or brilliant people that become successful, but it’s not always the smartest people that are
the most successful and most fulfilled in life. There are many famous people like Mark
Zuckerberg, one of the inventors of Facebook, that has never completed college but are very
successful today. Just like there are famous people like Jessica Simpson who has never even
finished high school, but they are very successful. These people used emotional intelligence to
help them to become success that they are today. Some may not be academically intelligent, yet
they have an enormous amount of socially skills and there are some that are socially inept but are
very academically intelligent. Emotional intelligence can affect your work performance, your
physical and mental health and your relationships (Segal, J., Smith, M., 2012).
When we’re not emotionally intelligent ourselves, we tend to rely on those that have
higher emotional intelligence to guide us. Those that have high emotional intelligence are
particularly good at establishing positive relationships with others, understanding and assist
others live together with greater harmony and satisfaction (Euro Africa Central Network, n.d.).
According to the article, High Performance through Emotional Intelligence (2008), emotional

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Running Head: EMOTION, LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 5
intelligence enriches our lives and is crucial to our success both in work and life in general. In
order to be successful in any interpersonal activity, you must be aware of your own emotions, be
able to manage them just as you must also be aware of the emotions of others and have to
manage any interaction with them.
According to Norman Rosenthal, M.D. (2012), there are several ways a person can
enhance their emotional intelligence. One way is to not interrupt or change subjects when you’re
feeling uncomfortable. Stop judging or edit your feelings too quickly by trying not to dismiss
your feelings before you have a change to think them through. Listen to your body such as a
knot in your stomach while you’re on your way to work can be a sign that your job is causing
you stress. Tune into your unconscious feelings by allowing your thoughts to roam freely, watch
where they go and sometimes you may want to analyze your dreams. Start asking yourself how
you feel today and rate your overall sense of well-being. Write down your thoughts and feelings
which can have a profound effect on your emotional intelligence. Also know when enough is
enough and shift your focus outward.

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Running Head: EMOTION, LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 6
References
Bressert, S. (2007). What is emotional intelligence (EQ)?. Retrieved from
http://psychcentral.com/lib/2007/what-is-emotional-intelligence-eq/
Education Business Articles. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.educational-business-
articles.com/emotional-intelligence-theory.html
High performance through emotional intelligence. (2008). Retrieved from
http://www.heartlandmci.com/why_is_emotional_intelligen.html
Rosenthal, N., (2012). 10 ways to enhance your emotional intelligence. Retrieved from
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-mind-your-body/201201/10-ways-enhance-
your-emotional-intelligence
Segal, J., Smith, M. (2012). Emotional intelligence. Retrieved from
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/eq5_raising_emotional_intelligence.htm
Why is Emotional Intelliegence Important. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.euroafrica-
multiculture.com/index.php/key-concepts/49-typography/114-why-is-emotional-
intelligence-important.html