Researchers have looked into how the brain affects social consequences. The topic of social intelligence and its effects is at the heart of this argument. In his 2006 book Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships, Daniel Goleman is one of the academics who has studied and written on social intelligence.
Goleman deconstructs the significance of social interaction for an individual's and society's overall well-being. Instead, he promotes social intelligence as a substantial advancement in both human interactions and the study of neuroscience.The term social intelligence refers to a relationship based construct which is composed of inter-personal competencies that are founded on certain neural circuits.
Goleman has written about both emotional and social intelligence. The term emotional intelligence refers to the perception of emotion, understanding emotion, generating emotion, and reflecting on emotion in order to promote intellectual and emotional growth. When discussing emotional intelligence, its direct opposite is assumed to be intellectual intelligence (Epstein, 1998). In the field of psychology, social intelligence is perceived as an extension of emotional intelligence. In the works Goleman, his work on social intelligence builds on the work of emotional intelligence (his book on emotional intelligence was published in 1995).
About the Author
Daniel Goleman is an author and a psychologist. Extensively, he has reported for The New York Times. He is credited for coining the term emotional intelligence. The Harvard Business Review stated that his book on emotional intelligence is among the ten must read for any high quality leader.
Summary of the Book
The general premise of the book is that the qualities that define a human being such as compassion and altruism have a strong connection to the brain chemistry. Goleman is quick to point out that the stage of childhood plays a critical role in molding this qualities. Thus, the experiences and exposure to the child is a great determinant to his or her destiny. The author gives two examples of how childhood affects destiny. First, he observes that a child who is raised in a large family tend to have better emotional stability than a child brought up in a micro-family. Second, being abusive to the child negatively affects him or her in later life. In agreement with the author, the reader may notice that a significant number of people who commit serious crime were abused at one time or the other during their childhood.
Goleman also illuminates the ineffectiveness of human beings to overcome their problems and challenges. For example, in the second section, Broken Bonds, he shows the problems that arise when people are treated as objects- and this contributes to the social ills as well as social discord.
The author is quick to note that different types of intelligence have their weaknesses too. He points out Narcissism as well as Machiavellianism as two perfect examples per excellence of what happens when social intelligence is not kept in check.
Goleman also looks at the social relationships aspects of a human being and the reaction that comes with it. In particular, he explains the concept of love and being loved and the reaction that comes with that. He says:
When the eyes of a woman that a man finds attractive look directly at him, his brain secretes the pleasure-inducing chemical dopamine - but not when she looks elsewhere.
Likes and Dislikes
The reader cannot help but like the fact the book helps the reader to seek solutions to general problems facing the society. For example, in health care, the human element of it has deteriorated dramatically. Doctors see the patients as mere machines that need to be repaired and not human beings.
Goleman points out rural India as a perfect example of how human emotion contributes to health care. He says thus:
When I was living in rural India many years ago, I was intrigued to learn that hospitals in my area typically provided no food for their patients. More surprising to me was the reason: whenever a patient was admitted, their family came along, camping out in their room, cooking their meals, and otherwise helping care for them.
A strong case in the style of the book is the use of scientific evidence in order to explain the process of social intelligence. Just like the way the mechanic dissects the parts of the car for the well being of the whole, Goleman dissects the human processes much to the amazement of the reader.
Weaknesses of the Book
Like any other book, Social Intelligence is not immune to its share of weaknesses. Readers have blamed the author for being too repetitive. Whereas repetition creatures emphasis, it robs the reader of the opportunity to be exposed to new concepts and new discussions. Thus, the author has been accused of using the style of a meandering narrative which looks ill at ease in this genre (non-fiction). The author is advised to write a shorter book, perhaps less than 200 words, rather than writing a longer book which is repetitive. In the others of his works, Goleman has been accused of being repetitive.
There have been voices of discontent that the book has some parts which seem to discuss issues which seem common sense in nature. The author would have dwelt on sub-topics that add to the body of knowledge rather than what exists in literature already, or what appears to be common sense.
Another issue that comes into play about the book is that Goleman has his perception of what is ideal (Bennet, 2014). However, what is ideal is a very subjective concept and it depends on individual situations.
The Book in Relation to the Course
The book is very relevant to COM 3314. The course is overly concerned about the thinking and behavior of individuals and the factors that influence it. Goleman does just that, explaining how individuals behave and why they behave the way they do. For example, through this book, the students of COM 3314 learn that much as genes determine behavior, it is upto the individual to shape his or her own destiny through behavior modification.
The book puts the issue of character into perspective. A student learns how social intelligence can set him or her apart. Overall, play a critical role in molding the personality of the behavior of the student in school, and in preparation to interact with the career world after school (Mersino, 2007).
Social intelligence plays a significant role in the advancement of a career (Snow, 2013). For example, being virtuous makes an employee stand out among others and be eligible for a promotion. Similarly, a person of character has a high chance of maintaining a job.
Conclusion
Though the book has few weaknesses, the weaknesses do not negate the point that it is a highly recommendable group. The book is all the more relevant not only to the students of group dynamics, but others as well. Moreover, the book is not confined to the professionals but rather it is readable by any person who is interested in the general topics of personal development and leadership.
Having stated that, readers ought to make a personal reflection when reading the book in order to realize optimal outcomes. Individuals should learn about social intelligence for optimal outcomes. Perhaps, doing a comprehensive audit of the current approach on social intelligence is not a bad way to start.
References
Bennet, T. (2014). Teacher Proof: Why Research in Education Doesn’t Always Mean what it
Claims. London: Rutledge.
Epstein, S. (1998). Constructive thinking: The key to emotional intelligence. Westport, Praeger.
Mersino, A. C. (2007). Emotional intelligence for project managers: The people skills you need
to achieve outstanding results. New York: American Management Association
Snow, E. (2013). Virtue as Social Intelligence: An Empirically Grounded Theory. London:
Rutledge.
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