I don't usually find myself buying or reading books labeled "Self-Help." Not that I don't like myself, or consider myself unworthy of help--or beyond the realm of needing help--but I find the books labeled and marketed this way to be largely vapid and boring.

This was not the case with Daniel Goleman's Emotional Intelligence. This is a thoughtful, sober, and careful analysis of specific issues related to character formation and the steady slide of young people in society into a situation of being incapable of articulating, let alone controlling, their passions--as they would have been called in the 18th century--and directing their attentions and efforts in pursuits likely to lead to productive, healthy, and contented lives. What could be more urgent and important?

The book details interesting scientific discoveries, data from studies and experiments, and intelligent and non-pedantic descriptions of complex phenomenon with ease. While offering ideas for solutions, Goleman is never so obnoxious as to pretend that providing training in emotional intelligence to young people will solve all of society's ills. In an age of mass shootings, youth nihilism and despair, and generations lacking the ability to toss their phones aside and pay attention to something for more than two minutes, focusing on a way to drive home the usefulness and almost unlimited upside of character formation (which Goleman concedes is actually what he's talking about at the end) seems a tremendous imperative. While the book begins with philosophy--where the answers ultimately lay--Goleman hopes to avoid that field by keeping the majority of the book in the hard(ish) sciences.

However, if he wishes to succeed in reforming education along the conservative/classical (though thoroughly secular and traditionally liberal) lines he proposes here, he will need to get a bit more explicitly philosophical. There, I fear he will collapse into a heap of utilitarianism and collectivism and squander the good that this book hints towards and wishes to promise. ( )

I had been under the impression that emotional intelligence was a counter-argument to IQ, and that EQ recognized the ableism of IQ. But apparently, it was created as another tool for businesses to use in determining the best hire.

I had such high hopes, and yet here we are. ( )

Powerful stuff ( )

I found this book to contain quite an academic (and at times scientific) view of emotion that includes some good story-telling.

It started very dry but I found it got more engaging about 60 pages in. I found the book to be more focussed on describing emotional intelligence as opposed to providing much guidance about how to improve your emotional intelligence. Despite this, I did however find that it contained a wealth of interesting information.
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Deri në ditën kur psikologu Daniel Goleman botoi këtë libër, njerëzimi ishte i fiksuar me idenë që njeriu duhet të mësojë të zgjidhë ushtrime logjike të komplikuara, sa më shumë dhe sa më shpejt të jetë e mundur, në mënyrë që të jetë i sukseshëm në biznes dhe në jetë. Por a mundet të “zgjidhësh” dashurinë si ushtrim logjik? Inteligjenca emocionale na shpjegon ne se ka më shumë rëndësi aftësia jonë për të vepruar në kushtet e emocioneve, për të marrë vendime ndërsa na rreh zemra dhe jo aftësia për të llogaritur përmendësh sa bëjnë 257*1234.