Cognitive · 1990
Emotional intelligence (ability model)
Emotion is not noise: it is information; the competence lies in perceiving, understanding and regulating it accurately.
A theoretical framework that conceptualises emotional intelligence as a mental capacity to perceive, use, understand and regulate emotions, treating them as information that can improve thinking and adaptation. The proposal rests on cognitive and differential psychology and is expressed in a hierarchical model of abilities (four branches) that can be assessed by performance measures, which makes it the scientific basis of the construct and a cross-cutting foundation for formulating processes of emotional regulation, meaning, internal self-management and decision-making, without in itself constituting a psychotherapy or offering clinical procedures of its own. (Salovey & Mayer, 1990; Mayer & Salovey, 1997).
Theory of change
A person changes when they learn to perceive, understand and regulate their emotions as information useful for thinking, deciding and relating better.
Core ideas
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Emotional intelligence is a mental ability, not a personality trait
The model defines emotional intelligence as a set of cognitive capacities related to the processing of emotional information, explicitly distinguishing it from personality traits, attitudes or broad social competences. This implies that it can be assessed through performance tasks and not only by self-report, anchoring the construct in the tradition of differential psychology and the objective measurement of abilities. (Salovey & Mayer, 1990; Mayer & Salovey, 1997).
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Emotion is information useful for thinking
Emotions are not mere irrational impulses but signals that guide attention, memory and decision-making. The model holds that people with greater emotional ability can integrate that affective information into their reasoning, using it to prioritise, weigh risks and adjust behaviour more adaptively. (Salovey & Mayer, 1990).
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The model is organised into four hierarchical branches
The proposal distinguishes four interrelated capacities: perceiving emotions, facilitating thought through emotion, understanding emotional dynamics and regulating them. These branches form a hierarchical structure in which the more complex abilities (understanding and regulation) depend on adequate emotional perception. (Mayer & Salovey, 1997).
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Emotional perception is the basis of adaptive functioning
Detecting one's own and others' emotions accurately —through internal and external cues— is the first link in effective emotional processing. Failures in this capacity generate mistaken interpretations and disproportionate responses, affecting both self-regulation and social interaction. (Mayer & Salovey, 1997).
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Understanding emotion involves anticipating how it will evolve
Emotional understanding is not confined to identifying affective states; it includes knowing their causes, possible combinations and temporal trajectories. This competence makes it possible to foresee escalations, transformations or emotional ambivalences, facilitating better-attuned and less impulsive decisions. (Mayer & Salovey, 1997).
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Regulating emotion does not mean suppressing it
Effective emotional regulation involves modulating intensity and expression without denying the informational function of the emotion. The model emphasises adaptive strategies that maintain coherence with goals and context, in contrast with rigid suppression or impulsive discharge. (Salovey & Mayer, 1990; Mayer & Salovey, 1997).
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Emotional intelligence can be measured as performance
Unlike later mixed approaches, this formulation holds that EI can be assessed through performance tests that pose emotional problems with consensus-based or expert scoring criteria. This psychometric commitment seeks to distinguish real ability from inflated or biased self-perception. (Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso, 2002).
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Deficits in emotional abilities can maintain difficulties in adaptation
Persistent problems in emotional clarity, in understanding complex states or in choosing effective regulatory strategies can contribute to maintaining interpersonal conflicts, poorly attuned decisions or sustained distress, even in the absence of a defined clinical disorder. (Mayer & Salovey, 1997).
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The model is a conceptual framework, not a psychotherapy
The proposal prescribes no clinical techniques or treatment protocols; it functions as an explanatory and evaluative framework that can inform educational or psychotherapeutic interventions designed from other models. Confusing it with a therapy means exceeding its original theoretical scope. (Salovey & Mayer, 1990; Mayer & Salovey, 1997).
Influences
- Cognitive psychology
- Differential psychology
- Psychometrics
- Research on emotion and cognition
- Social intelligence (conceptual antecedents)
Key references
- Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional intelligence. *Imagination, Cognition and Personality*, 9(3), 185–211.
- Mayer, J. D., & Salovey, P. (1997). What is emotional intelligence? En P. Salovey & D. Sluyter (Eds.), *Emotional Development and Emotional Intelligence: Educational Implications*.
- Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. R. (2002). Mayer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) User’s Manual. MHS.