Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ

This chapter highlights the lasting impact of traumatic events on individuals, particularly children. Goleman begins with a harrowing real-life example of the aftermath of a school shooting at Cleveland Elementary School, where children were left traumatized and haunted by the memories of the incident. The chapter explores the psychological effects of trauma, particularly the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its manifestation in the form of vivid, intrusive memories.

Goleman refers to Dr. Spencer Eth, a child psychiatrist, who suggests how traumatic events imprint on the emotional circuitry and create a heightened sensitivity to potential threats. He emphasizes the importance of perceived control in mitigating the impact of trauma by citing studies on rats subjected to stress. He quotes Dr. Dennis Charney, who notes that victims of trauma may undergo lasting biological changes, especially when the stress is perceived as uncontrollable. Goleman draws parallels between the experiences of war veterans, Holocaust survivors, and victims of violent crimes to highlight the impact of trauma on memory.

Goleman explores the idea that traumatic memories persist due to a failure in spontaneous relearning, which is essential for overcoming fear conditioning. The amygdala, a key player in fear responses, tends to dominate the emotional circuitry in PTSD, which hinders the neocortex’s role in relearning. Goleman draws on the work of Dr. Charney, who suggests that the brain changes in PTSD, coupled with the amygdala hijacking, prevent the natural process of fear extinction.

However, the author presents encouraging findings from a study on Holocaust survivors, indicating that PTSD is not indelible and that individuals can recover from emotional imprints. Goleman discusses spontaneous healing in children through games like Purdy, allowing them to relive trauma safely and reassociate non-traumatized responses. Art, particularly drawing, also emerges as a therapeutic avenue for children to express and process traumatic experiences.

Furthermore, Goleman refers to the three stages of recovery from trauma outlined by Dr. Judith Lewis Herman: “attaining a sense of safety, remembering and reconstructing the trauma, and finally, mourning the loss it brought, and finally reestablishing a normal life” (240). The author emphasizes that emotional relearning is possible by citing successful cases like Irene’s, where therapy facilitates recovery from PTSD symptoms.

A significant aspect of the emotional relearning process is mourning the loss associated with trauma, marking the ability to let go to some degree: “The question is, how quickly do you let go of learned fear?” (237). Goleman explains that the emotional brain needs to acquire a new, more realistic understanding and response to traumatic memories. Despite successful psychotherapy, Goleman notes that a vestigial reaction may persist that reflects the original sensitivity or fear, but individuals gain more control over the duration of emotional outbursts. He contends that emotional learning is a lifelong process and that through therapy, emotional habits can be reshaped.

Daniel Goleman explores the role of genetic predispositions in shaping emotional responses. Focusing on the work of developmental psychologist Jerome Kagan, Goleman discusses four temperamental types—timid, bold, upbeat, and melancholy—linked to different patterns of brain activity, particularly centered on the amygdala. Goleman refers to Kagan’s longitudinal studies involving toddlers, which revealed that children exhibiting early signs of shyness tended to carry this temperament into later stages of life. He highlights the neurochemistry of timidity, citing elevated levels of norepinephrine and heightened sympathetic nervous system reactivity in shy individuals.

Goleman contrasts the temperamental spectrum, drawing on Richard Davidson’s research, which connects cheerful or melancholic tendencies to the relative activity of the right and left prefrontal areas. Those with greater left frontal lobe activity tend to be naturally cheerful, while those with more right frontal activity lean toward negativity and moodiness.

The author introduces the idea that the plasticity of the brain in childhood allows for the alteration of temperament. Kagan’s research indicates that experiences during early development can either amplify or mitigate an innate predisposition. Goleman illustrates this with Kagan’s finding that infants deemed “behaviorally inhibited” can overcome their timidity with the right parental guidance. He states, “The encouraging news from Kagan’s studies is that not all fearful infants grow up hanging back from life—temperament is not destiny. The overexcitable amygdala can be tamed, with the right experiences” (253).

Moreover, Goleman emphasizes the significance of childhood as a crucial window of opportunity for brain development and emotional intelligence. He discusses how the human brain continues to shape itself throughout life, with childhood being a period of intense growth. Goleman refers to the work of Nobel Prize winners Wiesel and Hubel, highlighting a critical period in early life for the development of synapses related to vision. He extends this concept to humans, stressing the importance of early experiences in shaping neural circuitry, particularly within the prefrontal lobes responsible for emotional self-control. The author presents studies on “rich” and “poor” rats to demonstrate how environmental experiences influence the development of synaptic circuits in the brain. He parallels these findings with human experiences and suggests that neglect, abuse, or positive nurturing can leave lasting imprints on emotional circuitry.

While acknowledging the brain’s ongoing plasticity throughout life, Goleman emphasizes that childhood remains a crucial time for instilling beneficial emotional habits. He suggests that early emotional hardships and trauma can have enduring effects due to the extensive sculpting and pruning of neural circuits in childhood. The chapter encourages providing nurturing and guidance to children to cultivate essential emotional skills and prevent the need for remedial interventions later in life.