Parker, Saklofske, and Stough P (2009) define Emotional Intelligence as the ability to comprehend emotions, empathize with others, recognize social signs, manage emotions, and respond culturally appropriately. This psychological notion was first developed by Peter Salovey and John Mayer. Mayer and Salovey (1997) define emotional intelligence as the ability to identify, access and control emotions to support thought and growth.
Daniel Goleman, a science journalist and novelist, popularized this concept. According to Goleman’s book “Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More Than IQ,” emotional intelligence is a greater predictor of success than traditional intelligence in academics, professional, social, and interpersonal areas.
Read More: How Emotional Intelligence Plays an important role in Your Life
Emotions and emotional intelligence heavily influence our actions in life. It is a proactive method that can help you become more effective in life. To gain control over your emotions, enhance your emotional intelligence. The argument about emotional intelligence has been heated. While there are reasons to be optimistic about the future of emotional intelligence, there is still much work to be done before it reaches its full potential.
Forgiveness is a heavy word. Forgiveness has long been discussed in self-help circles, but little attention has been given to the science underpinning it and its potential impact on our lives. Forgiveness does not mean that what happened was okay. This does not imply accepting the person who has hurt you. Forgiveness involves accepting reality as it happened, rather than focusing on what could or should have happened. Forgiveness involves moving forward and letting go of the past.
Read More: The Psychology Behind Forgiveness
In psychology, forgiveness involves letting go of sentiments of resentment, bitterness, anger, revenge, and retribution towards those who have harmed us, including ourselves. Dr. Robert Enright is the undisputed leader in the scientific study of forgiveness. He pioneered forgiveness therapy and created an early intervention to encourage forgiveness.
The study included a sample of 60 young adults (30 males and 30 females) from urban locations. The ages ranged from 20 to 40 years. All participants were debriefed on the subject and asked for their consent. Participants received proper instructions. Questionnaires were distributed and data was collected individually. Following data collection, participants were acknowledged for their time and effort.
Pearson correlation was used to analyze the association between emotional intelligence and forgiveness. The computed correlation coefficient between emotional intelligence and forgiveness was 0.54, showing a positive moderate link. The study indicated a favourable association between emotional intelligence and forgiveness. This revealed that the two variables (El and Forgiveness) have a moderate correlation. Because the coefficient correlation value is positive, it follows that as emotional intelligence rises, so will one’s willingness to forgive. In other words, the scores of emotional intelligence and forgiveness show a moderate. link.
Read More: Forgiveness – The Golden Virtue
It signifies that an individual’s emotional intelligence contributes to an average or medium level of forgiveness for others, situations, or themselves. As a result, the first hypothesis, “Individuals with high Emotional Intelligence will also have high Forgiveness,” can be accepted in part. It is neither fully accepted nor rejected because, while the correlation was not found to be high, it was present moderately, implying that if an individual’s emotional intelligence is high or moderate, it may impact or affect that individual’s general forgiving tendency. An empirical study found that emotional empathy, one of the components of emotional intelligence, is positively connected with forgiving others but not with forgiveness of self.
The study successfully achieved its goal by identifying a favourable correlation between emotional intelligence and forgiveness. The study’s initial hypothesis, “High Emotional Intelligence High Forgiveness, was partially accepted due to a moderate correlation coefficient. While the association is not strong, it is possible that an individual’s emotional intelligence has an impact on their willingness to forgive.
Read More: Taking a step towards Forgiveness
Emotionally intelligent individuals are more forgiving due to their strong interpersonal relationships and efficient conflict-resolution skills. According to Enright, the first step towards forgiveness is identifying the source of one’s pain, which requires self-awareness, a key aspect of emotional intelligence. To forgive, individuals must first assess their own emotions and those of the perpetrator.
According to Orathinkal (2008), focusing on the positive aspects of a situation might lead to forgiveness. Forgiveness is often preceded by negative feelings like anger or grief caused by a perceived harm from a scenario. Forgiveness assessment acknowledges the hurt but believes that dwelling on it will cause more harm than benefit. Therefore, it is beneficial to let go. Forgiveness motivates individuals, contributing to emotional intelligence. This demonstrates that emotional intelligence relates to forgiveness.
