Social Psychology - Textbook Chapter Essay Response

The three concepts that I found interesting in this chapter of emotion include the emotional intelligence, moral judgment and the social cognitive theory.
Emotional intelligence theory is one of the concepts mentioned in the chapter and is defined as the ability for an individual to realize and manage emotions. The emotional intelligence concept dates back to Charles Darwin’s work of emotional expressions. This concept is significant because it emphasize on the social cognitive aspects including effective problem solving and understanding one’s feelings, as well as, those of others. The concept captures on the way people utilize their emotions in day-to-day lives. For instance, individuals with high levels of emotional intelligence are able to put their emotions in significant use; thus they are likely to reduce conflicts that may arise in their relationships.

Secondly, social cognitive theory is one of the significant concepts that were proposed by Miller and Dollard, in 1941. This concept deals with varied aspects such as emotional, cognitive aspects and diverse behaviors for understanding and managing behaviors. The theory is fundamental especially in decision making because social cognition is based on gut feelings, emotions that are engaged during decision making. Many philosophers have argued that people’s emotions are less sophisticated ways of perceiving the world than their logical and higher reasoning. The emotions affect cognitive process and it contributes to reasonable judgments. For instance, the individuals who have suffered from brain injuries experience cognitive difficulties due to damage of the brain. However, the damage of the frontal lobes, which are linked to the amydata and other regions of the brain involved in emotions, often contributes to the in ability to rely on current emotions in making sound decisions.

Lastly, the moral judgment concept is another significant concept mentioned in this chapter. The moral judgment concept is an assessment or opinions formed towards other people’s character traits or their motives. The moral judgment focuses on ethical issues and it distinguishes good actions from bad ones. This concept was developed by a philosopher and neuroscientist known as Joshua Green and his colleagues. They worked through varied moral scenarios and judged participants differently depending on their moral actions. The moral judgment can be evidenced from varied moral scenarios employed by Joshua Green and his friends; thus it is an approach that demands for quick decisions.

Emotional intelligence is one of the crucial theories because this theory deals with monitoring personal emotions and the emotions of others. It is through this concept that one is able to develop effective leadership skills because emotional intelligence allows one to think and take significant actions about others. It is one way of recognizing, understanding and making wise decision by choosing the way one can think and act to cert sin situations. Therefore, I think this concept is more significant than others because it shapes people’s interactions with others and allows people to understand about themselves before jumping into conclusions. The emotional intelligence concept includes self awareness, self management, social skills and social awareness. Therefore, these concepts provide clear understandings of individual emotions and those of others in the surrounding environment. For instance, self-awareness is an effective emotional intelligence theory because it enables one to understand himself or herself. In case, one is aware of his or her emotions, it is easy to manage emotions. The self management also is another element of emotional intelligence and it is significant because it controls one from rushing into decisions, but rather allows one to think fast and act intelligently towards problems.