Dr. David Walton. Emotional Intelligence: A Practical Guide, MIF, 2012.

Review:

Emotional Intelligence is Dr. David Walton’s practical guide to this important field of human understanding. The book is written from a lay perspective, and is replete with simple exercises the reader can do to test his or her own understanding of the material as Walton goes along. The repeated graphics “remember this,” “think about it,” “if you remember one thing,” “useful tips,” and occasional charts enhance the practicality of the book.

4 Stars                                                                    M.L. Codman-Wilson, PhD, 3/19/18

Excerpts:

“Being on automatic pilot reduces our conscious engagement with what we are doing….but being in the  ‘mindless’ state of automatic pilot opens you up to other problems. You can become prone to old habits and behaviors…Events and situations around you can trigger old feelings and sensations…and we can fail to notice important signals from the people we are dealing with…Mindfulness means paying attention on purpose to what is happening in the present moment, without judging if it’s right or wrong…Part of mindfulness is knowing what you’re feeling as it happens…and choosing how to react.” pp. 27-28

“We have seen that your self-esteem comes from core beliefs about your value as a person. If you want to increase your emotional intelligence, you need to challenge and change negative beliefs. This may feel like an impossible task, but there are a lot of different ways that you can do it. A critical issue is having a strong sense of purpose and direction.” pp. 40

“Empathy is about the other person’s perspective and feelings. Showing you understand enables you to get closer and gain trust. Most emotionally intelligent people draw on empathy as a tool for relationship building and understanding problems. It is based on effective listening, communication and critical analysis… It is a neurological process; the ability to visualize emotions in other people is a survival tool which, because we are social animals, is hardwired into the way all our brains work. You just have to activate it.” pp. 73-74