How we assess any situation in which we find ourselves will be powerfully influenced by our past experiences, and the particular memories to which we make a connection. The better able we are to grasp the connections between particular sorts of events and our emotional responses, the more likely we are to react in an appropriate and constructive manner. We will also have a better understanding of how other people experience the interaction with us, and feel a stronger connection to the society in which we live.
Many projects in this area work to assist those whose responses are seen as being clearly inappropriate, because they lead them into behaviour patterns that are troublesome to others. These projects provide useful primers in the basics of emotional intelligence. There are several reasons, though, why they do not provide a sufficient basis for the development of a more emotionally literate society:
1. THE CHALLENGE OF SUSTAINABILITY
People’s ability to respond appropriately to situations is nurtured in the experience of positive relationships with others. Opportunities to develop a better cognitive understanding of these emotional responses, and to practise the lessons learned, can be effective in the short term. The benefits will only be sustained, though, if there is a shift in the opportunities available for these individuals to develop positive relationships, relationships within which they can come to reflect upon their own experiences, and to understand the experiences of others.
2. SOCIAL IMPOVERISHMENT
We need projects that address themselves not only to people whose behaviour patterns are socially disruptive, but also to those whose existence is impoverished by the lack of emotional and social skills. The lives of those who endure fractured relationships, are unable to realise their potential at work, and experience a generally mediocre existence, diminish the vitality of our society just as much of those who by their behaviour draw attention to their unmet needs.
3. INSECURITY IMPINGES
No matter how emotionally literate we may seem to be in our current situation, any one of us can be unsettled by experiences that generate stress. In an age when the volatility of the global economy combines with the rapid pace of technological change to create a sense of anxiety about what the future holds for us, we all need opportunities for developing our capacity to be resourceful, responsible and collaborative in facing situations that have the potential to provoke anxiety and fear.
4. RELEASING POTENTIAL
The development of emotional literacy across society has the potential to stimulate many to play a fuller part in creating opportunities for others to experience positive relationships, whether in the family, the community or the workplace. Further, the quality of all our lives will be enhanced by the experience of living in a society where the conditions for emotional well-being are widely distributed.
5. COUNTERPRODUCTIVE STRATEGIES
A strategy that defines a particular group within society as having a deficit in its emotional intelligence, and directs individuals from that social segment towards ‘treatment’, is itself behaving in an emotionally illiterate way. It puts a problem whose cause is widely dispersed onto a group of people who are already feeling misunderstood and disaffected. In the effort to include them, it acts to exclude; in seeking to assuage the anxieties of society at large, it may stimulate counterproductive anxiety in those it seeks to help.
TOWARDS A SUCCESSFUL STRATEGY
A successful strategy for an emotionally literate society will, therefore, be one that:
1. Seeks to remove the blocks to the development of emotional literacy at every level of society, rather than simply firefighting outbursts of ‘troublesomeness’ that can be blamed on deficient emotional intelligence;
2. Recognises that the various psychological models for the understanding of human nature all have a contribution to make in the development of such a strategy;
3. Acknowledges that our ability to respond to situations in an emotionally literate way is influenced by how we experience the organisations within which we live our lives, and society more generally;
4. Offers individuals within society a diverse range of opportunities to develop their emotional literacy by speaking about, and reflecting upon, their own experience, and listening to the experiences of others.
POSSIBLE ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL STRATEGY
1. At every stage in their lives, people would be offered opportunities to develop the skills associated with emotional literacy such as: Active Listening, Working in Teams, Valuing Diversity, Managing Aggression and Negotiating Conflict;
2. There would be greater emphasis on the development of such skills in the training particularly of teachers, health workers, social workers, lawyers and managers;
3. Listening Spaces would be set up within Healthy Living Centres and other community organisations, where people would have opportunities to meet in groups with a facilitator, and to learn from sharing with others their experiences, feelings and hopes for their lives;
4. All companies and organisations would carry out an Emotional Audit of their operations and publish the results, so that customers, shareholders and employees could set their performance against benchmarks established by other organisations in the same, and other, sectors;
5. National Indicators of Emotional Well-being would be developed, published at six-monthly intervals and achieve sufficient recognition to play as significant a role in the shaping of policies as economic indicators currently do.