Foreign thinker
Daniel Goleman
Daniel GolemanPsychology, emotional intelligence, and cognitive scienceAmericanb. 1946
«At its best, emotional intelligence is the capacity to recognize our own feelings and those of others, to motivate ourselves, and to manage emotions effectively in our relationships.»
Life and Thought
Daniel Goleman is an American psychologist, author, and science journalist, best known for his ۱۹۹۵ book Emotional Intelligence and for bringing the concept of emotional intelligence to a broad audience. By linking research in psychology, neuroscience, and education, he has emphasized the role of self-awareness, empathy, and social skills in individual and organizational success.
Daniel Goleman was born on ۷ March ۱۹۴۶ in Stockton, California, United States. He grew up in an academic family: his father, Irving Goleman, was a professor of humanities, and his mother, Fay Goleman, was a professor of sociology. Goleman studied psychology at Harvard University and conducted research under David McClelland, the prominent psychologist of motivation. With a Ford Foundation fellowship, he also spent time in India studying meditative traditions and Asian perspectives on the mind.
Goleman began his professional career in science journalism and worked for many years as a psychology writer for The New York Times. His early books addressed subjects such as mindfulness and psychology, but he achieved international recognition with the publication of Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ in ۱۹۹۵. By widely introducing the concept of emotional intelligence to the public, the book had a major influence on education, management, leadership, and personal development.
In his later works, Goleman expanded the idea of emotional intelligence into different fields. Working with Emotional Intelligence examined its application in workplaces and organizations, while Social Intelligence focused on the role of human relationships, empathy, and social interaction in mental functioning and human life. He has also published works on attention, mindfulness, leadership, and the relationship between the brain and emotion.
In Goleman’s view, the ability to recognize and manage one’s own emotions and to understand the emotions of others plays a fundamental role in success and in the quality of human relationships. He identifies five main components of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills, and stresses the teaching of these skills in schools and organizations. Goleman continues to write, lecture, and conduct research in applied psychology and behavioral science.