Emotional intelligence—the ability to understand and manage one’s own and other people’s moods and emotions—can be increased through training. When people are high on emotional intelligence, they are better able to understand and use emotions to influence others. However, people can be influenced in positive and negative ways. As an example of the latter, historical atrocities and cult tragedies have been attributed to the ability of certain individuals to have high levels of influence over others.
1. What are the ethical implications of emotional intelligence training?
2. What steps can organizations take to ensure that employees’ emotional intelligence is put to good use and not used for personal gain or unethical purposes?