Integrating Emotion and Cognition: The Role of Emotional Intelligence

Abstract

The Stoic philosophers of ancient Greece argued that emotions were unreliable and idiosyncratic sources of information (Lloyd, 1978). They emphasized the superiority of reason, cognition, and intelligence (Kerferd, 1978). The presence of an emotional intelligence (EI) would likely have seemed inconceivable to them-an oxymoron. Two millennia later psychologists and philosophers still debate whether emotions are disorganized interruptions of mental activity or whether they contribute to logical thought and intelligent behavior (De Sousa, 1987). For example, Woodworth (1940) viewed emotions as disorganizing interruptions of mental activity, whereas Leeper (1948, p. 17) suggested that emotions “arouse, sustain, and direct activity” and contribute to logical thought and adaptive behavior. It is no wonder that the identification of an EI occurred rather late relative to other sorts of intelligence.