The concept of social intelligence has changed the way we think about our interactions with each other: we have discovered that, as human beings, we are wired to connect. Indeed, social intelligence helps us understand the thoughts and actions of others: it refers to the ability to think about relationships with people, which involve intimacy, trust, persuasion, group formation, and political power.
With this Psychology-Online article we will better understand What is social intelligence, its characteristics and some examples.
Definition of social intelligence according to authors
The unidimensional construction of intelligence (IQ: Wechsler, 1955) did not explain intelligence in its entirety, but only a part of those capabilities that allow individuals to resolve the various situations that arise as best as possible.
Below we will see the history of social intelligence through the definitions of various authors:
Thorndike
The theories that show the limits of this mono-factory, therefore, refer to Thorndike’s definition of social intelligence (1920), as well as to that ability to understand others, to know how to deal with them and to behave wisely in relationships; an intelligence that provides cognitive and behavioral elements, including the intellectual capacity to understand and manage people (distinguishing it from abstract-verbal and mechanical-concrete intelligence).
Strang and Wedeck
These statements generated great interest and led to the structuring of numerous instruments created for the identification of social intelligence, a concept that was in fact expanded by other scholars: Strang (1930), for example, stated that it was related to personality and Wedeck (1945) included in his construction feelings, emotions and motivation.
Gardner
The concept of Social Intelligence, however, entered the academic and commercial mainstream in the 80s of the last century, when several documents and books were published: the work Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences by psychologist Howard Gardner (1983) has differentiated intelligence in “specific ways,” rather than seeing it as dominated by a single general ability. According to Gardner, (equivalent to social intelligence, one of the types identified in his theory of multiple intelligences) is ability to understand and interact with other people inside and outside an environmentsee and appreciate diversity, understand the emotions, moods, temperaments, motivations, intentions of others, knowing how to relate to them.
Goleman
For the Californian psychologist, however, while what is meant above all is the ability to be aware of one’s feelings and to behave in a manner consistent with them, social intelligence comes into play every time two or more people meet. Goleman, in his book Social Intelligence: The new science of human relationship (2006), defines social intelligence as the ability to instantly capture other people’s moods, feelings, motivations and fears, and the ability to carry out effective interactions with them. Furthermore, it distinguishes social intelligence into two main subcategories. The two types of social intelligence according to Goleman are:
- The personal skillsreferring precisely to the abilities to capture the different aspects of one’s own emotional life.
- The social skillsabout the way we understand others and relate to them.
Characteristics of social intelligence
Who has social intelligence? The people with social intelligence are the ones that can communicate and work well with others, an important leadership quality. However, it is difficult to generalize with any degree of precision, but there are some professions that tend to attract people with a high degree of social intelligence, such as salespeople, teachers, churchmen, publicists, and team leaders. Let’s see then what are the characteristics of social intelligence:
Recognition of the otherness of others:
- The openness to the motivations and behaviors of others members of a group.
- Communication of one’s own thoughtsmotivations, feelings, hiding the deception.
- Control of the effects of our behavior on others and monitor their behavior.
- Cooperative attitude through interaction with others, verbal and non-verbal, with sufficient receptivity to allow mutual understanding.
Awareness of duties and advantages:
- Evaluation of the costs and benefits of social exchange;
- Its development through the necessary strategies for the mutual collaboration and, where appropriate, through possible new behavioral strategies.
- Take an interest in the needs of others using available social supports and, if necessary, assuming a responsibility altruistic behavior.
- Social manipulationtaking advantage of social options.
- Social availability of one’s own resources, obtaining the availability of the resources of others.
The characteristics of the group to which it belongs:
- Hold firm group membership by understanding social goals and norms;
- Evaluation of available social options.
- Tolerance of conflicts and reciprocity imbalances.
Examples of social intelligence
Social intelligence is a “warm” intelligence capable of analyzing, processing, connecting and understanding inherent information, motivations, feelings, psychological states that are relevant to the well-being of oneself and others.
Social intelligence starts from listening, observation, and the unconscious perception of the relationship or relationships in which the person is inserted. When we enter a relationship, we build or adhere to a series of common symbolizations, collusions, that represent the culture, the subjectivity, the identity of the relational process in which we have entered, the cultural emotions of the context of which we are part.
- Take, for example, a couple relationship: social intelligence allows understand the type of feeling, expectations, desires, internal conflicts that the couple lives; It allows us to understand our feelings, intentions, expectations, attractions that we feel for the other person; but at the same time it allows us to understand and feel the type of relationship we are experiencing and how it changes over time.
Social intelligence is based, therefore, on the analysis of “warm” information (emotional and cultural) that comes to us from people with whom we come into contact, from relationships we build, from groups and organizations of which we are part. It has a relational side, which analyzes “cold” information, and an emotional side that captures this “warm” information. Finally, those who have social intelligence must read external reality and understand the emotions that it arouses in them.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to What is social intelligence: characteristics and exampleswe recommend that you enter our category.
Bibliography
- Essex, S. (2018). A brief history of social intelligence. Retrieved from: https://tracom.com/blog/brief-history-social-intelligence
- Gardner, H. (1994). Multiple intelligence. Milan: Anabasi.
- Goleman, D. (2007). Social intelligence. Milan: Rizzoli.
- Kaplan, A. (2014). Social Intelligenceand. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group.
- Lo Iacono, A., Sonnino, R. (2008). Breathing the emotions. Psychophysiology of the benessere. Rome: Armando Editore.
- Marshall, J. (2008). Social intelligence. Retrieved from: https://www.lescienze.it/news/2008/07/27/news/intelligenza_sociale-578736/
- Papadia, M. (2018). Diventare politici. Il coaching e il counseling per l’agire politico. Padua: Webster.
- Stanchieri, L. (2008). Scopri your potential. How will I transform your skills and talents with positive psychology and coaching? Milan: Franco Angeli.
- Russo, V., Bustreo M., (et al.) (2015). Self marketing per professioni. A formative journey for the talents of high training. Milan: Franco Angeli.