The Disadvantages of Emotional Intelligence

Being able to identify and recognize emotions, consciously think about them and use them in a logical manner are the main components of emotional intelligence. The idea of emotional intelligence has found some resonance in the business world because people realize they can use their emotions and the emotions of others in a logical manner for business and workplace success. Although emotional intelligence can be used in a positive manner, it has some disadvantages.

It takes time to develop the skills necessary to fully harness emotional intelligence. Unfortunately, this cannot be learned overnight. Our own personal history, habits, fears, self-esteem and beliefs all influence our ability to learn and harness this skill. Learning how to manage your emotions, motivate yourself, recognize the emotions of others, handle your personal relationships and apply your knowledge of emotional intelligence all take time and dedication to be successful.

It's difficult to test for emotional intelligence. One of the main concerns with testing methods is the debate on whether emotional intelligence is based on a person’s temperament and personality, or whether it is a learned response developed through interpersonal skills and experiences. In other words, it falls into the nature versus nurture debate and how to handle it. Testing based on the nature aspect will look at personality, emotional stability and conscientiousness of the person to determine emotional intelligence. The nurture advocates will look at socially accepted aspects in the immediate area, leadership skills, teamwork and learned interpersonal skills.

People might not take the importance of emotional intelligence seriously. As with many aspects of life, this topic is open to personal opinions and ridicule. Some people in the business world believe the workplace is no place for emotional reactions. These individuals think logic should rule and emotions should stay at home.

With knowledge learned with emotional intelligence, you can make choices that best serve you and affect others. However, some people could use this knowledge to manipulate others. A person who would use this negatively could also purposely prey on unsuspecting individuals. Because emotional intelligence is often used in the workplace and in business settings, people could use this to lure a target audience to purchase an item or buy a service based on an emotional appeal. It could also be used to make a person feel inferior or to elicit certain information.