{"id":754,"date":"2026-01-26T08:00:39","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T13:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.highpoint.edu\/qep\/?p=754"},"modified":"2026-03-17T13:04:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T17:04:19","slug":"what-is-emotional-intelligence-eq-inside-the-qep-definition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.highpoint.edu\/qep\/2026\/01\/26\/what-is-emotional-intelligence-eq-inside-the-qep-definition\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Emotional Intelligence (EQ)? Inside the QEP Definition"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Emotional Intelligence\u2014EQ\u2014is more than a trending concept. It anchors High Point University\u2019s 2025\u20132035 Quality Enhancement Plan because research demonstrates that EQ supports academic success, personal well\u2011being, and long\u2011term workplace readiness. The QEP draws from established scholarly models to create a shared, research\u2011based foundation for this initiative.<\/p>\n<h1>How the QEP Defines Emotional Intelligence<\/h1>\n<p>The QEP begins with the widely accepted definition from Salovey and Mayer (1990), who describe EQ as \u201cthe ability to monitor one\u2019s own and others\u2019 feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one\u2019s thinking and actions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Their later work (1999) further explains EQ as \u201cthe ability to recognize the meanings of emotions and their relationship, and to reason and problem\u2011solve on the basis of them toward self\u2011regulation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The field later expanded EQ to include how individuals manage social relationships. Goleman\u2019s (1995, 1998) work frames EQ in terms of practical skills: self\u2011awareness, self\u2011regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills\u2014all of which can be developed.<\/p>\n<p>Stein and Book (2011) add that EQ involves maintaining relationships, coping with challenges, and using emotional<br \/>\ninformation effectively.<\/p>\n<h2>The Four Core EQ Skills Highlighted in the QEP<\/h2>\n<p>To simplify and unify these models, the QEP uses a four\u2011part framework from Bradberry (2025). These four skills serve as a clear foundation for campuswide understanding:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Self\u2011Awareness: identifying what you feel and why<\/li>\n<li>Self\u2011Management: managing your emotional responses and behaviors<\/li>\n<li>Social Awareness: recognizing and understanding others\u2019 emotions<\/li>\n<li>Relationship Management: using the previous three skills to sustain healthy interaction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Bradberry identifies self\u2011awareness as the \u201ccornerstone\u201d because the other competencies depend on it.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-755\" src=\"https:\/\/www.highpoint.edu\/qep\/files\/2026\/02\/Four-Emotional-Intelligence-Skills-1.png\" alt=\"Four Emotional Intelligence Skills. Personal Competence: Self Awareness. Self Management. Social Competence: Social Awareness, Relationship Management. from the new emotional intelligence by travis bradberry (2025) - EQ &amp; hpu\" width=\"704\" height=\"422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.highpoint.edu\/qep\/files\/2026\/02\/Four-Emotional-Intelligence-Skills-1.png 1500w, https:\/\/www.highpoint.edu\/qep\/files\/2026\/02\/Four-Emotional-Intelligence-Skills-1-300x180.png 300w, https:\/\/www.highpoint.edu\/qep\/files\/2026\/02\/Four-Emotional-Intelligence-Skills-1-1024x614.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.highpoint.edu\/qep\/files\/2026\/02\/Four-Emotional-Intelligence-Skills-1-768x461.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 704px) 100vw, 704px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>How EQ Works in Real Life<\/h2>\n<p>The QEP details multiple cognitive and behavioral capacities that fall under EQ, captured in Mayer and Salovey\u2019s (1997) Four\u2011Branch Model:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The ability to perceive and recognize emotions<\/li>\n<li>Using emotion to facilitate cognitive processes<\/li>\n<li>Understanding emotional complexity and change<\/li>\n<li>Managing one\u2019s own emotions and the emotions of others<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These abilities are not fixed traits\u2014they develop over time through reflection, feedback, and social interaction.<\/p>\n<h2>Why EQ Matters for Students, Classrooms, and Careers<\/h2>\n<p>The QEP team outlines three primary areas influenced by EQ:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Personal: EQ supports self\u2011esteem, resilience, motivation, and hope (Salovey &amp; Mayer, 1990; Batool et al., 2014).<\/li>\n<li>Academic: EQ contributes to better stress management, organization, time management, GPA, and retention (Shulman, 1995; Mann &amp; Kanoy, 2010; Parker et al., 2016).<\/li>\n<li>Professional: 71% of employers value EQ over IQ (CareerBuilder, 2011). 27\u201345% of job success is linked to EQ (Stein &amp; Book, 2011).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>EQ supports collaboration, leadership, adaptability, and positive client interactions, and is tied to greater promotion and salary outcomes (Brooks, 2024; Landry, 2019; Price, 2023; Wells, 2024).<\/p>\n<p>These findings reinforce why EQ is the center of Intelligence That Connects\u2014the long\u2011term QEP mission to help HPU students grow as learners, community members, and future professionals.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/qep\/references\/\">References<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Emotional Intelligence\u2014EQ\u2014is more than a trending concept. It anchors High Point University\u2019s 2025\u20132035 Quality Enhancement Plan because research demonstrates that EQ supports academic success, personal well\u2011being, and long\u2011term workplace readiness&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10093,"featured_media":757,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_hpuaeo_plugin_post_data":"","_hpuaeo_plugin_meta_tags":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[7,8,6,9,10],"class_list":["post-754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-emotional-intelligences","tag-eq","tag-qep","tag-student-outcomes","tag-workplace"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Is Emotional Intelligence (EQ)? 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