Emotional intelligence (
EI) or
emotional quotient (
EQ) is the ability of individuals to recognize their own and other people's
emotions, to discriminate between different feelings and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior. The term gained prominence in the
1995 book by that title, written by the author, psychologist, and science journalist
Daniel Goleman. There are several models of EI. Goleman's own model may now be considered a
mixed model that combines what have subsequently been modelled separately as
ability EI and
trait EI. Goleman defined EI as the array of skills and characteristics that drive leadership performance. The
trait model was developed by Konstantin Vasily Petrides in 2001. It "encompasses behavioral dispositions and self perceived abilities and is measured through self report". The
ability model, developed by
Peter Salovey and
John Mayer in 2004, focuses on the individual's ability to process emotional information and use it to navigate the
social environment.