How to Help a Loved One Who Lacks Emotional Intelligence
Curated from: psychologytoday.com
Ideas, facts & insights covering these topics:
5 ideas
·3.57K reads
17
Explore the World's Best Ideas
Join today and uncover 100+ curated journeys from 50+ topics. Unlock access to our mobile app with extensive features.
The emotionally unavailable person
People often find themselves involved with an emotionally unavailable person at some point. The person with deficits in emotional intelligence turn things around on others, avoid taking personal responsibility, and defends their position at all cost.
A person who cannot sustain closeness in a relationship often mistake control for closeness, inflicts guilt and makes unfair accusations to manage the other person.
138
1.27K reads
The emotionally intelligent person
A person who possesses emotional intelligence regularly shows empathy, self-awareness and social awareness.
- Empathy - the ability to understand another person's experience from their perspective.
- Self-awareness requires a person to self-reflect, gain insight, and own up to selfish moments.
- Social awareness is the ability to be emotionally attuned to others and really understanding a person.
142
724 reads
Incorporating cognitive empathy
Due to the partner's hardships accessing empathy, he or she could consider incorporating cognitive empathy.
Intellectualisation, a defence mechanism, may allow the person to think logically about another person's experience and analytically show this understanding. Although not ideal, it can communicate a basic understanding of someone's experience.
119
578 reads
Encourage your partner to sympathize
Feeling pity for someone is doable for an emotionally shortsighted partner. However, the partner needs to avoid the temptation to save and rescue. For example, "I'm sorry your dog died. I bought you a puppy so that you can feel better. You'll thank me later."
It is better to sympathise and encourage instead. "I am sorry your dog died. I feel bad for you. I hope you feel better tomorrow." It may sound hollows, but it provides support.
121
458 reads
Know when to offer empathy and sympathy
Assist a partner in recognising when to offer cognitive empathy and sympathy. Remind them that when a person shows they are upset, the focus needs to remain on that person until they feel understood.
That means fully listening to the person and only providing an opinion or advice when they ask for it.
124
537 reads
IDEAS CURATED BY
Graham K.'s ideas are part of this journey:
Learn more about loveandrelationships with this collection
How to prioritize self-care in the workplace
How to adapt to new work arrangements
How to maintain work-life balance
Related collections
Similar ideas
12 ideas
Understanding Emotional Intelligence: 10 ways to know whether you are emotionally intelligent.
teevdotblog.wordpress.com
10 ideas
2 ideas
High EQ Is a Superpower: Three Habits Signify You've Got It
psychologytoday.com
Read & Learn
20x Faster
without
deepstash
with
deepstash
with
deepstash
Personalized microlearning
—
100+ Learning Journeys
—
Access to 200,000+ ideas
—
Access to the mobile app
—
Unlimited idea saving
—
—
Unlimited history
—
—
Unlimited listening to ideas
—
—
Downloading & offline access
—
—
Supercharge your mind with one idea per day
Enter your email and spend 1 minute every day to learn something new.
I agree to receive email updates