Introspection

Is it because I started blogging that I became more introspective? I've noticed this lately, but I think it's been a long time coming. Going to college encouraged me to think about things I had never thought about before. This week, I had a lot of pillow chatter with some deep questions, and this topic came up several times.

Coming into college, I knew plenty of technical topics and so on, but I really needed to learn about many other aspects of "intelligence." Here's one of them: emotional intelligence. I took this test on Prevention.com. No, I don't visit their often. This is what they told me:

You can cope with some emotional curveballs, but your reserves need bolstering. Physical symptoms such as headaches or stomachaches "are often your body's way of telling you you're on emotional overload," says Ann Webster, PhD, a health psychologist at the Mind/Body Medical Institute at Harvard Medical School.

I can sort of see what they're getting at, but with just a few questions, it's not very complete. Basically, I'm quite imperfect in the area. So I took another test by the HayGroup. I scored a 65 out of 100, whatever that means.

So here's what got me thinking. This is question 8, then the next paragraph is what they say on the answer page. I answered D. I just thought this was interesting in light of a recent conversation and what they recommend for action.

8. A discussion between you and your partner has escalated into a shouting match. You are both upset and in the heat of the argument, start making personal attacks which neither of you really mean. What is the best thing to do?
A. Agree to take a 20-minute break before continuing the discussion.
B. Go silent, regardless of what your partner says.
C. Say you are sorry, and ask your partner to apologize too.
D. Stop for a moment, collect your thoughts, then restate your side of the case as precisely as possible.

8. The shouting match:
The most emotionally intelligent answer is A. In these circumstances, the most appropriate behavior is to take a 20-minute break. As the argument has intensified, so have the physiological responses in your nervous system, to the point at which it will take at least 20 minutes to clear your body of these emotions of anger and arousal. Any other course of action is likely merely to aggravate an already tense and
uncontrolled situation.

[A] 10 Points - Agree to take a 20-minute break before continuing the discussion. [Correct Answer]
[B] 0 Points - Go silent, regardless of what your partner says.
[C] 0 Points - Say you are sorry, and ask your partner to apologize too.
[D] 0 Points - Stop for a moment, collect your thoughts, then restate your side of the case as precisely as possible. [My Answer]