Daniel Goleman: a biography of the author of Emotional Intelligence

An indispensable psychologist who has left us an extensive legacy.

Daniel Goleman is one of the most famous psychologists of the last years, due to the international best-seller of his book: Emotional Intelligence (1995).

Although the concept of emotional intelligence appeared in the literature thanks to the American psychologists Peter Salovey and John Mayer in 1990, it was Goleman who, thanks to the publication of his work, made the concept famous. Nowadays, emotional intelligence is applied in many fields (clinical, organizations, sport...) because it brings benefits for both mental health and performance (sport or work).

You can go deeper into his work, in this article, "What is emotional intelligence?"

Biography of Daniel Goleman

Currently, Daniel Goleman lectures to business people, teachers, psychologists and other professional groups, but for many years he was a journalist.but for many years he was a journalist at The New York Timesreporting on brain science and behavior in the prestigious U.S. newspaper. In his book Emotional Intelligence, he explains that the skills of self-awareness, self-discipline, persistence or empathy are more important for life than IQ (Intelligence Quotient), and states that ignoring these skills is a risk for us.

Thus, we must teach children to develop these competencies from an early age, because they are beneficial for their future. His work was a best-seller in the ranking of The New York Times for a year and a half, with more than 5,000,000 books sold worldwide. In addition, it was also a best-seller in Europe, was also a best-seller in Europe, Asia and Latin America, and was translated into almost 30 languages..

• Recommended article: "The benefits of emotional intelligence at work".

Daniel Goleman: a renowned psychologist

Daniel Goleman was born in Stockton, California, where his parents were college professors. His father taught literature at San Joaquin Delta College, while his mother taught sociology at the University of the Pacific. Goleman, who was a great student, D. in Clinical Psychology and Personality Development from Harvard University, where he often lectures and teaches as a professor.where he is a frequent lecturer and visiting professor.

He currently resides in the Berkshires and is co-chair of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations, which is housed in the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University. This institution recommends best practices for the development of emotional intelligence skills, and promotes rigorous research for greater effectiveness of emotional intelligence in the workplace and organizations. and organizations.

In addition, Goleman co-founded the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) at the Yale University Child Studies Center (now at the University of Illinois at Chicago), which aims to help schools introduce courses in emotional literacy, an important part of communicating emotions. Hundreds of schools around the globe have begun implementing these courses.

His beginnings as a writer: building a long life of success

While studying at Harvard University, his mentor was David McClelland, a renowned psychologist who developed the famous achievement theory. Thanks to him, Goleman began working for the famous PsychologyToday magazine. Although he wanted to be a teacher like his parents, writing caught his attention, and the magazine served as an apprenticeship for the rest of his life and for his successful career as a writer and theorist.

His first book was "The Varieties of Meditative Experience", 1977 (later called: "The Ways of Meditation"), in which he described the different meditative systems. In addition to this one, Goleman has written the following works:

• Triple focus (2016)
• Focus (2013)
• The brain and emotional intelligence (2013)
• The power of emotional intelligence (2013)
• The Creative Spirit (2009)
• Ecological intelligence (2009)
• Emotional Intelligence for Children and Youth (2009)
• The Blind Spot (2008)
• Transparency: How Leaders Forge a Culture of Honesty (2008)
• Social Intelligence. The New Science of Human Relations (2006)
• Emotional Intelligence at Work (2005)
• The Resonant Leader Creates More (2003)
• Destructive Emotions. How to understand and overcome them (2003)
• The practice of emotional intelligence (1999)
• Meditation and Higher States of Consciousness (1997)
• Emotional Health: Conversations with the Dalai Lama (1997)
• Emotional Intelligence (1995)

Evidently, his great work and for which he is recognized worldwide is the book of Emotional Intelligence which he wrote in 1995.

Prizes and awards

Daniel Goleman has received several awards for his writings, including an award for his career as a journalist granted by the APA (American Psychological Association). He was nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize and has received numerous awards in recognition of his research and dissemination work.

His contribution to Emotional Intelligence

As already mentioned, Goleman made the term emotional intelligence famous when nobody was talking about it, and since then, this construct has had a great reception in different fields (business, clinical, education...).

If we stop to think about the importance of our emotions in our daily lives, we will quickly realize that there are many occasions in which they have a decisive influence on our lives, even if we do not realize it. That is why, emotional intelligence is key to our mental well-being and our relationships with others..

Psychologist Adrian Trigliain an article published months ago in Psychology and Mindstates that Emotional Intelligence helps people because:

• It improves self-knowledge, self-discovery and improves decision-making.

• Improves work performance and productivity

• It protects and avoids stress and nervousness.

• Improves interpersonal relationships and empathy.

• Promotes personal development

• Provides influence and leadership skills

• Promotes psychological well-being and emotional balance

• Reduces anxiety and helps overcome depression and sadness

• Increases motivation and helps to achieve goals

• Helps you sleep better

You can learn more about the benefits of Emotional Intelligence in our article: "The 10 benefits of emotional intelligence".