At 76 years old, Daniel Goleman can claim to have lived a full life, at least in the professional field. He is a psychologist, writerjournalist and science communicator. He has been nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize and his books have traveled around the world.
As a young man, Goleman studied Anthropology at Amherst College in Massachusetts and earned a PhD in clinical psychology from Harvard University. The doors of the magazine Psychology Today opened for him shortly after he finished his university studies.
It was there, in the hustle and bustle of the editorial office of that psychology journal, that Goleman fell in love with writing. At 38, he began working for the New York Timeswhere he was able to speak at length about his passion: psychology.
However, it was not until 1995 that Daniel Goleman achieved worldwide fame with the publication of Emotional Intelligence. Since then, he has published numerous books, which have been translated into many languages and have helped millions of people understand the world of psychology and emotions.
The 10 books that have marked Daniel Goleman's career
1. Emotional Intelligence
Although it was not the first book he published, it was the one that earned him worldwide recognition.
Emotional Intelligence is the title that popularized this term. In its pages, Goleman argues that it is emotional intelligence, and not the IQ, that determines people's success.
But what exactly is emotional intelligence? It is the ability to recognize and manage both our own emotions and those of othersAn emotionally intelligent individual is one who knows how to control his emotional response to stimuli, who has the ability to motivate himself to achieve what he sets out to do and who also knows how to relate to others.
According to Goleman, emotional intelligence has 5 dimensions:
- Self-awareness: skill that consists of becoming aware of your own feelings and understanding where they come from.
- Self-regulation: ability to control and overcome your emotions, even the strongest ones.
- Motivation: ability to direct your thoughts toward your goals and to orient them toward problem solving.
- Empathy: ability to shift the focus away from our own emotions to those of others.
- Social skills: ability to relate to others.
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2. Emotional intelligence in the company
This book, originally published in 1998, delves into the skills that distinguish successful people from the average population.
Here, Daniel Goleman states that the best leaders are those who have the emotional intelligence necessary to manage their emotions and to understand those of others.
In addition, it relates each of the dimensions of emotional intelligence with a leadership style:
- Authoritarian.
- Affiliative.
- Coercive.
- Pioneer.
- Democratic.
- Formative.
3. Leadership: The power of emotional intelligence
In this book Daniel Goleman brought together «the works of more than twenty years that best illustrate the «Positive impact of Emotional Intelligence in relation to personal and organizational excellence.»
The author claims that it is a “toolbox” with which people in leadership positions can learn to lead and motivate their subordinates. How? Through emotional intelligence training.
The work, published in its original language in 2006, delves into the importance that social relationships have on all facets of our lives.
The author begins the book by stating a fact that is well known to all: human beings are social beings and, as such, we are programmed to live in the company of others.
It also explains what other lesser-known, but very important concepts are in the field of psychology, such as report. He report It is the connection established between two people that allows them to communicate in a functional manner.
And of course, he talks about the attachmentwhich is one of the bases of our social relationships. Attachment is nothing more and nothing less than the emotional bond that unites us with our loved ones and that emanates from the first relationships we establish in our life: the relationship with our parents.
5. Focus: Developing attention to achieve excellence
In this book Daniel Goleman confirms what is the secret of excellence: attention. According to Goleman, people who achieve success in various areas of life are those who have the ability to concentrate, to free their minds from obstacles.
That's why, in this book, Daniel Goleman combines useful information about mindfulness and meditation with practical exercises that can help readers control their own mind and better understand the world around us.
6. The Power of Compassion: The Dalai Lama's Teaching for Our World
Daniel Goleman joins the Dalai Lama in a guide that aims to teach us to be more compassionate. In this way, Goleman uses his educational skills to spread the teachings of the Dalai Lama, who claims that compassion can change our inner world, yes, but also the world around us.
7. The blind spot: Psychology of self-deception
In The blind spot Goleman delves into the Mechanisms used by humans to protect us from anything that can harm ussuch as pain and anxiety.
The author considers self-deception to be “a psychological defense mechanism against the painful attacks of the outside world.” However, far from delving only into the ways in which our mind helps us to get closer to well-being, Goleman also shows us the disadvantages of relying too much on this defense mechanism.
If you want to get to know yourself better, these books are the perfect place to start. However, if you want to solve an emotional problem, the best thing you can do is seek psychological help.
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