Emotional intelligence: The conceptual issue

The concept of "emotional intelligence," although quite recent in psychology, has gained tremendous popularity. It almost seems as if everything in our lives today somehow has to do with emotional intelligence: We have problems at work, no doubt this is because of our poor emotional intelligence; if we have problems with our kids, it is probably our poor emotional intelligence that is at fault; if there are problems in our sex life, of course this is because of poor emotional intelligence. When a concept is as broad as this, it soon becomes meaningless. Nevertheless, it is possible to be more specific on the concept of "emotional intelligence," thereby making it more meaningful and fruitful. The concept is not entirely new.