Emotional Intelligence, Emotions, and Personality Development

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms related to emotional intelligence, emotion types, personality determinants, developmental domains, and the Big Five personality traits.

Emotional Intelligence (EI)

A set of skills for recognizing, processing, and regulating emotions in oneself and others to guide thinking and behavior.

Emotions

Feelings with cognitive and behavioral components that can be overtly displayed or covertly concealed, often expressed through facial expressions and mannerisms.

Voluntary Communication

The intentional, conscious expression of thoughts or feelings.

Involuntary Communication

Unintentional or unconscious conveyance of messages.

Primary Emotions

Innate, short-lived emotions that appear rapidly in reaction to stimuli, such as joy, distress, anger, fear, surprise, and disgust.

Secondary Emotions

Higher-order emotions that develop over time, last longer, and require cognitive processing, e.g., love, guilt, shame, embarrassment, pride, envy, jealousy.

Intensity (of Emotions)

The strength with which an emotion is felt, ranging from mild to very intense.

Positive Emotions

Pleasant feelings that generate a good mood, such as joy, serenity, hope, amusement, love, altruism, and gratitude.

Negative Emotions

Unpleasant feelings that cause discomfort yet serve important functions, such as feeling rejected, insulted, embarrassed, betrayed, or disrespected.

Adolescence

The transitional stage between childhood and adulthood characterized by mixed expectations of childlike and mature behavior.

Identity Crisis

A pivotal life period that can strengthen or weaken personality, a concept introduced by Erik Erikson.

Self-Esteem

One’s subjective evaluation of personal worth, involving belief in oneself and confidence in one’s value.

Traits

Specific, measurable, and consistent characteristics that make up personality; short-term, observable, and changeable.

Personality

The relatively stable pattern of behaviors and internal processes formed by one’s unique combination of traits.

Nature (Determinant of Personality)

Genetic or hereditary influences on personality stemming from parental DNA.

Nurture (Determinant of Personality)

Environmental influences—such as upbringing, relationships, and culture—that shape personality.

Physiological Development

Physical body changes, especially those occurring during puberty, including growth in height, mass, and body hair.

Emotional Development

The process of managing emotions, understanding feelings, and building emotional intelligence.

Social Development

The innate capacity to connect with others and form a sense of belonging through relationships.

Cognitive Development

Growth in intellectual abilities influencing thoughts, beliefs, decision-making, memory, and problem-solving.

Attitude

A personal way of thinking and feeling about something, composed of affective, behavioral, and cognitive aspects.

Spiritual Development

Self-discovery beyond the ego through connection with a Higher Power and clarification of beliefs and values.

Beliefs

Ideas judged to be true that guide how individuals react to life.

Values

Subjective judgments about the importance of certain things, shaped by beliefs and reflected in behavior.

Openness (to Experience)

A Big Five trait indicating imagination, creativity, and willingness to try new things.

Conscientiousness

A Big Five trait reflecting self-discipline, organization, and goal orientation.

Extraversion

A Big Five trait denoting sociability, high energy, and emotional expressiveness.

Agreeableness

A Big Five trait characterized by trust, kindness, and cooperativeness.

Neuroticism

A Big Five trait describing emotional instability and a tendency toward negative emotions.