--- title: 5 factors of emotional intelligence description: Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand your emotions and those of others. It’s important in developing relationships and problem solving. slug: at-a-glance-5-factors-of-emotional-intelligence author: Erica Patino reviewer: Laura Tagliareni, PhD published: '2019-08-05T15:49:33.668Z' thumbnail: https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/6HveLCjeJ0RJQtH7UfyMrh/a76c0ad5a7cd42742bfd61ca90d68a3c/G1063760138.jpg source_url: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/at-a-glance-5-factors-of-emotional-intelligence lang: en --- # 5 factors of emotional intelligence [Emotional intelligence](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/the-importance-of-emotional-intelligence-for-kids-with-learning-and-thinking-differences) is being aware of emotions and being able to express and use them in productive ways. It’s key to your child thriving in school and in life. Here are five factors that make up emotional intelligence. ## Self-awareness - **What it is:** Your child can answer the question, “How do I feel about this?” - **Example:** Another child makes fun of your child in science class. Self-awareness helps your child recognize feeling sad and hurt. ## Managing emotions - **What it is:** Your child can stop and think, “Given how I feel, how should I react?” - **Example:** Your child decides what to do — confront, ignore, or get mad at the friend. Your child can think of possible outcomes of each. ## Self-motivation - **What it is:** Your child can accomplish a goal despite the feelings it generates: “Regardless of how I feel, I need to….” - **Example:** Even while nervous about a confrontation, your child decides to talk directly to the friend about feeling hurt. ## Recognizing other people’s emotions (empathy) - **What it is:** Your child can say, “I know how you’re feeling.” - **Example:** Your child talks to the friend, who apologizes. Your child recognizes that the friend feels bad. They talk calmly about what happened. ## Handling relationships - **What it is:** Your child can make decisions about relationships. Your child might think, “The best thing for me to do now is….” - **Example:** After talking to the friend, your child can decide whether to continue being friends going forward. Do you want to help your child gain emotional intelligence? Check out six tips to [help your child build emotional intelligence](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/6-tips-for-helping-your-child-build-emotional-intelligence). Understand the connection between emotional intelligence and [self-awareness](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/the-importance-of-self-awareness). And learn about [social-emotional learning](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/social-emotional-learning-what-you-need-to-know). --- ## Explore related topics and articles - [6 tips for helping your child build emotional intelligence](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/6-tips-for-helping-your-child-build-emotional-intelligence) - Emotional intelligence\(EI\) allows kids to act on feelings in an effective way. This key ability can help kids who learn and think differently work through their challenges. Learn ways to help your child build EI. 1. Help your child be aware of emotions. Encourage your child to talk about the feeling - [Emotional intelligence: What it means for kids](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/the-importance-of-emotional-intelligence-for-kids-with-learning-and-thinking-differences) - - Emotional intelligence is the ability to be smart about emotions. - It can help kids with learning and thinking differences manage their challenges. - There are things you can do to develop your childs emotional intelligence. Consider this scenario: Samuel is struggling with his math homewor - [5 social-emotional learning games to play with your child](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/social-emotional-activities-for-children) - - Kids can learn to manage their emotions and work on social skills. - You can help your child with social-emotional learning by playing fun games at home. - There are lots of simple games you can play during everyday activities. Many schools have started teaching kids how to do things like cop --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/at-a-glance-5-factors-of-emotional-intelligence#webpage","url":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/at-a-glance-5-factors-of-emotional-intelligence","description":"Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand your emotions and those of others. It’s important in developing relationships and problem solving."},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/at-a-glance-5-factors-of-emotional-intelligence","name":"5 factors of emotional intelligence"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","datePublished":"2019-08-05T15:49:33.668Z","description":"Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand your emotions and those of others. 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