Emotional Intelligence & Intercultural Health Care: Concept & Experience

Emotion and intelligence are traditionally treated as mutually exclusive. While intelligence is ranked at the top scale of intellectuality, emotion is normally associated with weakness, irrationality, and destructivity. The mind should be strong and free of emotional interference. However, this negative view of emotion has been strongly challenged by scholars in various academic disciplines. The concept “emotional intelligence” has been developed to indicate the significant role and function of emotion in daily encounters as well as in intellectual activities. Emotional intelligence has recently received great attention in research, particularly in health science as emotion is deeply embedded in health issues. From an intercultural perspective, there are cultural values which affect the perception of the nature of emotion and its role in human cultures and societies. This factor can lead to problems facing migrants living in a new cultural environment.