Psychology and sociology/12.social psychology

Olga V. Luneva, Ph. D

Moscow University for the Humanities, Russia

MAJOR DIRECTIONS OF SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE RESEARCH

The introduction of the “social intelligence” phenomenon into the subject matter of psychology was brought about by a number of factors such as the development of the humanistic line in psychological research, a wish for variety in the choice of phenomena to be analyzed, achievements and disappointments in the development of psychological thought and a practical demand from the fields of management and education in the first place. E. Thorndike considered social intelligence to be one of the three major kinds of intelligence and thus it has become a starting point for social intelligence research gradually sparking interest and research of the other kinds of intelligence as well (Thorndike, 1920).

Over the course of almost a hundred years E.Thorndike's ideas became the basis for different directions and spheres of research, all of them contributing to our understanding of social intelligence.

The theme related research in sociology can be considered the first such direction as it was sociology that initiated the study of social intelligence problems. Works dealing with social interaction aspects had appeared already in the 19^th century. Their main contribution to the study of social intelligence was in examining the structure and mechanisms of social interaction, discovering the role of symbols and meanings and ethical norms and values as regulators of such interaction. In addition, sociologists singled out the reality construction process of an individual interacting with other people and showed the role of interpersonal interaction in the development of a personality. They came to a very significant conclusion in that interpersonal interaction is determined by a system of ethical, rational and affective components.

The second important source of scientific knowledge is the study of implicit notions. Research conducted in different cultures revealed a number of characteristics which made up the basis of many models and conceptions of the social intelligence. Within the framework of this direction they obtained proof of the existence of social intelligence as a psychological phenomenon and discovered the various influences of different cultures and social experience on this kind of intelligence.

The third research direction is one of the most well-known and deals with the development of conceptions which include constructs participating in interpersonal interaction. Above all, it is represented by and R.J.Sternberg and their colleagues and H. Gardner. They paid varying degrees of attention to the study of social intelligence and gave it various names but these scholars showed the role of social intelligence in the development of a personality and its adaptation to the society through the processes of interaction (Guilford, 1981; Sternberg, 1997; Gardner, 1999).

The fourth direction is represented by a number of uncoordinated conceptions worked out with a varying degree of thoroughness and convincingness. The aim of such research is to illustrate the problem concerning scientific exploration of social intelligence. In spite of the fact that many such approaches do not always spell out their starting principles, for convenience they can be roughly divided into the following categories: cognitive, socio-cognitive and personality-oriented. This type of research makes the area of social intelligence versatile and appealing for those who still have to specify their research interests. And indeed, scholars exploring this field, very often different from each other, present a bright palette of ideas which show a variety of possible views on social intelligence and can in addition be a basis for new research in this field.

The fifth direction embodies numerous researchers carrying out important empirical work in an effort to understand the nature of social intelligence and its correlation with other psychological constructs. The data they receive enables them to make temporary conclusions, set new goals in the study of social intelligence and to select the most promising methods of its exploration.

The sixth direction has to do with a new notion of “emotional intelligence”. It is currently dominated by popularizers and commercial interests The content of this construct has not yet been properly defined . The authors of the first and only scientific conception of emotional intelligence so far (Mayer, Salovey, Caruso) agree with this view. Nevertheless, the attractiveness to researchers of the phenomenon of emotional intelligence reflects the significance of this sphere in the lives of people. Ignoring this would be equivalent to ignoring life itself and therefore , most probably, this construct has a promising future as a research subject (Mayer, Salovey, 1990).

The seventh direction exists within the framework of practical psychology where numerous tools are used thus making up for the absence of convincing scientific theory. There is a strong demand for this kind of material from personnel training specialists, coaches and teachers. At the present time it appears that their expectations regarding the development of social and emotional intelligences through teaching technologies are not so far justified . The gap between fundamental science and current practice in this area is highly significant and problematic.

Notes

1. Gardner, H. (1999) Intelligence Reframed. Multiple intelligences for the 21^st century, New York: Basic Books.

2. Guilford, J.P. (1981) Higher-order structure-of-intellect abilities// Multivariate Behavioral Research, 16. P. 411-435.

3. Mayer, J.D., & Salovey, P. (1990) Emotional Intelligence// Imagination, Cognition, and Personality, 9.P. 185-211.

4. Sternberg, R.J. (1997) Successful intelligence. New York: Plume.

5. Thorndike, E.L.  (1920) Intelligence and its uses.  Harper’s Magazine. 140. Р. 227-235.