Mains Marathon

• Start the answer by briefly defining the term emotional intelligence.
• Discuss the role of EI in handling mob protest & violence.
• Conclude Suitably.

Answer:

The term emotional intelligence (EI) refers to our ability to perceive, understand, control, and interpret emotions. It’s about being in control of how we feel, and knowing why we feel that way. More importantly, it’s about being able to pick up on how other people feel.

In tough situations like mob protests or violence, you need to be someone that’s able to keep a cool head, regardless of the situation. In this case EI has a huge role to play.

Role of EI in Handling Mob Protest & Violence:

• Keeping Things Under Control: Mob protests can get out of control within a matter of a few minutes, if you as an administrator are incapable of keeping things under control, you’re going to freak out at the first sign of trouble.
• Dealing With Self Emotions: Anger and anxiety are almost never helpful emotions, especially when one’s dealing with mob protests.
  • Generally, these two emotions lead to impulsive behaviour, which is a strict no in mob handling.
• Negotiating With the Mob: In order to control a mob, you need to be charismatic, confident, and approachable.
  • You need to be able to keep a cool head, even when everyone around you is in panic mode.
• Social responsibility: As administrator, it is the primary responsibility to care about all the stakeholders and keep everyone in the loop.

In present times, especially in a market driven economy, protests will become more frequent and governance will become increasingly complex.

Thus, Intelligence quotient alone can’t solve the majority of problems an administrator faces, use of emotional intelligence is a must for better public service delivery as well as redressal.