Emotional Intelligence: Formation and Development of the Concept in Foreign Studies

The article reflects the history of the development of the phenomenon of "emotional intelligence", analyzes the different views of foreign psychologists on the corresponding issue. The prerequisites for the emergence and formation of this scientific concept are shown. It was found that the problem of emotional intelligence is relatively new in psychological science. It appeared in the works of American researchers in the context of developing the problem of social intelligence. The innovative theory of G. Gardner about the plurality of intelligence, which led to the appearance of numerous studies of emotional intelligence, had a significant impact on the formation of the concept. The first theoretical concept of emotional intelligence is associated with the names of the American scientists J. Mayer and P. Salovey, who first used this term and described the structure of this concept. As for today, in modern psychological science the following models of emotional intelligence have become the most widespread: the model of emotional-intellectual abilities by J. Mayer, P. Selovey and D. Caruso; emotional competence model of D Goleman; non-cognitive model of R. Bar-On. Despite the differences in the definition of the concept and its content structure, all scientists are inclined to the opinion that emotional intelligence is an important integral personal formation of an individual, which is realized in their abilities to understand their own and other people's emotions and, thanks to the received information, to effectively interact with the surrounding people and achieve success in personal and professional spheres of life. Also, the researchers, through experimental work, proved the possibility of forming and developing this personality trait. The results of a short analytical review of foreign psychological research are valuable, as they form a scientific basis for researching the emotional intelligence of future primary school teachers as an individually personal and professionally significant quality, which is determined by the requirements of the profession. The article outlines the prospects for further investigations focused on studying the theoretical and empirical foundations of emotional intelligence of future primary school specialists at the stage of their professional formation.