PSY 108 Module 5 Emotional Intelligence in a Crisis Discussion example

Reviewed by Gilbert Sorenby, PhD Introduction to Psychology Southern New Hampshire University Full sample paper Free custom sample in 24 to 48h

This complete PSY 108 Module 5 discussion post applies emotional intelligence to a crisis: a composite grocery store loses power on a busy Saturday, with frightened customers, a stalled checkout line and a frozen food section warming by the minute. It walks through the four abilities in the Mayer and Salovey model as the manager might use them, draws on research contrasting reappraisal with suppression, and adds a measured note on what meta-analytic evidence says about emotional intelligence at work. It closes with a question for classmates.

What this page holds

A PSY 108 Module 5 discussion post of about 350 words applying the four-branch model of emotional intelligence to a crisis, with research on emotion regulation, a caution about the size of emotional intelligence effects and a question for classmates. Searches like "psy 108 module 5 assignment", "psy108 module 5 emotional intelligence in a crisis discussion" and "psy 108 module 5 example" land here.

The PSY 108 Module 5 example, in full

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Module Five Discussion: Emotional Intelligence in Crisis Management

Re: The lights went out and everyone looked at the manager

Picture a composite grocery store at 11 a.m. on a Saturday when the power fails. Registers go dark, a child starts crying, a line of customers with full carts wants answers and the freezer section has maybe two hours before food must be thrown out. Everyone turns to the manager on duty.

Mayer et al. (2008) describe emotional intelligence as a set of four abilities, and a crisis like this calls on each in turn. Perceiving emotions: the manager notices that the loudest customer is frustrated, while the parent with the crying child is frightened, and those call for different responses. Using emotions: a little urgency is useful, sharpening attention to the freezers, as long as it does not turn into panic. Understanding emotions: frustration will grow into anger if customers feel ignored, so an early announcement matters more than a perfect one. Managing emotions: the manager has to calm herself before she can calm anyone else.

That last step is where research on emotion regulation helps. Gross (1998) distinguished reappraisal, changing how one interprets a situation, from suppression, hiding the emotion one already feels. Suppression tends to use up mental resources and leaves the feeling in place. A manager who reappraises, thinking "this is a problem with a checklist, and we have one," is more likely to think clearly than one who is quietly panicking behind a calm face. Staff and customers take their emotional cue from the person in charge, so her regulation spreads.

I want to keep the claim realistic, though. Joseph and Newman (2010) found in their meta-analysis that emotional intelligence predicted job performance mainly in jobs with high emotional labor, where managing feelings is part of the work, and that its effects were modest compared with some popular claims. Retail management in a crisis is exactly that kind of work, but emotional intelligence works alongside knowing the procedures, not instead of it.

Question for classmates: have you seen someone handle a workplace crisis well or badly, and which of the four abilities made the difference?

What this page is doingThe post applies each branch of the model to a specific moment in the crisis and includes a caution about effect sizes, which shows an introductory student reading research critically rather than repeating popular claims.
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References

Gross, J. J. (1998). The emerging field of emotion regulation: An integrative review. Review of General Psychology, 2(3), 271-299. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.2.3.271

Joseph, D. L., & Newman, D. A. (2010). Emotional intelligence: An integrative meta-analysis and cascading model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(1), 54-78. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017286

Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. R. (2008). Emotional intelligence: New ability or eclectic traits? American Psychologist, 63(6), 503-517. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.63.6.503

How this PSY 108 Module 5 example is structured

The post sets the scene in a few sentences, then follows the four branches of the model in the order the manager would use them. Research on reappraisal supports the most important step. A short caution keeps the claim in proportion, and the post ends with a question asking classmates about a crisis they have seen handled well or badly.

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Share your PSY 108 Module 5 discussion prompt and grading rubric. A post applying emotional intelligence to your crisis example comes back within 24 to 48 hours, and the first is free. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Southern New Hampshire University document.

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PSY 108 Module 5 questions, answered

What does PSY 108 Module 5 cover?

The fifth module often addresses emotion and motivation, including emotional intelligence, and a discussion may ask students to apply emotional intelligence to a situation such as managing a crisis at work.

What are the four branches of emotional intelligence?

In the ability model developed by Mayer and Salovey, emotional intelligence includes perceiving emotions accurately, using emotions to help thinking, understanding emotions and how they change and managing emotions in oneself and others.

What is the difference between reappraisal and suppression?

Reappraisal changes how a situation is interpreted before an emotion fully develops, while suppression hides the outward expression of an emotion that is already felt. Research suggests reappraisal is usually the healthier and more effective strategy.