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Yoga and Its Impact on Emotional Intelligence (view source)
Revision as of 17:39, 12 April 2020
, 17:39, 12 April 2020Content Added
In the light of the many definitions and descriptions of yoga, referring to the spiritual and the secular quest, we submit that the realisational vs utilitarian divide is artificial. A truly realisational objective has to be all- comprehensive.
In the light of the many definitions and descriptions of yoga, referring to the spiritual and the secular quest, we submit that the realisational vs utilitarian divide is artificial. A truly realisational objective has to be all- comprehensive.
== Research Objective and Methodology ==
Hypothesis
So far no systematic attempt has been made to conduct a controlled study to identify the impact of adopting the yoga way of life on the emotional intelligence (EI) of managers. We would therefore like to study the relation- ship between them by hypothesising the relationship between the yoga way of life and its impact on the EI of managers in a business organisation.
Goleman (2000) opines that far too many training pro- grammes intended to build leadership skills, including EI, are ineffective because they focus on the wrong part of the brain.
Emotional intelligence is born largely in the neuro- transmitters of the brain’s limbic system, which governs feelings, impulses, and drives. Research indicates that the limbic system learns best through motivation, extended practice, and feedback. On the other hand, the neocortex, which governs analytical and technical ability, grasps concepts and logic. It is the part of the brain that figures
also the part of the brain mistakenly targeted by most training programmes aimed at enhancing EI. Goleman (2000), quoting his research with the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence, maintains that organisational programmes which take a neocortical approach can even have a negative impact on job performance.
We propose a null hypothesis of no impact of yoga way of life on the EI of managers.
Constructs for measurement of emotional intelligence
The scale used for this research was the Self-Reported EI Scale (SREIS) (Schutte et al., 1998), which was developed to reflect Salovey and Mayer’s (1990) original ability model of EI and was validated in relation to dimensions of the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (Salovey, Mayer, Goldman, Turvey, & Palfai, 1995) as well as the characteristics usually identified as more relevant to trait models of EI (Goleman, 1995) including alexithymia, optimism and impulse control. This 33-item EI scale assesses multiple aspects of EI including appraisal and expression of emotions, regulation of emotion and utilisation of emotion. Participants rated the extent to which they agreed with each item on 7-point Likert type scales ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). The SREIS measure is reported to have good internal consistency and test-retest reliability (Schutte et al., 1998), and has demonstrated predictive validity.
There are other scales available to measure the EI con- structethe Multifactor Emotional Intelligence Scale (MEIS), and a more recent version of this measure viz the Mayer, Salovey, Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT), developed to measure the ability to monitor, discriminate and manage emotions (Mayer & Salovey, 1997; Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso, 2002); the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) to measure psychological well-being and adaptation proposed by Kemp et al. (2005), and the Emotional Competence Inventory (ECI) for measuring social and emotional competency in the workplace (Goleman, 1995, 1998). MSCEIT was developed as an ability- or performance- based measure of the EI construct. On the other hand, other measures such as the EQ-i or ECI are self-report measures which may reflect ‘perceived’ EI, rather than actual capacity. While the debate on the best way to measure EI continues, some researchers have also argued that the different conceptualisations and measurements of this construct are more complementary than contradic- tory, and that most models and measures of EI share some common elements, including the capacity to perceive and regulate emotions in oneself as well as in others (Ciarrochi, Chan, & Caputi, 2000; Emmerling & Goleman, 2003; Gole- man, 2001; Palmer, 2003).
Some researchers maintain that self-report question- naires are subject to response bias which may obscure findings concerning the construct of interest (Moorman & Podsakoff, 1992). Individuals who are required to complete self-report questionnaires to apply for or keep a position, may consciously or unconsciously provide answers that are socially desirable (James & Mazerolle, 2002). Therefore,
the way in which individuals respond on self-report questionnaires may be a potential source of inaccuracy (Paulhus & Reid, 1991), which may produce negative consequences for organisations. Self-report measures of EI also have the inherent propensity to be susceptible to socially desirable responding.
Downey, Godfrey, Hansen, & Stough, (2006) observe a weak relationship between EI and social desirability (SD). Social desirability was experimentally manipulated by examining the relationship between EI and SD in two groups. The first group (n Z 34) completed the question- naires anonymously and were told that no feedback would be provided. The second group of participants (n Z 45) were informed that they would receive detailed feedback about their EI. Emotional intelligence did not significantly differ between the two feedback conditions. The results indicated that there is no significant or substantial rela- tionship between self-report EI and SD. In view of this finding our use of self-report questionnaires may not distort the findings of our study significantly.
Yoga way of life and emotional intelligence: empirical study
The present study was conducted in a manufacturing company in the state of Gujarat in western India, in one of the units manufacturing viscose staple fibre (VSF). The organisation is a flagship company of a large conglomerate, which ranks among India’s largest private sector companies. The VSF plant where this study was conducted was set up in 1996. The unit where this study was conducted has about 120 people in the managerial cadre and more than 1000 in the workers’ category. The average total work experience of the sample group is 16.11 years. Most of the employees reside in the township of the company, which made it easy to conduct the intervention of yoga.
The salient aspects of the study methodology are sum- marised below:
The managers of the company were given the option of participating in this study after the purpose and the modality of this experiment were explained to them. One of the expectations was regularity of attendance for the theory and practice sessions of the proposed study. Written consent for participating in the experi- ment was obtained. Those who agreed to participate in the study were divided into two equal groups of 42 each; Group 1 was designated as the yoga group and group 2 as the phys- ical exercise group, which was the control group for this experiment. The yoga group was given 30 hours of yoga practice (75 minutes every day) and 25 hours of theory lectures on the philosophy of yoga spread over six weeks. The theory lectures were given by the first author of this article and included topics such as definitions of the yoga way of life, implications of the four types of yoga (Raja yoga, Karma yoga, Jnana yoga and Bhakti yoga) on life, analysis of the aspects of true happiness in life, Ashtanga yoga steps and the central theme of univer- sality of consciousness as propounded in these texts.
Impact of adoption of yoga way of life 37
The practice sessions for the elements of yoga which included asanas, pranayama and relaxation were con- ducted by a well-trained yoga instructor. The control group was also given training in normal physical workout for an equal number of hours, and lectures on the success factors in life based on modern thought (that seeks to achieve success by systematic control of factors within one’s area of influence). This was necessary in order to obviate the possibility of the Hawthorne effect on the control group. The topics for theory given to this group included success and happi- ness, the importance of attitude, self-image, good relationship with others, goal setting, the power of the subconscious mind, communication, motivation and leadership. The practice given to this group included fast exercises such as spot jogging, bending, body rotation, hand and leg movements etc. In order to test the hypothesis, EI was measured for both the groups, before and after the study, with the help of a standard self-reported questionnaire. In addition, measurements of certain physical parameters such as weight, body mass index, blood pressure, and blood sugar were taken for all, before and after the study. The required data was taken before the commence- ment of the study on 17th September, 2007. The intervention to both the groups was simultaneously done between 18th September and 24th October, 2007. The post-study measurement was done on 24th October, 2007. Out of the total of 42 in both groups, there were some who did not attend all the theory and practice classes on several days, and hence only the top 30 (in terms of regularity) were included for both groups in the final sample for the analysis. This came to a minimum attendance figure of 65% approximately for both groups. The profile of this group is summarised in Exhibit 3.
Exhibit 4 schematically shows the study methodology and the group composition.
As mentioned earlier, yoga should not be equated with asana practice alone. It encompasses a) a moral code of conduct (as given in yama and niyama), b) physical practices (such as asana and pranayama), c) the development of a deep rooted trust in God’s justice system (Bhakti yoga), d) the adoption of the attitude of putting in one’s best in any piece of work without worrying about the possibility of adverse results (Karma yoga), and e) meditation on the nature of self.
In this experiment rigorous training of 55 hours spread over 6 weeks was organised for the yoga group to instil all these five aspects in the experiment group.
Results and implications
Statistical analysis of the data was done using the SPSS. The sample profile given in Exhibit 3 indicates that 80% and 86% of the participants from the yoga group and the control group respectively were from the age group of 21e50, while the rest were above 50. Similarly, 20% of the yoga group and 17% of the control group were from the top management (i.e. deputy general manager and above), while 57% of the yoga group and 63% of the control group were from the line level managers (deputy managers and officers).
In the validity test conducted, the pre-experiment result of the 33-item scale of EI had a Chronbach’s alpha of 0.84 while that of the post-study data of EI showed alpha of 0.85. The average EI score for the yoga group and the control group was 5.50 and 5.61 respectively before the experiment. The average EI score after the experiment for the yoga group and the control group was 5.97 and 5.55 respectively (Exhibit 5). In the paired t-test of the pre- and post- study data, EI showed significant enhancement in the yoga group (p Z 0.005), but not in the physical exercise group (Exhibit 6). The results further showed that while the difference in the average EI between the yoga group and the physical exercise group was not significant prior to the experiment (thus supporting random choice of samples), the same was statistically significant at the end of the experiment with p Z 0.001 (Exhibit 7).
According to Swami Rama et al. (1976), yoga psychology integrates the behavioural and introspective approaches to growth. It provides a perspective from which one can become disengaged from involvement in the unhappy personalities one has created for oneself and in the nega- tive role one has adopted. It moves quickly to a training
==References==
==References==