UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA (UNISA)
College of Education
⋄
HED4814 — ASSIGNMENT 01
Semester 1 Assignment 01 — 2026
⋄
Module Code: HED4814
Module Name: Health Education
Assignment No.: 01
Due Date: 12 May 2026
Semester: Semester 1, 2026
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for HED4814
at the University of South Africa.
, UNISA | HED4814 Assignment 01 — 2026
Section A: Emotional Intelligence
Question A1: Definition and Key Components of Emotional Intelligence
Defining Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence (EI) refers to the capacity to perceive, understand, manage, and apply
emotional information in ways that guide thinking and behaviour, both in oneself and in inter-
actions with others (Mayer et al., 2016). The concept was formally introduced into psychologi-
cal literature by Salovey and Mayer (1990), who described it as a subset of social intelligence
involving the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate
among them, and to use this information to guide thinking and action. Daniel Goleman (1995)
later brought EI into mainstream awareness through a model that emphasized its practical
relevance to personal and professional success.
What EI captures, at its core, is something textbooks on cognitive ability tend to overlook:
that knowing what to do and actually doing it are often separated by emotional noise. And
that gap matters enormously, especially in educational and social settings.
The Five Key Components of Emotional Intelligence
Goleman’s (1995) widely cited model organises EI into five interrelated components, each of
which builds on the previous one in a developmental sequence.
Self-Awareness is the foundational component. It is the ability to recognise one’s own emo-
tional states in real time, to understand how those emotions influence thought and behaviour,
and to have an accurate sense of one’s own strengths and limitations (Goleman, 1995). A
learner who feels anxious about a class presentation and recognises this anxiety as such, rather
than mistaking it for dislike of the teacher, demonstrates self-awareness. Without this capac-
ity, the other components cannot function effectively.
Self-Regulation builds directly on self-awareness. It refers to the ability to manage disrup-
tive impulses and moods, to think before acting, and to redirect emotional responses toward
constructive ends (Mayer et al., 2016). This is sometimes called emotional self-management.
A person who experiences frustration in a meeting but chooses to respond calmly rather than
reactively is exercising self-regulation. In adolescents, this capacity is still developing neuro-
logically, which helps explain why emotional outbursts are common during this developmental
period (Gross, 2015).
Page 1 of 13
College of Education
⋄
HED4814 — ASSIGNMENT 01
Semester 1 Assignment 01 — 2026
⋄
Module Code: HED4814
Module Name: Health Education
Assignment No.: 01
Due Date: 12 May 2026
Semester: Semester 1, 2026
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for HED4814
at the University of South Africa.
, UNISA | HED4814 Assignment 01 — 2026
Section A: Emotional Intelligence
Question A1: Definition and Key Components of Emotional Intelligence
Defining Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence (EI) refers to the capacity to perceive, understand, manage, and apply
emotional information in ways that guide thinking and behaviour, both in oneself and in inter-
actions with others (Mayer et al., 2016). The concept was formally introduced into psychologi-
cal literature by Salovey and Mayer (1990), who described it as a subset of social intelligence
involving the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate
among them, and to use this information to guide thinking and action. Daniel Goleman (1995)
later brought EI into mainstream awareness through a model that emphasized its practical
relevance to personal and professional success.
What EI captures, at its core, is something textbooks on cognitive ability tend to overlook:
that knowing what to do and actually doing it are often separated by emotional noise. And
that gap matters enormously, especially in educational and social settings.
The Five Key Components of Emotional Intelligence
Goleman’s (1995) widely cited model organises EI into five interrelated components, each of
which builds on the previous one in a developmental sequence.
Self-Awareness is the foundational component. It is the ability to recognise one’s own emo-
tional states in real time, to understand how those emotions influence thought and behaviour,
and to have an accurate sense of one’s own strengths and limitations (Goleman, 1995). A
learner who feels anxious about a class presentation and recognises this anxiety as such, rather
than mistaking it for dislike of the teacher, demonstrates self-awareness. Without this capac-
ity, the other components cannot function effectively.
Self-Regulation builds directly on self-awareness. It refers to the ability to manage disrup-
tive impulses and moods, to think before acting, and to redirect emotional responses toward
constructive ends (Mayer et al., 2016). This is sometimes called emotional self-management.
A person who experiences frustration in a meeting but chooses to respond calmly rather than
reactively is exercising self-regulation. In adolescents, this capacity is still developing neuro-
logically, which helps explain why emotional outbursts are common during this developmental
period (Gross, 2015).
Page 1 of 13
