Annual Grimes lecture tests students' emotional intelligence

By Jill Moore
Collegian Reporter
March 22, 2006

On Wednesday, March 15, the annual Grimes lecture was held in the Dan Rodden Theatre. The Grimes lecture was created 27 years ago to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Psychology Department. The lecture honors Brother Vincent Grimes F.S.C., Ph.D, the founder and first chairman of the Psychology Department and the founder of La Salle’s counseling center. Every year, the Psychology Department invites a speaker who has made a great contribution in the field.

This year’s guest of honor was Peter Salovey, the Dean of Yale College. Salovey has been at the forefront of the study of Emotional Intelligence. Emotional Intelligence is the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings to discriminate among them and use this information to guide one’s own thinking and actions. In a theater of many teachers, students and professionals, Salovey gave a very interesting presentation on his research of different groups of people and their “EQ’s.”

According to Salovey, the main question that he wishes to answer through his research is, “What leads smart people to self-destruction?” He most notably spoke of former presidents and how they have been centers of controversy throughout their administration. If these men were such intelligent individuals, enough so to run the United States, how could men like Richard Nixon self-destruct?

Sophomore Jennifer Cash attended the Grimes lecture.

“I am not a psychology major, but to hear what Dr. Salovey had to share about his research was very enlightening,” Cash said. “Emotional Intelligence isn’t something you hear about every day, and it’s good to know that maybe my IQ doesn’t have to mean everything!”

moorej4@lasalle.edu