08/27/2026
Emotional intelligence, or EI, is promoted as a communication and leadership skill. It is sold as a way to understand people, manage emotions, and build stronger teams. But when you unpack where they came from, you find something very different.
EI did not grow out of psychology, ethics, or healthy communication. EI was borrowed from older traditions that predate modern psychology.
Rebranding deceptive manipulation tactics as Emotional Intelligence is a way of marketing something harmful for profit by changing it's name.