Abstract
Emotional awareness is the ability to conceptualize and describe one’s own emotions and those of others. Over thirty years ago, a cognitive-developmental theory of emotional awareness patterned after Piaget’s theory of cognitive development was created as well as a performance measure of this ability called the Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale (LEAS). Since then, a large number of studies have been completed in healthy volunteers and clinical populations including those with mental health or systemic medical disorders. Along the way, there have also been further refinements and adaptations of the LEAS such as the creation of a digital version in addition to further advances in the theory itself. This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the evolving theoretical background, measurement methods, and empirical findings with the LEAS. The LEAS is a reliable and valid measure of emotional awareness. Evidence suggests that emotional awareness facilitates better emotion self-regulation, better ability to navigate complex social situations and enjoy relationships, and better physical and mental health. This is a relatively new but promising area of research in the domain of socio-emotional skills. The paper concludes with some recommendations for future research.
Highlights
Intelligence 9: 42. https://doi.org/Consider the following dilemma
The theory of levels of emotional awareness is consistent with this work in predicting that awareness should increase throughout development (consistent with positive associations with age and emotional awareness scores observed in children and adolescents; (Agnoli et al 2019; Mancini et al 2013; Veirman et al 2016)), and that the highest level attained will depend on the quality of social interactions with early caretakers and peers, as well as on subsequent social interactions during later childhood and adolescents
We proposed that development of higher levels of emotional awareness in a given person further depends on a cognitive/behavioral calibration process associated with the construct of life history strategy (LHS) in evolutionary psychology (Figueredo et al 2005)
Summary
2021, 9, 42 speak to the boss directly and explain that she feels that she is being treated both unfairly and in an unfriendly manner, and that she would like to be treated like everyone else She decides to set aside her resentment regarding her inadequate salary and postpone that conversation for a later date. In order to navigate this situation effectively, the consultant must identify her own emotions, interpret what the emotions mean to her, imagine various actions she might take as a result, anticipate what the boss’s emotional responses would be to each option and how she would feel in response, and decide on a course of action All of this involves consciously identifying and examining her own emotions, consciously and differentially imagining how she and the boss would feel in these various iterations, holding these different outcomes in mind in working memory, and determining what course of action will be most satisfying to her, all things considered. Our aim is to provide the first comprehensive synthesis to date of theory and research on emotional awareness, with regard to emotional awareness as a socio-emotional skill, and to guide future research by highlighting aspects of the theory that remain to be tested
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