Using the Intelligence of the Experiential Mind in Decoding Facial Expressions
Journal Title: Journal of Experiential Psychotherapy - Year 2018, Vol 21, Issue 1
Abstract
Introduction: The ability to accurately perceive facial expressions can predetermine a few highly important adaptive functions, and the information acquired can promote efficient interpersonal behaviour that maximizes social outcomes. We used the concept known as ‘the intelligence of the experiential mind’, introduced by Epstein in the cognitive experiential self-theory – CEST, a theory of the mind that offers a whole new perspective in developing and understanding emotional intelligence. Objectives: Our study aims at investigating and explaining to what extent does one’s experiential intelligence influence his/her capacity of decoding emotions showed through facial expressions. We have captured an already existing relationship between constructive thinking (the operationalization of the intelligence of the experiential mind), and performance in recognizing the value of emotions transmitted through facial expressions. Methods: Constructive thinking, or the intelligence of the experiential mind, was assessed by the Constructive-Thinking Inventory (CTI) (Epstein, 1998). The Reading of the Mind in the Eyes test was used (Baron-Cohen et al., 2001) to measure the participants’ ability to identify emotions. Results: The result of the statistical analysis showed that the adjusted R² was equal to 0.512, which means that the intelligence of one’s experiential mind accounts for 51.2 % of one’s performance in identifying the emotions rendered by facial expressions. Conclusions: The originality and novelty of our study – compared to the existing literature – was the focus on empirically validating the theoretical framework regarding performance predictors in recognizing facial expressions and their meaning – with the help of a modern emotional intelligence theory, focused on automatic, preconscious intelligence, and the information the individual learns, without really being aware of learning. A possible follow-up of our study could explore the differences between the predictive value of constructive thinking and other tests/dimensions that might be performance predictors in decoding emotions rendered by facial expressions.
Authors and Affiliations
Ioana M. Neagoe
Keywords
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