Goleman discusses the alarming consequences of emotional illiteracy and emphasizes a need for lessons in handling emotions and resolving conflicts peacefully. He presents a harrowing real-life incident involving a school shooting, illustrating the consequences of emotional deficiencies among teenagers. Goleman highlights the deficiency of emotional literacy in standard school curricula and suggests that the focus on academic standards often overlooks crucial emotional skills needed for survival.

The author presents distressing statistics from the 1990s in the United States, which indicate a rise in juvenile arrests for violent crimes, increased teen murder rates, and escalating rates of teenage pregnancy, venereal diseases, and mental health conditions. Goleman particularly underscores the bleak situation for African American youth, with rates much higher than those for white youth. He connects these trends to emotional malaise and deficits in emotional competences and asserts that the erosion of emotional skills is a universal challenge for modern children. Goleman discusses a national sample of American children’s emotional conditions in the mid-1970s and late 1980s, revealing a steady worsening based on parents’ and teachers’ assessments. Emotional problems such as withdrawal, anxiety, attention issues, and delinquency became more prevalent.

The chapter stresses the global nature of emotional deficiencies in children and attributes the problem to the pressures of modern life, including financially besieged families and the erosion of nurturing exchanges between parents and children. Goleman quotes Urie Bronfenbrenner, who underscores the desperation of American children and families, asserting that millions of children are being deprived of competence and moral character.

Goleman highlights the effectiveness of programs designed to help aggressive children learn to control their antisocial behavior, citing a Duke University program that focused on anger control and perspective taking. Moreover, he presents a case study of Dana, a teenager who struggled with depression triggered by relationship challenges. Goleman discusses an experimental program at Columbia University that successfully treated her by focusing on improving her relationship skills.

Goleman addresses the rising rates of depression in the younger generation, attributing it to various factors like changes in family structures, growing parental indifference, and the erosion of support from extended family and community. He notes a global trend where each successive generation faces a higher risk of major depression compared to their predecessors. Goleman mentions several experts’ perspectives on the causes, such as the impact of industrialization and the decline of communal support systems. A key revelation is that even mild episodes of depression in childhood can lead to more severe episodes later in life, challenging the notion that children simply “grow out of it” (278). He underscores the cost of depression on children’s social skills, academic performance, and overall well-being, reiterating the theme of The Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Personal and Professional Success.

Furthermore, Goleman discusses the impact of emotional skills on preventing various mental health conditions or negative experiences in children and adolescents, such as depression, eating disorders, social rejection, and substance abuse. He emphasizes the significance of teaching emotional skills early in life to reduce the risk of these problems. Goleman provides evidence from studies, including one in an Oregon high school, where teaching emotional skills resulted in a 50% reduction in depression rates among students. He also explores the connection between social rejection and the risk of dropping out of school, stressing the importance of emotional competence in forming and maintaining friendships. He discusses effective interventions like “friendship coaching” for socially rejected children to help them improve their social skills (289).

Goleman acknowledges the impact of family and economic factors on a child’s well-being but asserts that emotional competence can be a decisive factor in determining resilience. He discusses the prevalence of emotional disorders and stresses the need for early intervention, using the example of a young girl with social anxiety disorder turning to substance abuse later in life. Goleman critiques the ineffectiveness of many educational programs, citing a case on sexual abuse prevention where comprehensive training, including emotional and social competences, proved more successful than basic information alone. He concludes by presenting a list of key emotional skills crucial for successful prevention programs, emphasizing their significance in addressing various societal challenges.

Goleman explores the implementation of emotional intelligence education in schools and refers to the pioneering Self Science program at the Nueva Learning Center. The chapter underscores the significance of emotional literacy in children’s education and suggests that emotions and social life should be explicit topics, not treated as irrelevant intrusions in the learning process.

Goleman introduces the Self Science curriculum, which delves into feelings, relationships, and conflict resolution and provides students with essential emotional and social competencies. The approach involves addressing real issues in students’ lives, such as hurt feelings, envy, and disagreements, to make emotional learning an integral part of regular education.

Goleman connects the emergence of emotional literacy courses in schools to the affective-education movement of the 1960s and the more recent focus on prevention programs targeting specific issues like drug abuse and violence. The chapter emphasizes that emotional intelligence education goes beyond crisis intervention, becoming a preventive measure for the entire student population, taught by regular teachers. Goleman illustrates a classroom scenario where fifth-grade students engage in a teamwork exercise, the “cooperation squares” game, to emphasize the importance of skills like active listening and assertiveness in conflict resolution.

Goleman explores the implementation of emotional literacy programs in diverse educational settings, particularly in inner-city schools. He addresses skeptics who question the efficacy of such programs in less privileged environments, contrasting the Nueva Learning Center with the Augusta Lewis Troup Middle School in New Haven. Despite socioeconomic challenges and a high percentage of Black and Hispanic enrollment, Troup successfully integrates emotional competence education.

Goleman refers to the Social Competence Program initiated by Yale psychologists and educators in response to urban challenges. The curriculum at Troup includes direct and raw discussions on issues like AIDS, which reflects the urgency of addressing real-life problems faced by the students. He introduces Mary Ellen Collins, the school facilitator, who emphasizes the need for emotional education given the complex issues students encounter daily.

Goleman then highlights emotional literacy in disguise, where emotional lessons merge with existing subjects like reading, health, science, and social studies. He discusses the Child Development Project in Oakland, which integrates emotional and social competence into various courses. The approach of blending emotional education into the fabric of school life is presented as an effective strategy, as it emphasizes the need for teaching emotional skills without creating a separate class.

Additionally, Goleman emphasizes the need to align emotional lessons with a child’s changing understanding and various challenges at different ages. He discusses the impact of emotional education during crucial transitions, such as entering grade school, puberty, and the challenges of middle school. Throughout this chapter, Goleman provides examples from schools, such as Troup, and introduces practical strategies like the “stoplight” poster for teaching impulse control and effective emotional management.

Goleman highlights the crucial role of emotional literacy in preventing violence and promoting positive behavior among children. He discusses specific programs like the Resolving Conflict Creatively program and the PATHS curriculum, which aim to teach emotional skills and conflict resolution techniques. Goleman argues that emotional literacy should extend beyond the classroom to the playground and cafeteria. He advocates for an expanded role of schools in teaching emotional skills and underscores the need for community involvement to reinforce emotional lessons both at home and in schools. The author presents anecdotes and empirical data to demonstrate the tangible benefits of emotional literacy, including improved behavior, enhanced relationships, and academic success.