Abstract
M.Phil.
The study was undertaken within the context op a Personal and Professional
leadership perspective.
Personal and Professional leadership is concerned with a conscious, deliberate,
lifelong process of personal growth which is initiated and controlled by the
individual himself.
The adolescent period is characterised by perceptible changes in the emotional
life of the adolescent. The simple, uncomplicated life of the younger child is
replaced in the adolescent by one which is complicated and involved.
If personal leadership is concerned with a conscious, deliberate, lifelong process
of personal growth initiated and controlled by the individual concerned, it must be
able to contribute to the emotional well-being of the adolescent.
The adolescent must be guided to recognise his emotions, to express and
manage them; he must learn to recognise the emotions of others, to handle
relationships and to motivate himself. The adolescent must thus be assisted to
achieve control over his emotions.
In the light of the above, the following question arose:
What is the potential contribution that personal leadership (PL) can make to the
emotional leadership (EL) of the adolescent?
In order to answer this question, the following questions served as guidelines for
the study:
What are emotions? (pp.13 — 21)
Why do adolescents find emotions so problematic? (pp. 27,29)
What is personal and emotional leadership? (pp. 33 — 34)
What contribution can personal leadership (PL) make to the emotional
leadership (EL) of the adolescent? (pp. 35 — 41)
What EL — domains are influenced by the said PL — qualities? (pp. 42 —
49)
The research methods employed in this chapter were mainly a literature study,
word and concept analysis.
From the above-mentioned research the following emerged.
The study of emotions started more than a century ago. Various theories
concerning emotions developed from one of four main theories or
traditions.
Emotions have an influence on different levels and have both a physical
and psychological component.
The main components of emotions are: the evokers of an emotion, the
receptors of an emotion, the emotional state, the expression of emotion
and the emotional experience. The various components also include
important physiological aspects such as the brain and the peripheral
nervous system. The focus was thus on the concept "emotion" in order to
create thd context in which the concept "Emotional Intelligence" will be
discussed.
The functional value of these components was elucidated in terms of the
fundamental adaptation value of emotional reactions in the individual's
battle for survival.
Researchers differ in their view of primary emotions. The same emotion
can have a positive or negative influence on the individual.
Conflicting emotions can give rise to emotional instability in the
adolescent.
A few of the problems caused by emotional instability are eating disorders,
alcohol & drug abuse, rebelliousness, irritability, unusual fashions,
indulging in premarital sex and depression.
Emotions are therefore a person's reactions to the world around him. It is a
combination of his thoughts, feelings and actions. The possibility and/or
necessity of emotional leadership thus exists.
Emotional Leadership is a multidimensional concept consisting of various
abilities. Some of the abilities are the ability to recognise the emotions in
yourself and in others, the ability to motivate yourself and to manage
emotions in yourself and in relationships. The EL — domains are
influenced by various PL-qualities.
Personal Leadership entails constant growth on all levels of being. A
Personal Leader knows who he is, where he stands presently and where
he aims to be.
Personal Leadership qualities which can contribute to the Emotional
Leadership of the adolescent are proactive actions and choices, selfawareness,
self-knowledge, values, a clear purpose and the initiation of a
paradigm shift.
Personal Leadership contributes to various domains of emotional leadership and
can contribute greatly to the total well-being and growing to maturity of the
adolescent.