Power Play: Could Emotional Intelligence Be the Difference between Batman and Joker?

Abstract

Emotional intelligence (EI) continues to survive even as psychologists seem to become modest to vital questions on the construct. One explanation to why EI is seen as important is perhaps because of the persuasive capacity it brings. Use of persuasion has two sides in literature: a positive aspect and a dark aspect. While one syncs with the ‘getting things done’ understanding of management, the other collides with it in the grey-shade of selfishness. Few articles recently raised the question if individuals with high EI are likely to manipulate, and if they are likely to be Machiavellian. In this paper, we elaborate the arguments in this arena and offer testable propositions for further study.

Keywords: Empathy, Manipulation, Responsibility, Machiavellianism, Metaphor