Emotional Intelligence for IT Professionals

Be mindful during a conflict

As human beings, we are groomed by evolution to protect ourselves whenever we sense a threat. In our modern context, we do not fight like a badger with a coyote or, run away like a rabbit from a fox. But our basic impulse to protect ourselves is automatic and unconscious. We have two amygdalae; they are responsible for detecting fear and preparing our body for an emergency response. When we perceive a threat, the amygdala sounds an alarm, releasing a cascade of stress hormones. Adrenaline and cortisol immediately flood our system preparing us for fight or flight. When this deeply instinctive function takes over, we have been triggered. The flood of stress hormones creates body sensations like a quivering in our ...