|  | Resources | No.53 May 2008 |
|  |  | print / save view |

Book Information Nerice Pistilli & Darlene Kluka |
Daniel Goleman Social Intelligence; the New Science of Human Relationships New York: Bantam Books (2006) ISBN: 0-553-80352-2 Cost: US $28.00 The book by Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, has provided yet another masterpiece that describes the human brain in ways never realised or thought could be explained. A clever combination of neuroscience and psychology, Social Intelligence answers many questions about self, family and friends and most importantly, the way humans socialise. He investigates the new science of human relationships in a manner that is potentially beneficial to those professionals in sport science and physical education. The book is divided into six parts, each discussing specific areas of the social brain. Wired to connect, broken bonds, nurturing nature, healthy communications, and social consequence focus on various issues that have surfaced in the emerging science referred to as the science of human relationships. A professional in the fields of sport science and physical education who is in a leadership, decision-making and friendship role on a daily basis, has a high need to understand the way in which colleagues communicate and relate to people; in short, the ’how to’ socialise. This need makes the ability to socialise equally important to the ability of being an excellent scientist. Goleman describes the brain in its social context brilliantly. He begins by describing the various complex pathways in the brain that are involved in personal interactions. “The social brain became most highly developed in those species of mammals that live in groups, evolving as a mechanism for survival” (p. 329). Vivid examples are provided in order to understand these neural pathways in a simple way that is easy to read and understand. Goleman goes on to describe elements such as experiences, childhood and lifestyle, that can cause the social brain to become “unintelligent” or disconnected. The second part of the book clearly maps out how and why some people are socially distant or socially retarded and, quite obviously, dangerous. From a more positive perspective, the third part of Social Intelligence describes the factors that nurture humans into well-rounded, secure people. With the most emphasis being on childhood and how parents raise children, definite guidelines are presented that can help anyone become a more positive and secure person. This section of the book is of particular interest to professionals dealing with youngsters. Love, as one of the human emotions, is described in a fresh, yet understandable manner in the fourth part of the book. Goleman cleverly describes the different aspects that make up love, which is helpful to understand why humans have intimate social connections with specific people and not with all people. This part also describes how “normal” and healthy love is. Goleman offers in the fifth part of the book that humans become better or worse depending on whom they invest time with. How humans behave towards one another is also a driving force that all those in leadership should realise. Career success and happiness involves the level of intelligence displayed in social connections. The last part of Social Intelligence describes how human behaviour and the ability to connect well socially can influence the population as a whole. Solid, concrete ideas are presented that any person with influence can implement to drive each generation to a better level of social intelligence. This book is recommended to complement the library of every leader, including educators and sport scientists, who desire to lead a meaningful life, redefine the meaning of intelligence, and move each new generation to a higher level of communication and positive core values in social relationships. Social Intelligence is an outstanding book that builds understanding those factors that are not always explainable, but are nonetheless controllable. Contact Darlene Kluka University of Pretoria, Department of Biokinetics Sport and Leisure Sciences Pretoria, South Africa Email: darlene.kluka@up.ac.za or eyesport@aol.com Nerice Pistilli University of Pretoria Department of Biokinetics, Sport and Leisure Sciences Pretoria, South Africa http://www.icsspe.org/portal/index.php?w=1&z=5 Book Information Social Intelligence; the New Science of Human Relationships Nerice Pistilli & Darlene Kluka