Social IQ

First I'd like to note that I'm NOT going to talk about (or link to) last night's game. Dang you, Scott Rolen. Okay, enough of that.

I saw something a few weeks ago in the Parade magazine (the Sunday paper insert) that raised my ire. Let me go ahead and state that I HATE those general quiz things that tell you what kind of person you are based on what your favorite color is or how fast you walk or what animal you think of when you hear the word "petunia". They just rile me.

Anyway, the Parade had an article concerning social IQ. It's part of this worry that today's generation is so "gadget oriented" that it doesn't know how to interact with real people. It's a continuation of the old idea that getting along with people is more important than being smart, talented, etc. There may be some truth to both those claims, but I don't see why people think it's a "crisis" or anything like that. What raised my ire, though, was a quiz they put in the article to measure social IQ. Readers were told to think about the following situations and compare their responses to the "socially intelligent" responses listed at the bottom of the article.

1. You’re involved in “speed dating,” where singles go from partner to partner
for a timed five-minute talk. When a round ends, the partners decide whether to
give their e-mail addresses for a follow-up. You want to make the best first
impression. So you:
A. Think of the three or four most impressive things about yourself and try
to cover them all in the short time you have.
B. Ask your partners questions about themselves, saying little or nothing
about yourself unless asked.

2. You’re a team leader at your company. One member upsets the rest because she loafs, so the others have to do much of her work. You:
A. Confront her in front of the others to teach her a lesson.
B. Take her aside and threaten to fire her if she doesn’t improve.
C. Tell her precisely what she’s doing that’s a problem and help her come up with specific ways to change.

3. A 14-month-old boy climbs onto a table where a lamp sits precariously. You:
A. Say, “No!” firmly, tell him that climbing is for the playroom and take him there.
B. Tell him the lamp might fall and leave him alone.
C. Shout an angry “No!” to get his attention and order him to get down immediately.

ARGH! Is there anyone of the planet who couldn't figure out the "socially intelligent" answers to these 3 questions? NO! Does that mean, when confronted with these actual situations, everyone would actually do B, C, and A? NO! Then what the hell was the purpose of this "quiz"? I passed it with 100%, yet I'm nowhere near "socially intelligent" in terms of interacting with groups of strangers, being an effective team member, etc. I'd HATE to meet someone who couldn't ace this quiz. To quote one of my students, "These questions are stupid." All these questions test is your ability to parrot the "acceptable" answers. Grr.

Of course the article's author has a book on Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships. Man I can't wait to plunk down my $28 to get more insight like this. Geesh!

Anyway, GO CARDS! The Series awaits!