Abstract

This article proposes a new framework for understanding emotional intelligence (EQ) by adapting Elliott Jaques’s theory of organizational strata. Instead of viewing EQ as a collection of skills (self-awareness, empathy, social skills), we map it using spatio-temporal dimensions: how far into the future you emotionally plan, and who you include in your sense of self. The result is four distinct orders of emotional maturity, each with four functional levels.

Introduction

Traditional EQ models treat emotions like ingredients—add empathy, self-regulation, social skills, and you’re done. But this misses how emotions actually develop. A person jealous enough to commit murder and a spiritual teacher forgiving their enemy aren’t just different in degree; they’re different in kind. The difference isn’t “more empathy” but a fundamentally expanded sense of self and time horizon.

A Stratified Model of Emotional Intelligence

Elliott Jaques showed organizations naturally stratify into levels with increasing time horizons for decisions, from operators (days–months) to CEOs (decades). He linked strata to task complexity and time span, emphasizing cognitive capacity beyond simple IQ. Emotional intelligence is equally critical: without it, leaders cannot form and guide teams to execute long-horizon strategies.

EQ strata can be aligned with Jaques’s cognitive strata so dimensions correspond. A Stratum IV plant manager needs both Stratum IV cognition (planning 2–5 years) and Stratum IV EQ (uniting and leading people). Cognition and EQ co-develop, moving from tangible exploration and basic emotions to symbols, abstraction, and sophisticated interpersonal understanding across longer horizons.

Decade-long horizons require abstract thought and elevated EQ, because sustaining decade-long relationships rests on love and deep friendship. The highest order—Universals—unifies cognitive and emotional dimensions, mirrored by enduring ideas and spiritual legacies that persist for centuries and millennia.

Four Emotional Intelligence Orders

Four Functional Levels per Order

• Feel: Attending to emotions at this order’s complexity.
• Recognize: Identifying and interpreting emotions in self and others.
• Manage: Regulating and expressing emotions appropriately.
• Lead: Guiding and transforming emotional processes.

Spatio‑Temporal Dimensions

• Spatial: scope of “self” expands from individual (Order I) to universal (Order IV).
• Temporal: from impulses and moments (Order I) to eternal principles (Order IV).

Detailed Orders and Levels

Order I: Somatic‑Instinctive (Childhood)

Spatial: Self only. Temporal: Present/impulse. Dominant emotions: fear, pain, possessive desire, lust, anger, jealousy; survival‑oriented and reflexive regulation.

Drivers: getting/pleasure/money. Neuro: limbic activation (amygdala, hypothalamus), dopamine/noradrenaline. Extreme: jealousy‑motivated violence. Marker: threat of loss escalates to aggression and destruction.

Order II: Social (Adult world)

Spatial: I and They. Temporal: Days–Years. Emotions: belonging, pride/shame, fear of ostracism, solidarity; sensing team spirit, unwritten rules, group dynamics.

Neuro: TPJ, mPFC, mirror systems. Applications: teamwork, culture, group leadership. Drivers: power, recognition. Extreme: wars, genocide. Marker: sensing/modulating collective mood, norms, taboos.

Order III: Intimate and Collective “We”

Spatial: Inclusive We of partners, family, teams. Temporal: Shared past, present, future/legacy. Emotions: mature love, empathy, care; deep friendships; continuing bonds after loss.

Neuro: insula, ACC; oxytocin/vasopressin; integration of memory with present. Practice: generosity, sustained marriages, parenting, deep friendships, adaptive grief. Drivers: give, share, grow. Extreme: self‑sacrifice upon irreversible loss. Marker: integrate the deceased’s image, preserving love without possession.

Order IV: Universal and Transpersonal

Spatial: Self + all beings (non‑duality). Temporal: Eternity (archetypes, timeless truths). Emotions: unconditional love, compassion (karuna), metta, agape; exemplified by major spiritual teachers.

Drivers: wish to rescue. Signature: love of enemies, forgiveness, perceiving the divine in each being; altruism as ontological stance. Paradox: teachers “live for millennia” through enduring impact. Practical: spiritual teaching, humanitarian work. Marker: self‑dissolution without a sense of sacrifice.

Differential: Jealousy vs Love

Temporal Horizon as Criterion

EQ development tracks expansion of temporal horizons from moments to millennia; low EQ traps awareness in the present, while high EQ embeds the self within multi‑generational continuity.

Practical Implications

Self‑Assessment

• Primary order: impulsive regulation (I), sensing group dynamics (II), deep attachments (III), or unity with all beings (IV)?
• Expand spatial horizon: egoism → altruism → universal love?
• Expand temporal horizon: immediate gratification → multi‑year plans; ancestors/descendants continuity?

EQ Development

• Meditative practice expanding boundaries of self (III → IV)
• Grief work and continuing bonds (III)
• Organizational consciousness (II)
• Reflect on impact of emotions on others (I → II)

Organizational Applications