Back in the days, the idea started after the real-life story of one of the army generals who got caught in the hands of his enemies. He was held in captivity for several months before he was released. During that time, his captives were feisty and aggressive around him, pointing their guns at him in attempt to intimidate him. Then he remembered a part of training sessions that has attended that says, that you can influence the people around you by modeling, and that feelings are contagious. Therefore, he started to act calm and controlled his feelings when interacted with them. After a while, he noticed that they became peaceful around him too. Later that year after he was rescued, he realized that his attitude towards his captives is what has saved his life. Because if he responded aggressively to their attempts, it could’ve gotten him killed.
That story was the starting point for many writers and authors in their attempts to tackle the concept. Although, many of them tried to come up with a
References: Cherniss, C., Goleman, D. (Eds.). (2001). The emotionally intelligence workplace. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Haley, A. (1973). The autobiography of Malcolm x. New York: Ballantine Books Strickland, W. (1994). Malcolm x: make it plain (full PBS documentary), [video] retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zvGRmX2gcs