UnderstandingEmotion Starts With Language

“Words seed your concepts, concepts drive your predictions, predictions regulate your body budget, and your body budget determines how you feel. Therefore, the more finely grained your vocabulary, the more precisely your predicting brain can calibrate your budget to your body’s needs” (Lisa Feldman Barrett, How Emotions Are Made).

At Spych, we believe that every child deserves the tools to express themselves clearly while understanding their emotions and the emotions of others. Our mission is to raise emotional awareness and communication skills in underprivileged children through verbal literacy. But why is this so important?

What is Emotional intelligence?

Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to understand and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others (Mayer and Salovey, 1990; Goleman, 1996; Bar-On, 2006; Lyusin, 2006). It encompasses skills such as emotional awareness, empathy, emotional regulation, and social competence. These abilities are crucial for building healthy relationships, making responsible decisions, and coping with stress.

Research has consistently shown that emotional intelligence is a significant predictor of academic success and overall well-being. For example, studies have demonstrated that children with higher emotional intelligence tend to perform better academically, as they are better equipped to manage stress, navigate social interactions, and stay motivated (Parker et al., 2004). Emotional intelligence also plays a crucial role in helping children develop resilience and adaptability, which are essential skills for both academic and personal success.

Why Are Underprivileged Children at Higher Risk for Lacking Emotional Intelligence?

Children from underprivileged backgrounds are often exposed to various stressors such as poverty, unstable home environments, and limited access to educational resources. These challenges can hinder the development of emotional intelligence. Research suggests that children in these circumstances are more likely to struggle with emotional competence (Erhart et al. 2019), which can negatively impact their academic performance and social relationships (Parker et al. 2004).

In 2019, Andrew Erhart et al. performed a study that aimed to investigate the role of poverty in emotion labeling ability in middle childhood. Children were presented pictures of basic facial emotions such as fear, anger, and happiness. Each emotion had ten different versions, where each face was morphed with a neutral expression in 10% increments, such that the expressions varied in emotional intensity from 100% (0% neutral) to 10% (90% neutral). On average, children who had consistently lived in poverty needed emotional intensity levels of 60% to achieve the same accuracy that children never exposed to poverty reached at just 30% intensity. Erhart and his team reached the conclusion that long-term poverty hindered children’s social interactions and learning, particularly in emotion recognition. This could be due to the fact that children from chronic poverty backgrounds often receive less social support and have less access to quality education that includes emotion recognition training (Magnuson, Meyers, Ruhm, & Waldfogel, 2004). Additionally, chronic poverty is linked to increased stress, exposure to violence (Heim et al., 2008; Raver et al., 2015), and differences in parenting, all of which may affect emotion recognition and labeling abilities (Pinderhughes et al., 2001). 

Without early intervention and support, underprivileged children may face a higher risk of academic failure, behavioral problems, and even involvement in criminal activity.

How does this connect to verbal literacy?

Verbal strategies like acknowledging, empathizing, questioning, and discussing emotions are crucial elements of emotional education (Sorin 2008). Emotional literacy helps individuals recognize, understand, and express their emotions with sincerity and sensitivity toward others (Richfield 2014). Learning to translate feelings into specific language early in life promotes self-regulation, enhances relationships, and increases self-awareness (Richfield 2014).

So…

We are committed to empowering underprivileged children by equipping them with the essential tools of verbal literacy to enhance their emotional intelligence and communcation. We believe that by helping children articulate their emotions clearly and understand the emotions of others, we can foster emotional awareness, resilience, and stronger social connections. Through our program, we aim to help children make better choices for themselves and become fulfilled individuals by providing them with the skills they need to succeed academically, build healthy relationships, and navigate life’s challenges with confidence and empathy.