Emotional intelligence and emotional competence are related concepts but have slightly different meanings:

1. Emotional Intelligence: Emotional intelligence refers to a person's ability to perceive, understand, manage, and express emotions effectively. It involves being aware of one's own emotions and the emotions of others, using emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, and managing emotions in oneself and in relationships. Emotional intelligence encompasses skills such as self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, and social skills.

2. Emotional Competence: Emotional competence refers to the actual application and demonstration of emotional intelligence in real-life situations. It goes beyond having the knowledge and understanding of emotions to actually utilizing that knowledge effectively. Emotional competence involves using emotional intelligence skills to navigate social interactions, build relationships, manage conflicts, and make sound decisions.

In simpler terms, emotional intelligence is the capacity or potential to be emotionally intelligent, while emotional competence is the practical manifestation of emotional intelligence in everyday life. Emotional competence is the ability to apply emotional intelligence skills in a competent and effective manner.

It's important to note that emotional intelligence is considered a foundational component for developing emotional competence. Individuals with high emotional intelligence are more likely to demonstrate greater emotional competence in various personal and professional contexts. However, it is possible for someone to have a certain level of emotional intelligence but struggle to consistently apply those skills in real-life situations, which can affect their emotional competence.

Emotional Intelligence

Daniel Goleman points out that emotional intelligence is the ability to motivate and persist in the face of frustrations, control impulses and delay gratification, regulate moods, prevent misfortunes from hindering the ability to think, develop empathy and abundance.

Emotional intelligence allow you to know your emotions and the emotions of others and improve your social relationship by properly managing your emotions. It is about choosing freedom and responsibility. Emotional intelligence serves not to fall into the hopelessness of suffering without purpose.

Everything will depend on what attitude you take toward emotions. There are two:

1. A reactive emotional system.- you feel like a victim and are unable to influence people and situations. You think your desires will be achieved when others change.

2. A proactive emotional system.- you feel like a protagonist capable of influencing people and situations. You live here and now (in the present). You collect positives things from the past and build a future.

Emotional competences

Emotional competences according to Rafael Bizquerra is the sum of knowledge and abilities that help us to carry out necessary and diverse activities with a certain level of quality and efficiency, in which the role of understanding, management, and regulation of our emotions and those of others play a key role.