Final answer:
Emotional intelligence includes understanding and managing one's own emotions, as well as recognizing and influencing others’ emotions, not just stepping into someone’s shoes. It is also critical for metacognition, social problem-solving, and authentic emotional expression in acting.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement "Emotional intelligence is a willingness to step into someone’s shoes" is false. Emotional intelligence encompasses much more than just the willingness to empathize with others. It includes the ability to understand and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the ability to understand and influence the emotions of others. It forms part of both interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence, as detailed by Gardner, and involves skills such as empathy, social relationships awareness, and emotion regulation.
People with high emotional intelligence tend to have strong social skills. They also use tools of metacognition to reflect on the source of their emotions and manage them effectively. Cognitive empathy, a key component of emotional intelligence, tends to increase during adolescence and is crucial for social problem-solving and conflict avoidance. Moreover, emotional intelligence plays a significant role in acting, where vulnerability and the truthful pursuit of the characters' intentions lead to a genuine emotional expression, pivotal for the audience’s connection with the character.