This article is based on my response to a fictional scenario. In this scenario, I am a struggling writer who placed third in a writing competition held by the university I attend, and my classmate in this scenario won the grand prize (Module 3 Reading Pages, nd). However, I believe my classmate won the competition because he plagiarized one of my previously published stories, and now I have to face him at the awards ceremony (Module 3 Reading Pages, n.d. ). How I react to this fictional scenario is based on different levels of emotional intelligence and whether or not my level of emotional intelligence played a role in my reaction (Module 3 Reading Pages, n.d.). Additionally, this article will discuss the different levels of emotional intelligence by analyzing the four components (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management); as well as how an individual can increase their level of emotional intelligence (Kinicki & Kreitner, 2009). My response to the scenario If I found out that a classmate had stolen my idea from a previous story I had published and won the grand prize with that story, I would be completely distraught, as would most people in that situation . Personally, I like to let my emotions calm down, and in this case I would have the night to think about it before the awards ceremony the next day; This way I won't make a rash decision that I might regret. The next morning, I would contact the committee responsible for the writing competition at the University and inform them of the situation by showing them my story that I had previously published. I would like to express my concerns to the committee and inform them that this issue has not been raised because I want...... middle of paper ...... you can better handle all situations of a intellectually mature manner (Kinicki & Kreitner). Furthermore, acquiring a high level of emotional intelligence not only helps improve your ability to cope with certain problematic events and situations, but it will also help you in everyday life (Kinicki & Kreitner, 2009 ). I believe that we can and should all continue to develop a higher level of emotional intelligence, in order to become better leaders and better individuals; allowing us to take control of our emotions and make wiser decisions every day. Works Cited Kinicki, A. and Kreitner, R. (2009). Organizational Behavior: Key Concepts, Skills, and Best Practices (Fourth Edition ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Module 3 course pages. (nd). Colorado State University Global Campus. MGT301: Perspective on Organizational Behavior