Concurrent and incremental validity of three trait emotional intelligence measures

This study explored concurrent and incremental validity of three trait emotional intelligence measures: the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale, Multidimensional Emotional Intelligence Assessment, and Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire. A total of 307 participants were drawn predominantly from community and student populations. Concurrent criterion validity of the measures varied depending on whether emotional intelligence (EI) was assessed as a lower, middle or higher level construct, with validity coefficients being larger for the former. In all cases, the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire was the superior predictor of multiple psychological criteria. At the higher level of assessment, incremental validity beyond (a) age, gender and the Big Five, and (b) the remaining two EI measures, was also superior.     

Emotional intelligence levels and counselling skills of prospective psychological counsellors

This research aimed to determine the correlation between emotional intelligence (EI) and counselling skills of Turkish prospective psychological counsellors and to investigate differences in both EI and counselling skills in terms of sex, previous experience of group studies, and class levels. Within a correlational pattern, the sample of the study comprised a total of 349 prospective psychological counsellors; 266 females (76.2%) and 83 (23.8%) males. The data were collected via a Personal Information Form, Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory ? and Microcounseling Skill Discrimination Scale?. The results indicated a significant negative correlation between EI and emotional reflection and general counselling skills; no significant correlation between EI and content reflection.     

Perceptions of Gender Differences in Self-Report Measures of Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence (EI) refers to the abilities/competencies that an individual has about emotions and has proven to be related to positive aspects in life. Despite its growing relevance, results about the existence and magnitude of gender differences have been inconclusive, with some studies suggesting that such differences depend on the theoretical approach and type of instrument used. In an effort to better understand these relationships, this study examined the stereotyped nature of self-report instruments of EI from the two main theoretical EI approaches (ability-based and mixed models). Two hundred sixty Spanish undergraduates from a university in the South of Spain indicated the extent to which they considered several EI competences as typical of women/men. Results show that most EI dimensions are biased by gender stereotypes, in terms of being perceived as more characteristic of one gender or the other. An in-group gender bias appeared particularly among female participants whereby they attributed higher scores to women than to men in most EI dimensions. Men also favored men giving higher scores than women did in some of the dimensions. These results suggest that self-report EI measures may be influenced by gender stereotypes, which has relevant implications for EI researchers.     

Neuroticism and extraversion as mediators between positive/negative life events and resilience

Positive and negative life events have been demonstrated to play an important role regarding the development of resilience. However, it is less clear how life events interact with personality factors in forming individual resilience. Thus, the present study investigates the mediating effects of the two main complementary personality dimensions extraversion and neuroticism on the relationship between life events and resilience in adulthood. Traumatic Antecedent Questionnaire (TAQ), NEO-Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) and Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) were administered to 201 healthy subjects. Results from path analyses (AMOS) revealed that the personality factors neuroticism and extraversion (measured by NEO-FFI) fully mediated the association between positive life events and resilience. This is the first study to date using psychometric assessment to explore the possible pathways from positive/negative life experiences to resilience.     

Depression and resilience mediate the relationship between traumatic life events and ill physical health: results from a population study

We set out to investigate the mediating roles of depression, resilience, smoking, and alcohol use, in the relationship between potentially traumatic life events and objective and subjective, physical and mental health in a single study. A face-to-face, population-based survey was conducted in Hong Kong (N = 1147). Information on health conditions and traumatic life events was obtained, and participants completed measures of subjective physical and mental health, depression, and resilience. Smoking and drinking were not significant mediators of the relationship between life events and both objective and subjective health. Depressive symptomatology was found to mediate the relationship between life threatening illness and subjective physical health, the relationship between abuse (physical and sexual) and subjective mental health, and the relationship between the death of a parent/partner and subjective mental health. Resilience was found to mediate the relationships between multiple traumatic life events and subjective physical and mental health. Our results indicate that psychological factors rather than biological are important mediators of the relationship between life events exposure and health. Our findings provide evidence that depressive symptomatology has a mediating role only in the case of specific potentially traumatic life events and that resilience is only a critical factor in the face of exposure to multiple traumatic events, rather than single events. Our results also indicate that behavioural factors, such as smoking and drinking, are not significant mediators of the relationship between life events and health.     

Affective mediators of the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and life satisfaction in young adults

This study examined the affective mediators of the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and life satisfaction in young adults and the widespread or limited affective mediators between the different groups in demographic factors, e.g., gender, students and non-students, family conditions. Six hundred and twenty participants completed the Wong Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale. Results using structural equation modeling showed that both positive affect and negative affect acted as mediators of the relationship between trait EI and life satisfaction and the indirect effect of trait EI on life satisfaction via positive affect was stronger than that via negative affect. Moreover, multi-group analyses found that the paths did not differ by gender and family conditions, but positive affect was more strongly associated with students’ life satisfaction, compared to non-students. Implications and limitations of the findings are discussed.     

情绪智力的负面效应及机制

情绪智力是知觉、使用、理解与管理情绪的一组能力。既有研究常将情绪智力与其亲社会性联系起来, 却忽视了它可能存在的负面效应。工作场所中情绪智力的负面效应体现为对内有损身心健康和工作绩效, 对外导致情绪操控和消极行为, 其内在机制可结合自我损耗效应与情绪智力策略模型进行探讨。未来研究应进一步探讨情绪智力负面效应的内在心理机制和特定情境机制, 以及开展群体层次的情绪智力负面效应研究。     

On emotionally intelligent time travel: individual differences in affective forecasting ability

In two studies, the authors examined whether people who are high in emotional intelligence (EI) make more accurate forecasts about their own affective responses to future events. All participants completed a performance measure of EI (the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test) as well as a self-report measure of EI. Affective forecasting ability was assessed using a longitudinal design in which participants were asked to predict how they would feel and report their actual feelings following three events in three different domains: politics and academics (Study 1) and sports (Study 2). Across these events, individual differences in forecasting ability were predicted by participants' scores on the performance measure, but not the self-report measure, of EI; high-EI individuals exhibited greater affective forecasting accuracy. Emotion Management, a subcomponent of EI, emerged as the strongest predictor of forecasting ability.     

心理弹性、负性生活事件和抑郁症状的关系：钢化效应和敏化效应

该研究追踪调查汶川地震后1573名青少年,考查心理弹性、生活事件和抑郁症状的关系,以探讨幸存者的心理修复过程。结果表明:（1）心理弹性既能直接预测抑郁症状,也能通过抑郁症状间接影响生活事件;（2）生活事件既能直接预测心理弹性,也能通过抑郁症状间接预测心理弹性;（3）抑郁症状既能直接影响心理弹性,也能通过生活事件间接影响心理弹性。结论：灾后不同特征的青少年心理修复过程不同,存在"钢化效应"和"敏化效应"。     

Emotional Intelligence and resilience in mental health professionals caring for patients with serious mental illness

Emotional Intelligence (EI) and resilience may be considered as prerequisites for mental health professionals caring for patients with serious mental illness (SMI), since they are often exposed to severe emotional stress during daily work. Accordingly, this cross-sectional study assessed both EI and resilience and their interrelationship in 61 individuals belonging to an assertive outreach team for patients suffering from SMI compared 61 control subjects without healthcare-related working conditions. EI was assessed by means of the German version of the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso-Emotional-Intelligence Test (MSCEIT), resilience was assessed using the German version of the Resilience Scale. Both groups showed an average level of EI in all categories of the MSCEIT and indicated high levels of resilience. They did not differ significantly from each other, neither in terms of EI nor resilience. Correlation analysis revealed a positive association between EI and resilience, albeit small in magnitude. Our results suggest that mental health professionals are not more resilient and therefore not more ‘protected’ from stressors than the general population. Though this finding warrants cautious interpretation, the positive correlation between EI and resilience suggests that EI may be a potential target for education and training in order to strengthen resilience even in healthy individuals and vice versa.     

Emotional intelligence,cognitive ability and information search in tactical decision-making

Emotional intelligence (EI) may promote more effective decision-making under stress. In the present study, 167 participants completed a situation judgment test for EI, and performed a decision-making task based on an Antarctic rescue scenario. Participants were assigned to either a negative or neutral feedback group. Negative feedback significantly increased distress and impaired decision-making. EI failed to moderate the impacts of negative feedback, but higher EI was associated with greater information-search activity irrespective of feedback condition. It is concluded that ability EI may have a motivational component that may support more exhaustive analysis of both social and non-social stimuli.     

Personality Strengths as Resilience: A One‐Year Multiwave Study

We examined how personality strengths prospectively predict reactions to negative life events. Participants were 797 community adults from 42 countries. At five points over the course of 1 year, participants completed a series of questionnaires measuring seven personality strengths (hope, grit, meaning in life, curiosity, gratitude, control beliefs, and use of strengths), subjective well‐being, and frequency and severity of negative life events. Using hierarchical linear modeling with assessment periods nested within participants, results from lagged analyses found that only hope emerged as a resilience factor. To illustrate the importance of using appropriate lagged analyses in resilience research, we ran nonlagged analyses; these results suggest that all seven personality strengths moderated the effect of negative life events on subjective well‐being, with greater strengths associated with healthier outcomes. To provide evidence that personality strengths confer resilience, a prospective examination is needed with the inclusion of events and responses to them. The use of concurrent methodologies and analyses, which is the norm in psychology, often leads to erroneous conclusions. Hope, the ability to generate routes to reach goals and the motivation to use those routes, was shown to be particularly important in promoting resilience.     

Trait emotional intelligence and mental distress: The mediating role of positive and negative affect

Over the past decade, emotional intelligence (EI) has received much attention in the literature. Previous studies indicated that higher trait or ability EI was associated with greater mental distress. The present study focused on mediating effects of positive and negative affect on the association between trait EI and mental distress in a sample of Chinese adults. The participants were 726 Chinese adults (384 females) with an age range of 18–60 years. Data were collected by using the Wong Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale, and the General Health Questionnaire. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that EI was a significant predictor of positive affect, negative affect and mental distress. Further mediation analysis showed that positive and negative affect acted as partial mediators of the relationship between EI and mental distress. Furthermore, effect contrasts showed that there was no significant difference between the specific indirect effects through positive affect and through negative affect. This result indicated that positive affect and negative affect played an equally important function in the association between EI and distress. The significance and limitations of the results are discussed.     

The mediating role of trait emotional intelligence,prosocial behaviour,parental support and parental psychological control on the relationship between war trauma,and PTSD and depression

Objectives: This study investigates the relationship between trait emotional intelligence (trait EI), prosocial behaviour, parental support, and parental psychological control on one hand and PTSD and depression symptoms on the other hand after exposure to war-traumatic events among Palestinian children and adolescents in the Gaza Strip. Methods: The sample consists of 1,029 students aged 11–17 year old. Of them 533 (51.8%) were female and 496 (48.2%) were male. The following measures were used in the study: War-Traumatic Events Checklist (W-TECh), Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire – Adolescent Short Form (TEIQue-ASF), prosocial behaviour (as part of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire - SDQ), parental support scale, Parental Psychological Control scale, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders Symptoms Scale (PTSDSS) and the depression scale. Results: 88.4% (N: 909) experienced personal trauma, 83.7% (N: 861) witnessed trauma to others, and 88.3% (N: 908) have seen demolition of property during the war, mostly by boys. The results also demonstrated that the prevalence of PTSD diagnosis according to DSM-V is 53.5% (N: 549). Further, there is a negative correlation between trait EI and prosocial behaviour in one hand and parental psychological control and PTSD and depression symptoms in the other hand. Likewise, a negative correlation was found between parental support and depression symptoms. Low trait EI and parental psychological control significantly mediated the relationship between exposure to war trauma, and PTSD and depression. In addition, negative parenting factors and low prosocial behavior significantly predicted depression. Conclusion: Trait EI and parental support can be utilized in interventions to empower children and adolescents’ emotional abilities, to strengthen their resilience in facing traumatic event exposure, and thus reduce its effect on PTSD and depression symptoms.     

Changing emotion dynamics: individual differences in the effect of anticipatory social stress on emotional inertia

Emotional inertia-the degree to which people's feelings carry over from one moment to the next-is an important property of the temporal dynamics of emotions. Thus far, emotional inertia has only been examined as a stable, trait-like characteristic. However, internal or external events (e.g., stress) may trigger changes in people's emotion dynamics, particularly among individuals with heightened sensitivity to such events. The current study investigated how emotional inertia is influenced by the anticipation of social stress, and how this effect is moderated by individual differences in depression, self-esteem, and fear of negative evaluation. We measured participants' (n = 71) emotional inertia in daily life using experience sampling before and after experimentally manipulating anticipatory social stress. Consistent with previous research, psychological maladjustment was associated with higher emotional inertia during "normal" daily life. However, when anticipating a socially stressful event, levels of emotional inertia dropped, particularly among participants scoring high on depression and fear of negative evaluation and low on self-esteem. These results demonstrate that emotion dynamics can vary as a function of contextual factors and identify moderators of such variation.     

Psychological contract breach and workplace deviance: Does emotional intelligence matter?

This study investigated the influence of emotional intelligence on the relationship between psychological contract breach and workplace deviance with feelings of violation. The participants were 232 employees of a Nigerian public sector organisation (125 males and 107 females). The employees completed measures of workplace deviance, psychological contract breach, feelings of violation, and emotional intelligence. Results of the moderated hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that psychological contract breach was positively related to feelings of violation and workplace deviance. Emotional intelligence significantly buffered the negative effect of psychological contract breach on feelings of violation and workplace deviance. This implies that emotionally intelligent employees who perceived contract breach are less likely to experience feelings of violation and engage in workplace deviance. Emotional regulation appears to reliably moderate between breach-outcome relationships.     

Multiple categorization and implicit intergroup bias: differential category dominance and the positive–negative asymmetry effect

Two experiments explored the differential information processing that occurs when perceivers encounter multiple categorizable individuals. Participants were required to recall specific information from previously encountered bogus newspaper stories. Across two experiments it emerged that participants differentially recalled target attributes as a function of positive versus negative story context and multiple dimensions of group membership. Specifically, different dimensions of categorization were dominant for positive and negative evaluative domains. These findings provide an important qualification to the positive–negative asymmetry effect in intergroup discrimination when multiple dimensions of categorization are available. In addition, comparison of the observed effects in different cultural settings suggests the need to consider contextual influences when considering intergroup phenomena with real social group memberships. Finally, in line with previous work, a dissociation was observed between explicit and implicit measures of intergroup bias. The findings are considered within the wider context of work into social categorization and intergroup relations.. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

班主任情绪智力对初中生情绪智力的影响:直接效应还是间接效应

采用情绪智力问卷和情绪氛围量表对1083名初中生及其班主任进行调查,探讨班主任情绪智力与班级情绪氛围对学生情绪智力的影响机制。结果:(1)班主任情绪智力显著正向预测学生情绪智力;(2)班主任情绪智力在班级情绪氛围对学生情绪智力的影响中起调节作用;(3)班级情绪氛围在班主任情绪智力对学生情绪智力的影响中起部分中介作用。结论:班主任情绪智力既可直接影响学生情绪智力又可通过班级情绪氛围间接影响学生情绪智力。     

Personality variable differences between disease clusters

Previous studies of personality and health have focused mainly on the influence of psychological factors on single diseases such as cancer and coronary heart disease (CHD), thereby neglecting the problem of comorbidity (i.e. the combination of different diseases). The main focus of the present study was the discrimination between single‐ and multiple‐disease conditions on the basis of personality traits. An extensive battery of personality scales implicated in health was administered to a sample of n=5133 individuals of both genders between the ages of 40 and 65. Subjects also reported their health or illness status. A factor analysis of the personality scales yielded five dimensions clearly interpretable as “Emotional Lability”, “Type A Behaviour”, “Behavioural Control”, “Locus of Control over Diseases”, and “Psychoticism”. Hierarchical cluster analyses of the subsample of participants who reported suffering from more than one disease led to eight clusters representing individuals with different combinations of diseases. Generally, there were very few significant differences between healthy and single‐disease participants with regard to personality. However, mean factor scores calculated for “Emotional Lability” were higher across the multiple‐disease groups than in the healthy and single‐disease groups. No other personality factor showed this trend. In general the results reported here show the important role negative affectivity (e.g. Emotional Lability, Neuroticism, Depression) plays in differentiating between single and multiple diseases. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

From emotional intelligence to intelligent choice of partner

The authors examined interpersonal correlates of emotional intelligence (EI) in a sample of individuals with a history of depression. The authors focused on potentially adaptive relationship dynamics associated with EI that may help protect these vulnerable individuals from further distress. Participants with high EI, as measured with the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test, saw their partners as less hostile, critical, and rejecting in their support styles than did participants with low EI. Partners' own reports mostly corroborated these findings. Unexpectedly, although partners of high EI participants reported offering less active and directive support than did partners of low EI participants, high EI participants perceived their partners as more supportive than did low EI participants. Partners of emotionally intelligent participants also reported being more conscientious and open to experiences, offering some evidence of the stress-buffering hypothesis associated with higher EI.