Gender Research in Spanish Psychology: An Overview for International Readers

In the last decades, many political and socioeconomic transformations occurred in Western countries with a considerable impact on gender equality. In this special issue, we aim to show how these transformations can generate changes in gender research by presenting Spain as an example of remarkable growth in gender studies, following the intense societal advancement of the country toward gender equality policies. In particular, we examine the evolution of gender research in Spain analyzing the presence of Spanish gender research in international journals, national journals, book reviews, and conferences. This first volume also includes a presentation of several original studies covering three specific research areas: gender stereotypes, gender violence, and gender issues at work. Finally, we discuss how the unique socioeconomic scenario created in this country may serve for international readers and gender researchers.     

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.     

Psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Work Group Emotional Intelligence Profile-Short version

Research on emotions in the workplace has recently developed into a major field. The study and contribution of Emotional Intelligence (EI) to this area has been fundamental. However, EI has been predominantly studied from an individual perspective, and group level studies as well as comparisons among cultures are necessary. Thus, the development and adaptation of group measures to other languages is needed. In this study, we examine the reliability and validity of the Spanish version of the Work Group Emotional Intelligence Profile-Short version (WEIP-S) in a sample of 332 employees from 53 work groups. In summary, our Spanish version of the WEIP-S replicates the factor structure and has an adequate reliability rating, and the relations with other criterion variables were similar to those of the Australian English version. This Spanish version of the WEIP-S provides us with a good instrument to further analyze EI in groups and to promote the comparison of these variables among cultures.     

The Relationship Between Transformational Leadership and Emotional Intelligence from a Gendered Approach

The Psychological Record - Studies on both transformational leadership and emotional intelligence have analyzed the relationship between emotions and leadership. Yet the relationships among these...     

Does Perceived Emotional Intelligence and Optimism/pessimism Predict Psychological Well-being?

In this study we examined the associations between perceived emotional intelligence, dispositional optimism/pessimism and psychological well-being. In addition to correlational analyses, we examined a model by structural equation modeling (SEM). The study of psychological well-being in the field of positive psychology from the paradigmatic approach to happiness developed by Ryff and Singer (Psychother Psychosomat 65(1):14–23, 1998) is very important and essential, due in part to the lack of studies analyzing the predictors of Ryff’s PWB model by contemplating emotional and cognitive factors. In this framework, our study examines the possible role of optimism and PEI as possible predictors of the psychological well-being dimensions proposed by Ryff, with a specific pattern of relationships as a model. Our results show positive relationships between clarity and emotional regulation and the psychological well-being components. With regard to dispositional optimism versus pessimism, positive relationships were found between optimism and psychological well-being dimensions and negative relationships between pessimism and dimensions of psychological well-being. Our model also includes some relationships, not initially raised, between the dimensions of perceived emotional intelligence and some dimensions of psychological well-being. Our results suggest relationships between emotional attention and purpose in life as well as with personal growth dimensions of psychological well-being. Implications and limitations are discussed.