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Subject Psychology

Paper No and Title Paper 9: Positive Psychology

Module No and Title Module 10: Emotional Intelligence

Module Tag PSY_P9_M10

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Learning Outcomes
2. Introduction

3. Models of Emotional Intelligence

3.1 Ability Model of Emotional Intelligence
3.2 Model of Emotional-Social Intelligence
3.3 Competency Model of Emotional Intelligence

4. Correlates of Emotional Intelligence

4.1 Emotional Intelligence and academic performance
4.2 Emotional intelligence as a predictor of deviant behavior
4.3 Emotional intelligence and relationships
4.4 Emotional intelligence and stress management
4.5 Emotional intelligence and work related performance
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4.6 Emotional intelligence and leadership
4.7 Emotional intelligence and recruitment and selection
4.8 Emotional intelligence and gender

5. The Emotionally Intelligent Person

6. Emotional Intelligence as a Learnable Skill

6.1. Strategies for enhancing emotional intelligence

7. Emotional Intelligence: An Indian view

8. Criticisms of Emotional Intelligence
9. Importance of Emotional Intelligence
10. Summary

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1. Learning Outcomes
After studying this module, you shall be able to:

 Know and understand the concept of emotional intelligence

 Identify the various models and correlates of emotional intelligence and
 Learn about the importance of emotional intelligence in various areas of life

2. Introduction
Prior to the coming of the positive psychology movement emotions were viewed as toxic, better
treated as slaves to be controlled. In contrast to this, positive psychology focuses on how people
process emotion related information, how they benefit from engaging their emotions as well as
how they can make the most of their emotional experiences. One of the most important concepts
which have developed as result of this renewed understanding of emotions is emotional
intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is the newest area of interest in psychology. It has become the research
focus of many leading psychologists. It has also found an important place in the organizational
development industry. Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage the
emotions of oneself and others. Many intrapersonal and interpersonal competencies make up
emotional intelligence. Whereas intrapersonal competencies include self-awareness, self-
regulation, motivation, resilience and management of stress, interpersonal competencies include
showing empathy, social skills and showing tolerance towards the beliefs of others.

The term emotional intelligence was popularized by psychologist and journalist Goleman (1995)
in his book Emotional Intelligence: why it can matter more than IQ. Now it is usually recognized
as a better predictor of managerial success than IQ. As Goleman puts it "it is not that IQ and
technical skills are irrelevant. They do matter but mainly as "threshold capabilities"; that is they
are the entry level requirements for executive positions”. But, rather it is emotional intelligence
that differentiates between those who perform at an outstanding level and those who work at a
basic level of competence.

3. Models Of Emotional Intelligence

There are mainly three models of emotional intelligence. They are as follows:

3.1 The Ability Model of Emotional Intelligence: Salovey and Mayer’s (1990) original
model described emotional intelligence as “a form of social intelligence that involves the ability
to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use
this information to guide one’s thinking and actions”. According to Mayer, Caruso and Salovey
(2000), emotional intelligence refers to the abilities used to process information about one’s own
emotions and the emotions of others. In this model, there are four branches of emotional

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intelligence:

1. Emotional Perception: the ability to register, attend to emotional messages in facial

expressions, tone of voice and also in other stimuli like artwork.

2. Emotional Integration: the ability to access and generate feelings which help in the
facilitation of thought.

3. Emotional Understanding: the ability to understand the implications of emotions i.e. how
emotions change and how they can affect relationships.

4. Emotional Management: the ability to regulate emotions and exercise control on the
expression of emotions.

Figure 1: The ability model of emotional intelligence (Mayer, Salovey & Caruso, 2000)

Some important ability based measures of emotional intelligence are Multifactor Emotional
Intelligence Scale (Mayer, Salovey & Caruso, 1999) and Mayer Salovey Caruso Emotional
Intelligence Test (Mayer, Salovey & Caruso, 2002).

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3.2 Model of Emotional-Social Intelligence: According
to Bar-On (1997) “emotional intelligence is… an array of non-cognitive capabilities,
competencies, and skills that influence one’s ability to succeed in coping with environmental
demands and pressures”. According to this model, emotional intelligence has five components:
intrapersonal, interpersonal, stress management, adaptability and general mood. Bar-On (2007)
developed one of the first measures of emotional intelligence that used the term Emotion Quotient
(EQ) called BarOn Eq-i.

Figure 2: Showing the model of Emotional Social Intelligence (BarOn, 1997)

3.3 Competency Model: Accordingly to Goleman (1995) emotional intelligence consists of

“abilities such as being able to motivate oneself and persist in the face of frustrations: to control
impulse and delay gratification: to regulate one’s moods and keep distress from swamping the
ability to think; to empathize, and to hope”. Goleman (1995, 1998) proposed five dimensions of
emotional intelligence:

 Self awareness
 Self regulation
 Self motivation
 Empathy
 Social skills

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Figure 3: Showing the Competency model of emotional intelligence (Goleman, 1998)

The Emotional Competence Inventory (ECI) is a multi-rater instrument for measuring emotional
intelligence. The ECI incorporates 20 competencies, organized into four domains: Self-
Awareness, Social-Awareness, Self Management, and Social Skills.

4. Correlates of Emotional Intelligence

Since the time of its introduction many researches have been done on emotional intelligence and
it has been studied in relation to many variables. Some of them are as follows:

4.1 Emotional Intelligence and Academic performance: Many studies have shown the
prediction of school grades from emotional intelligence. Academically gifted students have been
found to be higher on emotional intelligence. Students high on emotional intelligence are able to
make a successful transition from high school to university.

4.2 Emotional intelligence as predictor of deviant behavior: There is a consistent pattern

of prediction when one examines the link between emotional intelligence and problematic or anti-

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social behaviors. Individuals high on emotional intelligence are
less likely to get involved in bullying, violence, tobacco use, and drug problems.

4.3 Emotional intelligence and relationships: Emotional intelligence correlates positively

with the quality of interaction with friends. People high on emotional intelligence are also found
to be higher on prosocial behavior and lower on antisocial behavior.

4.4 Emotional intelligence and stress management: Emotional intelligence is positively

related to stress management. Emotional intelligence has been found to be related to lower levels
of stress.

4.5 Emotional intelligence and work related performance: Research on competency in

over two hundred companies and organizations around the world has shown that about one-third
of the difference in efficiency is due to technical skill and cognitive ability while two-thirds is due
to emotional competence. Emotional intelligence has been studied in relation to work
performance, interpersonal exchange and managing change. Emotional intelligence is also related
to more profits in business. Emotional intelligence distinguishes between star performers and
average performers. Emotional intelligence also leads to reduction in formal grievances and
increase in productivity.

4.6 Emotional intelligence and leadership: Emotional intelligence significantly correlates

with transformational leadership and success. Emotional intelligence is related to effective
managerial skills and leadership excellence. A large percentage of success of a leader and
exceptional performance is determined by emotional social intelligence. Chadha (1998) evaluated
the Prime Ministers of India on the basis of emotional intelligence attributes and cognitive
behavioral, social and psychological attributes. He reported that those Prime Ministers who had
high emotional intelligence were more successful and popular among people in comparison to
those Prime Ministers who did not have high emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is positively correlated with organizational commitment, emotional

expression and quality of life. However some studies have shown that even in the absence of
emotional intelligence managers are able to achieve success in organizations.

4.7 Emotional intelligence and recruitment and selection: Today the workplace is rapidly
changing and becoming more stressful and demanding. Therefore, recruitment and selection are
not made merely in terms of academic performance or expertise but also how well an individual
is able to handle himself and others. Most successful candidates are found to be significantly
higher in emotional intelligence.

4.8 Emotional intelligence and gender: There are contradictory findings with respect to
gender differences in emotional intelligence. While many studies show males to be higher in
emotional intelligence others show females to be significantly higher.

5. The Emotionally Intelligent Person

The emotionally intelligent person perceives, uses, understands and manages emotions better than
others. He/she is usually more open and agreeable than others. The emotionally intelligent person
is more interested in occupations that involve social interactions. He/she is more likely to show
prosocial and altruistic behaviors. As compared to others, the emotionally intelligent person is
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less likely to engage in problematic and self-destructive like
smoking, excessive drinking or drug abuse. He/she also has more positive social interactions.

6. Emotional Intelligence as a Learnable Skill

Are people born with a certain level of emotional intelligence or do they develop emotional
intelligence as a result of their life's experiences? The answer is both. Scientific research strongly
suggests that there is a genetic component to emotional intelligence. However, Psychological and
developmental research indicates that nurture plays an important role too. There is strong research
evidence that emotional intelligence can be learned.

Emotional intelligence is born mostly in the neurotransmitters of the brain's limbic system, which
governs feelings, impulses, and drives. The limbic system learns through practice, motivation and
feedback. The research of McClelland, Winter, and their colleagues on developing achievement
and power motivation; Kolb and his colleagues on self-directed behavioral change; and various
researchers at the Weather head School of Management at Case Western Reserve University in
competency development have shown that emotional intelligence can be learned.

The skills of emotional intelligence can be learned at any age. Enhancing one's emotional
intelligence takes practice and commitment. Findings suggest that emotional intelligence
increases with age.

6.1. Strategies for enhancing emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence can be enhanced by self-regulation, self monitoring, developing

communication skills, using appropriate skills for problem solving, developing empathy etc. The
best way to develop emotional intelligence is to start early. Children should be taught emotional
intelligence skills right from the start.

7. Emotional intelligence: An Indian view

The models of emotional intelligence discussed before were all developed in Western countries. It
is important to understand emotional intelligence with respect to the Indian culture. The following
is a brief view of the researches done on the understanding and measurement of emotional
intelligence in India:

Chaddha (2001) evaluated the Prime Ministers of India on the basis of emotional intelligence
attributes and cognitive behavioral, social and psychological attributes. He reported that those
Prime Ministers who had high emotional intelligence were more successful and popular among
people in comparison to those Prime Minister who did not have high emotional intelligence.
Singh (2004) found that emotional intelligence was positively correlated with organizational
commitment, emotional expression and quality of life. However, Manasi (2002) on the basis of
her studies concluded that even in the absence of emotional intelligence managers were able to
take the required decisions if the work profile was of a more technical nature.

In India, the assessment of Emotional Intelligence has emerged rather slowly. While some
researchers have developed psychometric assessment tools, others have tried to undertake
qualitative methods for understanding emotional intelligence. Some of the psychometric tools

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available in India are as follows: - Chadha and Singh (2001)
developed the EQ test for the Indian population. This test was designed to measure emotional
sensitivity, emotional maturity and emotional competency. The test contains fifteen situations
measuring different emotional responses and their blends. Chadha (2013) developed the EQ test
for adolescents. The test consists of seventy three situations to measure four dimensions of
emotional intelligence: sensitivity, conscientiousness, empathy and adaptability. Thingujam and
Ram (2000) made an attempt at Indian adaptation of Emotional Intelligence Scale (Schutte et al.
1998). They also reported that emotional intelligence had a strong and positive correlation with
coping with stress, while a moderate and negative correlation with trait-anxiety, and slightly and
positively with belief in social relation. Women significantly scored higher than men on
emotional intelligence (Thingujam & Ram, 2000). Shanwal (2004) adapted the “Emotional
Intelligence Test' by modifying the items to suit the Indian context.

Singh (2004) initiated a study for developing and standardizing a measure of emotional
intelligence following the Goleman (1998) model. The five dimensions of emotional intelligence
were positively correlated with organizational commitment, emotional expression & quality of
life. Pant and Prakash (2004) evaluated the construct of emotional intelligence as assessed by the
Multi Factor Emotional Intelligence Scale (MEIS). Performance on MEIS was correlated with
theoretically relevant criterion measures. Results revealed low reliabilities with mixed
relationship with various subtests of MEIS and no substantial gender difference among various
emotional intelligence dimensions. The results suggest that the emotional intelligence construct is
not a unique ability in the Indian sample as measured by MEIS.

Bhattacharya, Dutta & Mandal (2004) examined the factor structure of emotional intelligence in
India and found five factors of emotional intelligence: appraisal of negative emotions; appraisal
of positive emotions; interpersonal conflicts and flexibility; emotional facilitation and goal
orientation. Another set of work has employed qualitative methodology for understanding
emotional intelligence. An interview schedule was developed by Sibia, Misra and Srivastava
(2005) to examine the perceptions of parents, teachers and children regarding emotional
intelligence characteristics. A measure of emotional intelligence was developed by Pandey and
Tripathi (2003). It consisted of photographs and verbal descriptions involving different emotional
situations following the work of Ekman et al., (1972).

8. Criticism of Emotional Intelligence

Despite the overwhelming interest in the concept of emotional intelligence it is not without its
critics. Davies, Stankov and Roberts (1998) have raised two important questions regarding
emotional intelligence:

1. Are the methods used to measure emotional intelligence reliable and valid? and

2. Whether emotional intelligence really different from other related concepts of

personality.

Some critics prefer a different term instead of emotional intelligence so as to distinguish it from
other concepts related to personality and intelligence.

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9. Importance of Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is emerging as an important construct in psychology. The fields in
psychology influenced by the emotional intelligence model is very large including
developmental, educational, clinical, counseling, social, industrial and organizational psychology.
Emotional intelligence offers a strong positive model for psychology. It has implications for
physical and mental health care and for effective interventions in education, businesses and
organizations.

The rise in competition has resulted in stress and depression. The World Health Organization has
predicted that depression will be the second highest cause of death in the next 10 years. It has also
been found that two-thirds of stress-related problems emerge due to abusive, and unsatisfying
relationships.

Emotional intelligence has emerged as an important construct in today’s world. It not only leads
to positive outcomes like academic achievement and organizational productivity, it is also related
to lower levels of stress and depression. Needless to say, the concept of emotional intelligence
has come as a breath of fresh air in the area of psychology. Not only does it challenge the earlier
biased notions about emotions, but by demonstrating the importance of emotions in human life it
has given emotions their due. The modern day world is beset with rapid social, cultural and
emotional upheavals, cut throat competition, stress and insecurities. In such a challenging
emotional climate, emotional intelligence is a psychological strength which can guide and
motivate individuals to deal with as well as benefit from his/her emotions. Increased
understanding of emotional intelligence will provide a broader range of psychological
mechanisms that will enable individuals to flourish in their lives. Therefore, emotional
intelligence should not just be treated as a mere concept in the matter of academic pursuit but be
engaged as a powerful strength in the attainment of social and psychological well being.

10. Summary

 The concept of emotional intelligence developed as a result of a surging interest in the

importance of emotions in human life.

 Emotional intelligence was conceptualized as a set of abilities for processing emotional

information by Mayer, Salovey and Caruso and as a set of personality traits by Bar-On,
Goleman and Cooper.

 Emotional intelligence plays a key role in academic performance, relationships, work

related performance, leadership performance and recruitment and selection.

 Individuals higher in emotional intelligence are found to be low on deviant and anti-
social behaviors.

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 Contradictory results are found with respect to gender
differences in emotional intelligence.

 In today’s world full of challenges and stresses, emotional intelligence emerges as a

powerful psychological strength which promotes happiness and well being.

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