Developments in Trait Emotional Intelligence Research

Abstract

Trait emotional intelligence ("trait EI") concerns our perceptions of our emotional abilities, i.e., how good we believe we are in terms of understanding, regulating, and expressing emotions in order to adapt to our environment and maintain well-being. In this article, we present succinct summaries of selected findings from research on a) the location of trait EI in personality factor space b) the biological underpinnings of the construct c) indicative applications in the areas of clinical, health, social, educational, organizational, and developmental psychology, and d) trait EI training. Findings to date suggest that individual differences in trait EI are a consistent predictor of human behavior across the life span.

Secondary Traumatic Stress and Burnout Among Refugee Resettlement Workers: The Role of Coping and Emotional Intelligence

“…Petrides, Pita, and Kokkinaki (2007) define trait emotional intelligence (EI) as a constellation of emotional self-perceptions that relate to the affective aspects of personality. Trait EI corresponds to individuals' perceived emotional dispositions, including their ability to recognize, process, and understand their own and other people's emotions and regulate their emotional states in different settings (Petrides et al, 2016). Researchers have identified a negative association between trait EI and behaviors that have negative health consequences, such as substance use and smoking (Schutte, Malouff, & Hine, 2011), and a positive association with behaviors that have positive health consequences, including exercise (Mikolajczak et al, 2015).…”

The relative contribution of parenting practices in predicting trait emotional intelligence in an Italian adolescent sample

“…However, the interest on the relation between parenting and pre‐adolescents’ trait emotional intelligence (trait EI; herein defined as emotion‐related self‐perceptions) is very recent. Trait EI is defined as a constellation of emotional self‐perceptions and behavioural dispositions operationalized by rating scales and questionnaires (Petrides, Pita, & Kokkinaki, ; Petrides et al ., ), and this view is distinct from Mayer, Caruso, and Salovey's () theory that conceptualizes emotional intelligence as a cognitive ability.…”

Pathways into psychopathology: Modeling the effects of trait emotional intelligence, mindfulness, and irrational beliefs in a clinical sample

“…Essentially, the construct concerns people's perceptions of their emotional abilities. In recent years, trait EI has emerged as a variable of central interest in the broader field of personality, with promising applications in clinical psychology (Delhaye, Kempenaers, Stroobants, Goossens, & Linkowski, 2013;Petrides, Hudry, Michalaria, Swami, & Sevdalis, 2011;Petrides et al, 2016;Sinclair & Feigenbaum, 2012).…”