Emotional intelligence across the personality spectrum: A study of university students' personality profiles

Abstract

This study investigated the associations between trait emotional intelligence (TEI) and the Five Factor Model (FFM) personality traits in a sample of 2041 Greek university students using an online anonymous questionnaire. Latent mean differences across gender on the TEI and FFM were explored. The results revealed that women scored higher in agreeableness and neuroticism, while men scored higher in use of emotion and regulation of emotion than women. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was employed to form subgroups of students based on their scores on the FFM personality traits. The results showed positive associations between TEI dimensions, namely appraisal of one's own emotions, appraisal of others' emotions, use of emotion, and regulation of emotion, and all FFM traits except for neuroticism. LPA revealed four clusters of students, anti-resilients, undercontrollers, resilients, and averages. A comparison of mean differences among the profiles was performed, emphasizing the resilients' higher scores in all TEI dimensions, and undercontrollers' lower scores in the appraisal of one's own emotions and the use of emotion. Logistic regression was performed to determine whether gender was a covariate in relation to the four clusters. The implications of these findings and possible interventions to enhance students' EI are discussed.