Emotional Intelligence as a Predictor of Employees General Health

Abstract

Emotional intelligence: In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the theoretical development of the concept of emotional intelligence (EI) in an attempt to identify whether or not this newly introduced concept accounts for variance not already accounted for by intelligence and/or personality in various areas of human transactions. Although the construct of El is not a new concept (see Gardner, 1983; Thorndike, 1920) it was Goleman's (1995) influential book Emotional Intelligence, which made the concept widely popular. The differing names given to emotional intelligence are part of the reason that it has been difficult for researchers to agree on an all-encompassing definition. Emotional intelligence has also been referred to as emotional literacy, the emotional quotient, personal intelligence, social intelligence, and interpersonal intelligence (Dulewicz & Higgs, 2000). The definitions are so varied, and the field is growing so rapidly, that researchers are constantly amending even their own definitions of the construct. Nonetheless, although the definitions of El vary, they tend to be complementary rather than contradictory (Ciarrochi, Chan, & Caputi, 2000). Based on the many definitions that have already been proffered, this article conceptualizes El as the set of abilities (verbal & nonverbal) that enable a person to generate, recognize, express, understand, and evaluate their own, and others, emotions in order to guide thinking and action that successfully cope with environmental demands and pressures.The emotional intelligence concept is generally divided into four dimensions (Salovey & Mayer, 1990) although other models such as a five-component model (Bar-On, 1997) are also widely accepted. George (2000) and others (e.g., Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso, 1999) summarize the four dimensions of emotional intelligence postulated by Salovey and Mayer: the perception of emotion, the integration and assimilation of emotion, knowledge about emotions, and management of emotions. The four dimensions of emotional intelligence have been proposed as a sequential set of steps with the perception of emotion occurring at the first step and the other three then following in the order they are listed above (Mayer, Salovey, Caruso, & Sitaremos, 2001).The first dimension can be thought of as the ability to perceive emotion. This involves the accuracy with which a person can identify emotions in themselves and others. The next dimension consists of the ability to use or assimilate emotions to facilitate thought. This allows people to use emotions to guide their thinking, and new emotions can also be generated during this stage. The third dimension involves how people understand their emotions. Knowledge of emotions allows a person to understand how emotions change and the relationship between these states. The final dimension involves the management of not only ones own mood and emotions, but also the emotions of others.In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in how emotional reactions and experiences affect both physical as well as psychological health. For example, it has been claimed that negative emotional states are associated with unhealthy patterns of physiological functioning, whereas positive emotional states are associated with healthier patterns of responding in both cardiovascular activity and immune system (Booth-Kewley & Friedman, 1987; Herbert & Choen,1993).Salovey, Rothman, Detweiler, and Steward (2000) discussed extensively the importance of emotional states on physical health suggesting that an individual's emotional status influence their perception of physical symptoms. Furthermore, extended research in the field of health psychology has demonstrated the effect of negative mood or unpleasant emotional experiences on a number of habits or behaviours that have been accused for unhealthy conditions, such as smoking (e.g., Brandon, 1994) and drinking (e. …