Internalizing emotions: Self-determination as an antecedent of emotional intelligence

Abstract

An extensive body of literature indicates that people differ in the extent to which they attend to, process, and regulate emotions. The present research sought to build on this knowledge by examining whether general self-determination (GSD) could account for individual variation in emotional intelligence (EI) and psychological well-being (PWB). A simple and multiple mediation model using bootstrap analyses tested these relationships in a sample of students (Study 1, N=283) and workers (Study 2, N=265). Results supported the hypothesized mediating role of EI in the relationship between GSD and PWB across both studies. When the inter-related facets of EI were considerately separately, indirect effects emerged for mood regulation/optimism and social skills across both studies as well as for utilization of emotions, albeit negatively, in Study 2. Our findings support and extend past work on the antecedents of EI and have important implications for human functioning across a variety of settings.