Psychosocial predictors of emotional intelligence among police officers in Nigeria

Abstract

Policing requires the mastering of emotions and the application of psychological principles such as emotional intelligence in dealing with members of the public. However, the corporate image of the police has not been good worldwide and there is increasing need for research in this area. Studies on emotional intelligence among police officers are scarce and are needed to understand the problems confronting this important sector of society. Therefore, this study investigated the psychosocial determinants of emotional intelligence among police officers in Ibadan, Nigeria. A survey research design was employed, and data were collected through a standardized questionnaire, the Eysenck Personality Scale and the Emotional Intelligence Scale. Two hundred and fifty-eight police officers from four different police stations in the Ibadan metropolitan area were accessed through a purposive sampling technique. The results revealed that educational qualifications did not significantly influence the emotional intelligence of police officers ( F(8, 251) = .21, p > .05). There was a significant gender difference in emotional intelligence ( t(256) = 2.17, p < .05), with males scoring significantly higher ( X = 79.38, SD = 11.33) than their female counterparts ( X = 75.43, SD = 15.26). It was also found that there was no significant difference in emotional intelligence between older and younger police officers ( t(256) = .34, p > .05). Furthermore, the personality attributes extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism did not significantly predict emotional intelligence jointly ( F(3, 256) = 1.65; p > .05), and only neuroticism significantly predicted emotional intelligence independently ( β = –.15, p < .05). Finally, there was no significant influence of the interaction of gender and the personality attribute of extraversion–introversion on emotional intelligence among Nigerian police officers in Ibadan. The study concluded that gender and the personality dimension of neuroticism are determinants of emotional intelligence and we recommend an emotional intelligence training programme for the Nigeria police.