Role of Emotional Intelligence and Coping in Dealing with Disinhibition and Aggression among Undergraduates in Private Higher Education

Fayyaz H Qureshi,Katarina Soki?,Sarwar Khawaja

doi:10.22158/wjer.v9n2p12

Abstract

This research examined the relationship between emotional intelligence and coping, disinhibition and aggression. Additionally, coping was examined as a potential mediator of the relationship between emotional intelligence, disinhibition and aggression. Participants consisted of 563 students (186 men, 377 women) from various private colleges and faculties. The participants’ age ranged from 19 to 30, with a mean age of 23 years (M = 23.2, SD = 4.23). As predicted, disinhibition was uniquely negatively associated with self-emotion appraisal, others’ emotion appraisal, use of emotion, regulation of emotion and coping. Also, as predicted, aggression was uniquely negatively associated with the regulation of emotion and coping, suggesting that disinhibition and aggression in a coherent fashion influence emotional intelligence and coping. Additionally, coping mediate the relationships between disinhibition and self-emotion appraisal, use of emotion, and regulation of emotion as well as relationships between aggression and these dimensions of emotional intelligence. The results demonstrate that disinhibition and aggression negatively affect emotional intelligence and coping. The results of mediation analyses corroborated the relationships between disinhibition, aggression and emotional intelligence and the role of coping as its mediator, highlighting the importance of disinhibition and aggression in the prediction of some dimensions of emotional intelligence and the significant role of coping as a mediator in these relationships.

Highlights

Researchers have become increasingly interested in the association between emotional intelligence and socially undesirable qualities such as disinhibition, violence, impulsivity, and psychopathy in recent years
The results of mediation analyses corroborated the relationships between disinhibition, aggression and emotional intelligence and the role of coping as its mediator, highlighting the importance of disinhibition and aggression in the prediction of some dimensions of emotional intelligence and the significant role of coping as a mediator in these relationships
Others’ emotion appraisal, use of emotion, regulation of emotion and coping scores were found, with men scoring higher in each case than women except in others’ emotion appraisal

Summary

Introduction

Researchers have become increasingly interested in the association between emotional intelligence and socially undesirable qualities such as disinhibition, violence, impulsivity, and psychopathy in recent years. The findings consistently showed that emotional intelligence significantly predicted different strategies of coping with stress (e.g., Al-Astal, 2010; Fteiha & Awwad, 2020; Geng, 2018) Based on these findings, Fteiha and Awwad (2020) emphasized that stress coping styles are critical adaptable skills that should be a fundamental feature of the students’ personalities. Disinhibition is used to describe phenotypic traits such as impulse control problems, lack of planning and anticipation, inability to delay achieving satisfaction, and poor behavioural control (Patrick et al, 2009). These traits lead to externalized problems that are reflected in impulsiveness, irresponsibility, and expression of hostility/anger toward others (Krueger et al, 2007). Given these psychological constructs’ interconnectedness, we will examine the role of coping in the relationship between disinhibition and aggression and different dimensions of emotional intelligence

Methods

Results

Conclusion