Trait emotional intelligence revisited: Development and validation of a short measure for personal intelligence

Abstract

This paper introduces an expanded Trait EI model to address deficiencies in existing models, aiming for a more comprehensive understanding of the affective dimensions of personality. The new model of Personal Intelligence (PI) incorporates emotional, social, and motivational intelligence as a set of interconnected non-cognitive competencies. In line with this new model, the present study sought to develop a short measure of the PI construct. Three adult samples were used: 1) a derivation sample (N = 846) for item selection and factor structure development; 2) an independent sample (N = 1100) for testing the replicability of the derived factorial structure; and 3) an additional sample (N = 289) for testing the replicability of the factor structure using participants who completed only items from the final version of the short measure. The 27-item instrument demonstrated good factorial structure in all samples, invariance across gender, and good internal reliabilities for all dimensions. The new scale also accounted for a considerable amount of the variability in alexithymia scores, above and beyond that accounted for by Five Factor personality traits. Overall, the new instrument provides a short and multidimensional approach to measuring the personal intelligence construct.