واسطه عاطفی از رابطه بین هوش هیجانی خصلتی و رضایت از زندگی در بزرگسالان جوان

This study examined the affective mediators of the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and life satisfaction in young adults and the widespread or limited affective mediators between the different groups in demographic factors, e.g., gender, students and non-students, family conditions. Six hundred and twenty participants completed the Wong Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale. Results using structural equation modeling showed that both positive affect and negative affect acted as mediators of the relationship between trait EI and life satisfaction and the indirect effect of trait EI on life satisfaction via positive affect was stronger than that via negative affect. Moreover, multi-group analyses found that the paths did not differ by gender and family conditions, but positive affect was more strongly associated with students’ life satisfaction, compared to non-students. Implications and limitations of the findings are discussed.

Over the last decade, much attention has been paid to Emotional Intelligence (EI) in the academic literature (e.g., Petrides et al., 2007, Saklofske et al., 2003 and Smith et al., 2008). Petrides et al. (2007) proposed two different conceptualization of EI, i.e., trait EI and ability EI. Ability EI refers to one’s ability to perceive, understand, use and regulate emotions in self and others. Trait EI, by contrast, is conceptualized as a trait which refers to a constellation of behavioral dispositions and self-perceptions located at the lower-levels of personality hierarchies. Trait EI is measured through self-report inventories, whereas ability EI is measured through performance-based tests. The current study focuses on the second conceptualization of EI.