Research and valid practice in emotional intelligence (EI) have been impeded by lack of theoretical clarity regarding (a) the relative roles of emotion perception, emotion understanding, and emotion regulation facets in explaining job performance; (b) conceptual redundancy of EI with cognitive intelligence and Big Five personality; and (c) application of the EI label to 2 distinct sets of constructs (i.e., ability-based EI and mixed-based EI). In the current article, the authors propose and then test a theoretical model that integrates these factors. They specify a progressive (cascading) pattern among ability-based EI facets, in which emotion perception must causally precede emotion understanding, which in turn precedes conscious emotion regulation and job performance. The sequential elements in this progressive model are believed to selectively reflect Conscientiousness, cognitive ability, and Neuroticism, respectively. "Mixed-based" measures of EI are expected to explain variance in job performance beyond cognitive ability and personality. The cascading model of EI is empirically confirmed via meta-analytic data, although relationships between ability-based EI and job performance are shown to be inconsistent (i.e., EI positively predicts performance for high emotional labor jobs and negatively predicts performance for low emotional labor jobs). Gender and race differences in EI are also meta-analyzed. Implications for linking the EI fad in personnel selection to established psychological theory are discussed.

Emotional intelligence: An integrative meta-analysis and cascading model.

The Positive Psychology of Emotional Intelligence

Revisiting gender differences: What we know and what lies ahead☆

Objectives: To predict symptomatology (post-traumatic distress, fatigue, and burnout) due to acute and chronic work related stressors among ambulance personnel. Methods: Data were gathered from 123 ambulance workers in The Netherlands in a longitudinal design. At two measurements they completed standardised questionnaires to assess health symptoms, such as the Impact of Event Scale, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and the Checklist Individual Strength. Acute stressors were assessed with specific questions, and chronic work related stressors were measured with the Questionnaire on the Experience and Assessment of Work. Results: Most of the ambulance workers had been confronted with acute stressors in their work. They also reported more chronic work related stressors than a reference group. Of the participants, more than a tenth suffered from a clinical level of post-traumatic distress, a tenth reported a fatigue level that put them at high risk for sick leave and work disability and nearly a tenth of the personnel suffered from burnout. Best predictors of symptomatology at time 2 were lack of social support at work and poor communication, such as not being informed about important decisions within the organisation. Conclusions: Ambulance personnel are at risk to develop health symptoms due to work related stressors. Although, acute stressors are related to health symptoms, such as fatigue, burnout, and post-traumatic symptoms, it was not found to predict health symptoms in the long term. Main risk factors have to do with social aspects of the work environment, in particular lack of support from the supervisor as well as colleagues and poor communication. When implementing workplace interventions these social aspects need to be taken into account.

https://oem.bmj.com/content/oemed/60/suppl_1/i40.full.pdf

Acute and chronic job stressors among ambulance personnel: predictors of health symptoms.

Men and women experience different kinds of mental health problems. While women exceed men in internalizing disorders such as depression and anxiety, men exhibit more externalizing disorders such as substance abuse and antisocial behavior, which are problematic for others. These differences also vary by race and social class: for example, African Americans possess better mental health and, thus, a smaller gender gap in psychiatric problems. What explains these differences? We concentrate on conceptions of gender and gender practices. Research on gender and mental health suggests that conceptions of masculinity and femininity affect major risk factors for internalizing and externalizing problems, including the stressors men and women are exposed to, the coping strategies they use, the social relationships they engage in, and the personal resources and vulnerabilities they develop. This chapter investigates explanations in these areas for gender differences both in general and by race and class.

Gender and mental health.

Meme si plusieurs chercheurs ont demontre que le soutien social est un mecanisme d'adaptation efficace pour faire face au stress, tres peu de recherches se sont penchees sur les differences entre les sexes en ce qui a trait au stress percu et au recours au soutien social. Dans la presente etude, 186 etudiants du premier cycle d'une universite des Maritimes ont note la nature stressante percue de cinq scenarios et ont identifie le type et la source de soutien social vers lesquels ils se tourneraient pour faire face a chacune des situations. Comparativement aux hommes, les femmes ont percu trois des cinq scenarios comme etant considerablement plus stressants. Les femmes, beaucoup plus que les hommes, ont indique qu'elles chercheraient du soutien de la part de leur partenaire ou d'amis. Les femmes ont egalement rapporte qu'elle chercheraient un soutien affectif a un niveau plus eleve que ne l'ont indique les hommes. Cependant, lorsque la nature stressante percue des scenarios etait determinee, certaines differences entre les sexes quant aux sources et aux types de soutien disparaissaient.

Gender Differences in Perceptions of Stressors and Utilization of Social Support Among University Students

This study examined the moderating impact of positive and negative coping styles on the relationship of acute and chronic job stressors with self-reported health symptoms of 521 military personnel. The number of acute work-related events was associated with a high frequency of self-reported symptoms. Similarly, role ambiguity, overload, and lack of job stimulation were associated with increased symptoms. Only the negative coping styles (i.e., venting of negative emotions and denial/disengagement) were uniquely associated with symptoms. Only 5 of the 13 proposed Stressor x Coping interactions were significant, and they all involved the negative coping styles. That is, instead of alleviating the negative outcomes of work stressors, these coping styles were associated with high strain, regardless of the amount of stressor, and, in some cases, these coping styles exacerbated the negative effect of the stressor on the strain outcomes.

Chronic and acute stressors among military personnel: do coping styles buffer their negative impact on health?

Despite the popularity of the concept of emotional intelligence(EI), there is much controversy around its definition, measurement, and validity. Therefore, the authors examined the construct and criterion-related validity of an ability-based EI measure (Mayer Salovey Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test [MSCEIT]) and a mixed-model EI measure (Emotional Quotient Inventory [EQ-i]) using a military sample. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the four-factor model for the MSCEIT, but not the five-factor model for the EQ-i, fit well. MSCEIT and EQ-i scores were modestly intercorrelated. Gender was related only to the MSCEIT’s Emotional Perception scale scores. EQ-i scores, but not MSCEIT scores, tended to be strongly related to scores on measures assessing personality, self-monitoring ability, job satisfaction, and life satisfaction. The EQ-i also accounted for incremental variance in job and life satisfaction, after controlling for personality. Overall, cognitive ability scores were unrelated to EQ-i sc...

Holly A. Livingstone

Papers

Gender Differences in Perceptions of Stressors and Utilization of Social Support Among University Students

Chronic and acute stressors among military personnel: do coping styles buffer their negative impact on health?

Comparing the Construct and Criterion-Related Validity of Ability-Based and Mixed-Model Measures of Emotional Intelligence: