Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is a broad term related to interpersonal and intrapersonal qualities that can be measured as either a trait or ability. As a trait, EI encompasses a constellation of dispositions related to recognizing, processing, and effectively utilizing emotional information. In other words, people with healthy levels of trait EI tend to express more developed beliefs in their capacity for well-being, self-control, effective social interactions, and emotionality.

Research supports positive relationships between TEI and happiness, life satisfaction, and secure attachment levels in close relationships, just to name a few. Ability EI is one’s skillfulness in perceiving emotions, integrating emotional information with cognitions, understanding emotions, and regulating emotions in an effective manner. There is controversy over an agreed upon definition of EI in general, although the basic difference between ability EI and trait EI is related to how it is measured. For practical purposes, it is most useful to think of emotional intelligence as the degree to which you feel able or believe in your ability to notice, manage, and utilize emotion-laden content within the social and internal contexts.