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The relationship of trait emotional intelligence with the Big Five in Croatian and Slovene university student samples
Andreja Avsec, Vladimir Takšić & Tamara Mohorić
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Written in English. | Published: November 17, 2009
Abstract: The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between trait emotional intelligence (EI) and the Big Five factors of personality in two samples of Croatian and Slovenian university students. If EI is to be of significant value, it must measure something unique and distinct from standard personality traits. The Croatian sample consisted of 257 undergraduate students from University of Rijeka and Osijek and in Slovene sample there were 171 undergraduate students from University of Ljubljana. Participants filled out the Emotional Skills and Competences Questionnaire (ESCQ, Takšić, 1998) and the Big Five Inventory (BFI; John, Donahue, & Kentle, 1991). After controlling for nationality and gender, the Big Five explained up to 33% of the variance of EI. For the Perceive and Understand Emotions Scale only openness and extraversion explain important part of the variance; for the Express and Label Emotions Scale extraversion and conscientiousness are important predictors. The Big Five traits are able to explain the highest proportion of the variance in the Manage and Regulate Emotion Scale; neuroticism is the strongest predictor, but extraversion and conscientiousness also predict important part of the variance. Although high, this percentage of explained variance does not put in question the discriminant validity of EI questionnaire.
Keywords: trait emotional intelligence, emotional competence, ESCQ, five factor personality model, BFI
