Assessment of Emotional Intelligence in the Family

Abstract

The authors evaluated the self-reported emotional intelligence (SEI) in mothers, fathers, and children of 73 families. The sample was composed of 73 fathers, 73 mothers, and 156 children (71 male and 85 female). In addition, the perceived emotional intelligence (PEI) among the family members was examined and the possible relationships were analyzed. The SEI and the PEI were evaluated with the Trait Meta Mood Scale–24. Three factors composed this measure: attention, clarity, and emotional repair. The results showed that the parents’ SEI correlated with the children’s SEI in two of the three EI factors (attention and clarity). However, the parents’ PEI of their children and the children’s PEI of their parents correlated significantly in the three factors, as well as the children’s SEI and their PEI of their parents and the parents’ SEI and their PEI of their children. That is, parents and children see each other in a similar way. The regression analyses confirmed that the children’s SEI was predicted first by the children’s PEI of their parents, over and above the children’s own SEI and the parents’ SEI. The parents’ PEI of their children also had predictive power for the attention their children believed they paid to their emotions. Neither the children’s gender nor age demonstrated sufficient predictive power on their SEI. The repercussions of these results in the field of education and family therapy are discussed.