The construct of emotional intelligence (EI) appears to have properties of both an ability and a personality characteristic. A variety of psychotherapies include a modicum of emotional learning as part of their programs. The present study investigated the possible impact of therapies on EI with a sample of 412 undergraduates, 17.5% of whom were either in therapy or completed therapy for mood disorders. ANOVA showed that people who completed therapy for mood disorders or who did not consider therapy scored significantly higher on Schutte et al.'s measure of EI than people who had not completed therapy or who considered therapy but had not started it (η2 = .05). It appears that therapy has the potential to restore EI to levels comparable to those of the non-clinical participants.
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