Emotional Intelligence as a Component of Personality Development

Abstract Personality development surfaced as another important area of concern for higher education and professional training settings. This was mainly due to the realization that "no longer could exceling merely in the academic domain guarantee personal effectiveness and social adaptability together with employment potential." Notably, the emergence of the intelligence quotient brought forward the significance of "the ability to perceive, monitor, and use effectively the emotions within oneself and in relation to those with whom we interact—a type of social intelligence learned through our experiences in interactions with others"—defined as Emotional Intelligence (EI). Therefore, the objective of the present study was to examine the impact of "the practice of the complex skills of self-perception within oneself and relation to others, control of one's own emotional responses to oneself and those with whom we interact"—dimensions of EI on the overall development of the student's personality during higher learning settings through the quantitative descriptive approach of conducting the study. Statistical analysis clearly reveals the presence of a statistically positive relationship between EI and the overall development of the student's personality. Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, Personality Development, Higher Education, Soft Skills, Emotional Competence