A comparative evaluation of the effects of trait Emotional Intelligence and emotion regulation on affect at work and job satisfaction

Abstract

The study examined the associations of trait Emotional Intelligence (EI) and emotional regulation with affect and satisfaction at work. Participants were 475 educators who completed the Bar-On EQ-i, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and measures of affect at work and job satisfaction. Analyses were conducted separately in two age-groups. Among the EI branches only general mood had consistent predictive value for affect at work. Emotion regulation had unique predictive power for affect and job satisfaction for the younger age group. There was minimal evidence for emotion regulation being a mediator between EI and affect at work in either age group. These findings suggest that trait EI and emotion regulation may refer to distinct processes and have implications for evaluating the ever increasing research on EI in organisations. Copyright © 2007 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.