The Study of Emotional Intelligence in an Egyptian Sample of Offspring of Patients with Schizophrenia

Abstract

E motional intelligence is a term used to describe the ability of an individual to recognize their own and other people's emotions, to discriminate between different feelings and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behaviour (Coleman and Andrew 2008). There are several models of emotional intelligence; the trait model is one of those which was developed by Konstantin Vasily Petrides in 2001. It "encompasses behavioural dispositions and self-perceived abilities and is measured through self-report" (Petrides et al., 2001). The topic of emotional intelligence has generated a great deal of interest in both researchers and mental health professionals as it offers a new perspective in the study of emotions and disorders of emotion. It is now acknowledged that, when managed properly, emotions provide essential information for daily problem solving. On the other hand, deficits in emotional intelligence are directly linked to worsening the prognosis of different psychiatric disorders. From the perspective, the intelligent use of emotions is considered essential for psychological adaptation (Mayer & Salovey, 1997; Salovey et al., 1999). Research has explored the relation between emotional intelligence and clinical disorders as depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, compulsive gambling, sex offending, personality disorders and most recently attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children.