The Impact of Self Esteem on Emotional Intelligence - Research Paper Example

?Running head: SELF ESTEEM ON EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE The Impact of Self Esteem on Emotional Intelligence Literature and previous investigations suggest a relationship between emotional intelligence and self esteem. Emotional intelligence is the trait that enables an individual to comprehend own emotions and others’ emotions, and use such information for the benefit of self and others. It has serious implications on the amount of success and happiness achievable by an individual. Self esteem is the perception that individuals have regarding themselves and as a result the evaluation of self worth. Self esteem also has important impacts on intrapersonal and interpersonal development. Hence self esteem and emotional intelligence should have direct impacts on teaching effectiveness. An investigation into the impact of self esteem on emotional intelligence is to be carried out using correlation analysis between a Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale and an ESAT test, and a correlation of the two with teaching effectiveness studied. The Impact of Self Esteem on Emotional Intelligence Achievement of success in the important areas of life, which usually include matters of education, the workplace and relationships with people, heavily relies on emotional intelligence and self esteem. Emotional intelligence has been defined as a trait which enables an individual to process information on their own as well as other’s emotions, plus the ability to utilize such information to guide or regulate their thinking. This means that a high emotional intelligence enables one to use, comprehend and manage emotions and thus benefit self and others (Mayer, 2008). Emotional intelligence draws from the dimensions of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, empathy, and social skills (Boyatzis, 2000). Self esteem on the other hand is the perception individuals have of self. It is ones positive or negative evaluation of self, regardless of the actual reality of aspects such as intelligence or attractiveness. A high self esteem is related to several positive mental health parameters including reduced depression and anxiety, reduced feelings of loneliness alongside decreased drug abuse (Leary, 1999). It however has some detrimental effects such as alienating others, thus hindering interpersonal relationships (Baumeister et al, 2003). A high emotional intelligence level has been found to relate to greater self esteem. It is also related to a non-reduction in self esteem after induction of a negative state and a greater increase in self esteem after a positive state induction (Schutte, Mallouff, 2002). There is a strong correlation between teacher effectiveness and teacher’s self esteem. Statement of the Problem Emotional intelligence affects a person’s life directly through influencing their education, work and relationships. Self esteem on the other hand influences a person’s perception of self and thus has a bearing on what is achievable in a person’s life. While both issues have been investigated separately to great effect, the impact of self esteem on emotional intelligence and their effect on the teaching profession have not been fully documented and as a result there is need for more studies into the matter. Research Questions 1. Do changes in levels of self esteem affect emotional intelligence? 2. What are the effects of a high self esteem in relation to emotional intelligence? 3. What are the effects of a high emotional intelligence? 4. How does emotional intelligence and self esteem impact teacher effectiveness? Purpose of the Study Emotional intelligence and self esteem are important issues in an individual’s life, impacting education, work and relationships with other people and thus the success and satisfaction in life that every person would wish to have. This study will aim to investigate the impact of self esteem on emotional intelligence and thus recommend whether measures to boost self esteem can improve emotional intelligence and ultimately lead to increased effectiveness of teaching. Importance of the Study This study aims to investigate the relationship between self esteem and emotional intelligence and use its findings to recommend whether interventional measures on self esteem, which is more of a perception, can be used to impact emotional intelligence and thus improve peoples’ lives. Schutte’s and Mallouff’s et al work was particularly important in this study as they had already analyzed the relationships between emotional intelligence, mood and self esteem (Schutte, Mallouff, 2002). This study goes a step further than previous studies by specifically analyzing the impact of self esteem on emotional intelligence and how this relates to teacher effectiveness. It will add to the literature already available on the issues of emotional intelligence and self esteem besides providing information on the specific relationship between the two. Assumptions The main assumption in this study is that the participants are truthful at all times while taking the tests. ESAT, Rosenberg Self Esteem and Teacher Efficacy Scale tests are self-respondent tests hence accuracy can only be an assumption. Limitations The research sample to be used in this study (70) is small and not representative as the participants are drawn from one university. The design of the study is correlation, hence does not divulge more information such as cause and effect- it only investigates the existence of a relationship between the two and not the reason behind the relationship. Literature Review Method of searching the Literature To gain a good background understanding of emotional intelligence, an internet search for articles containing the words “emotional intelligence” was conducted. To narrow down the obviously too long list, the search criteria were narrowed down to the definitions, dimensions and roles of emotional intelligence. A similar search was performed for “self esteem” concentrating on what it is and effects of high and low self esteem. To meet the objectives of this study, any relationships between self esteem, emotional intelligence and teacher effectiveness were carefully scrutinized. Emotional Intelligence It has been defined in many different ways, but is basically the ability to practice sophisticated processing of information about own and other people’s emotions, and being able to utilize such information to guide thinking and behavior. An individual with a high emotional intelligence is attentive to, uses, understands, and manages emotions. These skills serve functions that are adaptive and have potential bene?ts to self and others (Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso, 2004). There are five dimensions of emotional intelligence. The first three revolve around self-management while the other two concern management of relationships with other people- that is, intrapersonal and interpersonal aspects of emotional intelligence (Goleman, 2000). Later, these five aspects of emotional intelligence were reduced to four (Boyatzis, Goleman, & Rhee, 2000). These dimensions are self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, empathy, and social skills. The first dimension, self-awareness is knowledge of own internal states, preferences, resources, and intuitions. It involves the competencies of emotional self-awareness, accuracy of self-assessment, and self-confidence. Self-management, the second dimension, is taking charge of individual internal states and resources to enable achievement of goals. Social awareness is another aspect of emotional intelligence, involving being aware of the feelings, needs, and concerns of those around us. Empathy is the corner stone of maintaining relationships with others and being in a position to act accordingly based on their concerns or needs. The last dimension of emotional intelligence is the social skills, which enable the induction of desirable responses from others, generally involving aspects of leadership, communication, influence, conflict management and teamwork (Boyatzis, 2000). High level of emotional intelligence leads to greater feelings of being emotionally well (Saarni, 1999). Previous research has already shown that emotional intelligence is observed to be inversely proportional to depression (Martinez-Pons, 1997). It is also related to greater levels of optimism (Schutte et al., 1998) and feeling of satisfaction in life (Ciarrochi et al., 2000). With the knowledge of the importance of emotional intelligence, several studies and literature exist on how to improve it. The ability to read emotions is integral in developing emotional intelligence. One is supposed to pay attention to own emotions as well as those of people in the surrounding. This is then followed by developing the habit of monitoring ones emotions after every short while. It is also imperative that one improves the ability to manage change in conditions or situations, unclear circumstances, stressors and pressure. This is so as to be able to handle decision making diligently and solve conflicts properly. Another important aspect of regulating emotions is through practicing delaying of gratification and controlling impulsiveness (Ouellette, 2003). Efforts to quantify emotional intelligence have been undertaken using the CTI (Constructive Thinking Inventory Test) and ESAT (Emotional Skills Assessment Test), which are reliable and valid measures of aspects of emotional intelligence. CTI indices include emotional coping, positive thinking, categorical thinking, polarized thinking, naive optimism, intolerance, stereotypical thinking, action orientation and over optimism. ESAT indices include assertion, comfort, empathy, leadership, self esteem, stress management, drive, commitment ethic, time management, aggression and decision making. A sample size of 65 participants heavily drawn from university students and aged between 19-79 years was used for the study. The results indicated a correlation between the CTI and ESAT thinking scales (Cox, Nelson, 2008). Emotional intelligence has a direct bearing on success in different professions, including teaching. This is especially the case with novice or prospective teachers, where the requirements for one to be a quality teacher also depend on other factors besides academic qualifications. Teachers have been found to quit the profession within the first five years, and one of the recommendations to counter this is through preparing them emotionally and psychologically before or during their first year in teaching (Justice & Espionaza, 2005). Self Esteem Self esteem refers to positive or negative affective self-evaluation which then ultimately influences perception of self-worth or value (Leary, 1999). It is an outcome of evaluation of one’s self, where individuals who feel that they are doing well have a higher self esteem (Bednar, Wells, Peterson, 1989). It is related to several positive mental health parameters including reduced depression and anxiety, reduced feelings of loneliness alongside decreased drug abuse (Leary, 1999). It is also related to positive thinking even when in an unpleasant situation (Smith, Petty, 1995). Some of the negative effects of high self esteem may include increased aggression (Baumeister, Smart & Boden, 1996). Detailed studies of the effects of self esteem have been undertaken producing interesting conclusions. A high self esteem has been found to cause people to persist longer when faced with failure especially when there is no viable alternative, or when the notion that persistence is the wrong strategy is absent. Its effect on academic performance has not been documented, with several studies indicating that it is the latter which affects the former. With regards to interpersonal relationships, people with high self esteem have been found to think that they are widely popular, while objective studies may suggest otherwise. Elevated self views tend to alienate the people one interacts with. High levels of self esteem seem to intensify both prosocial and antisocial behavior. Self esteem is strongly linked with happiness, where individuals with high self esteem are significantly much happier and less likely to be depressed following experience of stressful or traumatic occurrences. Low self esteem has been identified as a risk factor for eating disorders such as bulimia. Such disorders occur sometimes due to dieting and anorexia, which are related to low self esteem (Baumeister et al, 2003). Previous investigations have indicated a correlation between a high self esteem and teacher effectiveness. Regardless of whether male or female, experienced or novice, teacher self esteem has been shown to be significantly correlated with teacher efficacy. This is in line with other studies showing that self esteem correlates positively with self efficacy (Huang & Liu, 2007). Self image and self esteem are constituents in a teacher’s professional self, and have an impact on student progress as a teacher’s career unfolds (Sammons et al, 2007). Self Esteem, Emotional Intelligence and teacher effectiveness It is to be expected that a high emotional intelligence would result in good moods and elevated self esteem, because in such individuals there is the ability to comprehend and manage own and others’ emotions besides overcoming factors that may cause low self esteem. In the case of teachers, this would then lead to improved effectiveness translating to better student scores in class. Through a Multi-factor Emotional Intelligence Scale emotional intelligence was studied as an ability of determining other people’s emotions basing on their facial expressions, body gestures and other clues. It was found that a correlation existed between emotional intelligence and self esteem. (Ciarrochi et al, 2000). Higher emotional intelligence measured as a trait has been found to relate to greater trait self esteem and greater momentary self esteem. It is also related to a non-reduction in self esteem after induction of a negative state and a greater increase in self esteem after a positive state induction (Schutte & Mallouff, 2002). A positive correlation has been demonstrated between self esteem and empathy skills in teachers, which would mean that they understand the people they work with and treat them better. This is especially important in pre-school teachers, where children would benefit most from teachers who love their profession, understand children’s emotions and empathize with them (Ceylan, 2009). The combined work of Schutte and Mallouff was particularly important in this study as they had already analyzed the relationships between emotional intelligence, mood and self esteem. Their work is divided into two purposes: to empirically test whether emotional intelligence measured as a trait is related to trait and state mood and self esteem, and secondly to test whether trait emotional intelligence can predict efficacy of mood and self esteem interventions after psychological alterations of mood and self esteem. The study of interest (on self esteem) sampled 50 participants recruited from nursing home employees and college students. The study maintained validity through use of the “Emotional Intelligence Scale” developed by Schutte et al and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale both of which have good reliability. The procedure involved the participants completing the two scales named above and the results were recorded and analyzed. A higher emotional intelligence was significantly found to be associated with a greater self-esteem for p < 0.0001 (Schutt & Mallouff, 2002). Methodology A correlation design is to be used; the ESAT test (for emotional intelligence), the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (for self esteem) and the Teacher Efficacy Scale are to be administered to the participants (35 female and 35 male secondary school teachers). Selection of the participants will be random samples of teachers whose age and gender will also be considered in the data interpretation. The resultant data will be fed into a database, means, standard deviations and ANOVA calculations done alongside analysis through SPSS. Pearson r correlation is then to be used to determine whether there is a relationship between self esteem and emotional intelligence. Conclusion Emotional intelligence is an important aspect of a person’s character, influencing their level of success and satisfaction in life. It involves taking stock of one’s emotions as well as others emotions and using this to benefit self and others. High levels of emotional intelligence strengthen intrapersonal and interpersonal well being. Self esteem is evaluation of self, which then influences the perception of self worth. High levels of self esteem bear both positive and negative impacts, for example; increasing happiness and alienating friends or workmates. There is sufficient information on both emotional intelligence and self esteem separately, but data gaps exist on how the two relate. Background studies indicate that high levels of emotional intelligence are related to high levels of self esteem. 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