Emotional Intelligence and Stress Level - Literature review Example

Gifford, Briceño-Perriott, & Mianzo (2006) and Gray (1998) assert that internal locus of control is linked with higher self-motivation, lower incidences of depression and stress, and eventually a longer life span. This study advances the hypothesis that individuals with lower stress level would report higher scores of emotional intelligence while those individuals with lower stress scores/level, would report low scores of internal work locus of control. The reason why individuals with lower stress levels would report low internal locus of control is that stress is usually caused because an individual perceives a circumstance or situation to be far beyond his/her abilities to cope; a negative effect is likely to be felt in while stress is ongoing.

Therefore, someone with an internal work locus of control, a person with a belief that whatever the situation he/she is going through at work, an individual would believe that the situation is within his/her control. Physical and psychological well-being of an individual is moderated by his/her perceived internal control. Additionally, people who hold the belief that they can have control over their situations will try as much as they can to ensure that they do so; therefore, this study would confirm that people with low level of stress would report low locus of control scores because, since they being faced with less stress, such individual would not seek new information or exhibit better learning in order to control their situations; the reverse is, however, somewhat true.

People with high emotional intelligence are self-aware, are able to recognize not only the state of others emotions but their emotions too. Therefore, being self-aware, able to recognize, understand and manage one’s emotions, enables one to be able to manage his/her stress level. This study found out that individuals with lower stress level would report higher scores of emotional intelligence. This explains why those with low-stress levels would report high emotional intelligence, meaning that, they have been able to recognize, understand and manage their emotions.

Since this study would utilize the use of GHQ, used in the measure of self-reported symptoms, it would be difficult to ascertain whether the subjects being studied are honest and as such are truly and sincerely reporting their stressful situation. Therefore this study should be extended to explore and analyze the differences in subjective well-being of workers and locus of control.