The Effect of Emotional Intelligence and Its Components on Creativity

The aim of this study was predicting creativity and its components based on emotional intelligence and its components. The sample comprised from 548 students (281 boys and 267 girls) in four secondary grades and pre-university level from Shiraz high schools. Who were selected via multi stage cluster sampling procedure with class as sampling unit? Method: Regression analysis procedure was used for analyzing the date. General finding of the study indicated that emotional intelligence positively predicts creativity. Result: creativity was positivity predictable through two components of emotional intelligence including emotional perception and optimism General emotional intelligence can positively predict dynamic and extension as two components of creativity. In addition findings indicated that boys and girls were significantly different in terms of general emotional intelligence (as well as two emotional perception and optimism components) and creativity a whole and its components. But this was not true for social skills and emotional control components of emotional intelligence. Finally, the findings were discussed with respect to the research literature and suggestion for further investigations was set forth. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.