Emotional Intelligence: Exploring the Road beyond Personality and Cognitive Intelligence

Emotional intelligence research holds a popular status in current academic and business community. However, emotional intelligence as an independent construct has been debatable with regard to its theoretical and empirical significance ever since it was introduced. Furthermore, conceptual and operational definitions, measuring instruments and questionable validity and subsequent results are highly diverse and even contradictory. In an attempt to bring coherence to the diffuse body of literature on emotional intelligence, we argue how emotional intelligence is different from personality and cognitive intelligence. In light of this, the current paper has discussed previous research findings to gain more insights about emotional intelligence accounting for variance in outcomes not explained by personality and cognitive intelligence. The extant literature review has guided us to conclude that emotional intelligence is a unique construct, distinct from personality and cognitive intelligence. Scope for future research in the emotional intelligence field is also suggested.