title: What it feels like to be me: Linking emotional intelligence, identity, and intimacy.
abstract: The search for the self and for an intimate other are the normative tasks of adolescence and early adulthood. The role of emotions in the resolution of these developmental tasks, however, remains largely under-studied, especially in non-western cultures. The objective of the present study, therefore, was to examine the relationships between emotional intelligence, identity, and intimacy, among Indian adolescents. Differences across genders (boys vs. girls) and types of school (gender segregated vs. integrated) were also explored. A sample of 486 adolescents completed measures of emotional intelligence, identity, and intimacy. Girls scored higher than boys on intimacy, and those from segregated schools scored higher, than those from integrated schools, on emotional intelligence. Significant relationships emerged between emotional intelligence, and identity and intimacy, and were invariant across the groups. These findings underscore the pivotal role that emotional intelligence plays in healthy adolescent development, irrespective of personal and environmental variables.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Women's Christian College, Chennai, India. Electronic address: hemalimaher@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Hemali
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Maher
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Women's Christian College, Chennai, India.
authors.forename: Christine N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Winston
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Women's Christian College, Chennai, India.
authors.forename: Usha Rani
authors.initials: UR
authors.lastname: S
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D041923:Adolescent Development; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D056348:Emotional Intelligence; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D012574:Schools / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Emotional intelligence; Gender; Identity; Intimacy; Type of school