Definitions and Critiques of Emotional Intelligence

Definitions and Critiques of Emotional Intelligence
UPDATED APRIL 2015

Antonakis, J., & Dietz, J. (2010). Emotional intelligence: On definitions, neuroscience, and marshmallows. [Comment/Reply]. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 3(2), 165-170. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9434.2010.01219.x

Ashkanasy, N. M., & Daus, C. S. (2005). Rumors of the death of emotional intelligence in organizational behavior are vastly exaggerated. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(4), 441-452. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/job.320

Austin, E. J., & Saklofske, D. H. (2014). Introduction to the special issue on emotional intelligence. [Editorial]. Personality and Individual Differences, 65, 1-2. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.02.006

Bar-On, R. (2006). The Bar-On model of emotional-social intelligence (ESI). Psicothema, 18(Suppl), 13-25.

Bar-On, R. (2010). Emotional intelligence: An integral part of positive psychology. South African Journal of Psychology, 40(1), 54-62.

Boyatzis, R. E. (2008). Competencies in the 21st century. [Editorial]. Journal of Management Development, 27(1), 5-12. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02621710810840730

Boyatzis, R. E. (2009). Competencies as a behavioral approach to emotional intelligence. [Editorial]. Journal of Management Development, 28(9), 749-770. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02621710910987647

Brackett, M. A., Rivers, S. E., & Salovey, P. (2011). Emotional intelligence: Implications for personal, social, academic, and workplace success. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 5(1), 88-103. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2010.00334.x

Cherniss, C. (2010). Emotional intelligence: New insights and further clarifications. [Comment/Reply]. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 3(2), 183-191. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9434.2010.01222.x

Cherniss, C. (2010). Emotional intelligence: Toward clarification of a concept. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 3(2), 110-126. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9434.2010.01231.x

Cherniss, G., Extein, M., Goleman, D., & Weissberg, R. P. (2006). Emotional Intelligence: What does the Research Really Indicate? [Comment/Reply]. Educational Psychologist, 41(4), 239-245. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep4104_4

Cote, S. (2010). Taking the "intelligence" in emotional intelligence seriously. [Comment/Reply]. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 3(2), 127-130. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9434.2010.01211.x

Daus, C. S., & Ashkanasy, N. M. (2005). The case for the ability-based model of emotional intelligence in organizational behavior. [Comment/Reply]. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(4), 453-466. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/job.321

Davies, M., Stankov, L., & Roberts, R. D. (1998). Emotional intelligence: In search of an elusive construct. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75(4), 989-1015. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.75.4.989

Dulewicz, V., & Higgs, M. (2000). Emotional intelligence: A review and evaluation study. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 15(4), 341-372. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02683940010330993

Emmerling, R. J., & Boyatzis, R. E. (2012). Emotional and social intelligence competencies: Cross cultural implications. Cross Cultural Management, 19(1), 4-18. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13527601211195592

Fambrough, M. J., & Hart, R. K. (2008). Emotions in leadership development: A critique of emotional intelligence. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 10(5), 740-758. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1523422308323542

Fineman, S. (2004). Getting the measure of emotion--And the cautionary tale of emotional intelligence. Human Relations, 57(6), 719-740. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0018726704044953

Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218-226. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.218

Gignac, G. E. (2010). On a nomenclature for emotional intelligence research. [Comment/Reply]. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 3(2), 131-135. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9434.2010.01212.x

Gohm, C. L. (2004). Moving forward with emotional intelligence. [Comment/Reply]. Psychological Inquiry, 15(3), 222-227.

Harms, P., & Crede, M. (2010). Remaining issues in emotional intelligence research: Construct overlap, method artifacts, and lack of incremental validity. [Comment/Reply]. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 3(2), 154-158. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9434.2010.01217.x

Jordan, P. J., Dasborough, M. T., Daus, C. S., & Ashkanasy, N. M. (2010). A call to context. [Comment/Reply]. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 3(2), 145-148. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9434.2010.01215.x

Joseph, D. L., & Newman, D. A. (2010). Emotional intelligence: An integrative meta-analysis and cascading model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(1), 54-78. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0017286

Kaplan, S., Cortina, J., & Ruark, G. A. (2010). Oops...We did it again: Industrial-organizational's focus on emotional intelligence instead of on its relationships to work outcomes. [Comment/Reply]. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 3(2), 171-177. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9434.2010.01220.x

Kong, D. T. (2014). Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT/MEIS) and overall, verbal, and nonverbal intelligence: Meta-analytic evidence and critical contingencies. Personality and Individual Differences, 66, 171-175. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.03.028

Landy, F. J. (2005). Some historical and scientific issues related to research on emotional intelligence. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(4), 411-424. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/job.317

Lindebaum, D., & Cartwright, S. (2011). Leadership effectiveness: The costs and benefits of being emotionally intelligent. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 32(3), 281-290. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/01437731111123924

Locke, E. A. (2005). Why emotional intelligence is an invalid concept. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(4), 425-431. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/job.318

Maheshwari, S. (2012). Current research on emotional intelligence and assessment technique. Indian Journal of Community Psychology, 8(1), 172-182.

Matthews, G., Roberts, R. D., & Zeidner, M. (2004). Seven myths about emotional intelligence. Psychological Inquiry, 15(3), 179-196. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1503_01

Mayer, J. D., Caruso, D. R., & Salovey, P. (1999). Emotional intelligence meets traditional standards for an intelligence. Intelligence, 27(4), 267-298. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0160-2896%2899%2900016-1

Mayer, J. D., Roberts, R. D., & Barsade, S. G. (2008). Human abilities: Emotional intelligence. Annual Review of Psychology, 59, 507-536. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.59.103006.093646

Mayer, J. D., & Salovey, P. (1993). The intelligence of emotional intelligence. [Comment/Reply]. Intelligence, 17(4), 433-442. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0160-2896%2893%2990010-3

Mayer, J. D., & Salovey, P. (1995). Emotional intelligence and the construction and regulation of feelings. Applied & Preventive Psychology, 4(3), 197-208. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0962-1849%2805%2980058-7

Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. R. (2004). Emotional intelligence: Theory, findings, and implications. Psychological Inquiry, 15(3), 197-215. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1503_02

Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. R. (2004). A further consideration of the issues of emotional intelligence. Psychological Inquiry, 15(3), 249-255. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1503_05

Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. R. (2008). Emotional intelligence: New ability or eclectic traits? American Psychologist, 63(6), 503-517. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.63.6.503

Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P., Caruso, D. R., & Sitarenios, G. (2001). Emotional intelligence as a standard intelligence. [Comment/Reply]. Emotion, 1(3), 232-242. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1528-3542.1.3.232

McCleskey, J. (2014). Emotional intelligence and leadership: A review of the progress, controversy, and criticism. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 22(1), 76-93. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-03-2012-0568

McNaughton, N., & Zubairi, M. S. (2014). Emotional intelligence: Convinced or lulled? [Comment/Reply]. Medical Education, 48(5), 456-458. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/medu.12455

Meyer, B., & Fletcher, T. B. (2007). Emotional intelligence: A theoretical overview and implications for research and professional practice in sport psychology. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 19(1), 1-15. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10413200601102904

Mikolajczak, M. (2009). Going beyond the ability-trait debate: The three-level model of emotional intelligence. E-Journal of Applied Psychology, 5(2), 25-31.

Nagler, U. K., Reiter, K. J., Furtner, M. R., & Rauthmann, J. F. (2014). Is there a "dark intelligence"? Emotional intelligence is used by dark personalities to emotionally manipulate others. Personality and Individual Differences, 65, 47-52.

Oatley, K. (2004). Emotional intelligence and the intelligence of emotions. [Comment/Reply]. Psychological Inquiry, 15(3), 216-221. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1503_03

O'Connor, P. J., & Athota, V. S. (2013). The intervening role of agreeableness in the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and machiavellianism: Reassessing the potential dark side of ei. Personality and Individual Differences Jul(Pagination), No Pagination Specified. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2013.06.006

Ogle, J. A., & Bushnell, J. A. (2014). The appeal of emotional intelligence. [Comment/Reply]. Medical Education, 48(5), 458-460. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/medu.12433

Opengart, R. (2005). Emotional Intelligence and Emotion Work: Examining Constructs From an Interdisciplinary Framework. Human Resource Development Review, 4(1), 49-62. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1534484304273817

Petrides, K. (2010). Trait emotional intelligence theory. [Comment/Reply]. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 3(2), 136-139. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9434.2010.01213.x

Petrides, K., Pita, R., & Kokkinaki, F. (2007). The location of trait emotional intelligence in personality factor space. British Journal of Psychology, 98(2), 273-289. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1348/000712606X120618

Riggio, R. E. (2010). Before emotional intelligence: Research on nonverbal, emotional, and social competencies. [Comment/Reply]. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 3(2), 178-182. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9434.2010.01221.x

Roberts, R. D., MacCann, C., Matthews, G., & Zeidner, M. (2010). Emotional intelligence: Toward a consensus of models and measures. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 4(10), 821-840. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2010.00277.x

Roberts, R. D., Matthews, G., & Zeidner, M. (2010). Emotional intelligence: Muddling through theory and measurement. [Comment/Reply]. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 3(2), 140-144. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9434.2010.01214.x

Roberts, R. D., Zeidner, M., & Matthews, G. (2001). Does emotional intelligence meet traditional standards for an intelligence? Some new data and conclusions. Emotion, 1(3), 196-231. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1528-3542.1.3.196

Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1989). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 9(3), 185-211.

Schaie, K. (2001). Emotional intelligence: Psychometric status and developmental characteristics--Comment on Roberts, Zeidner, and Matthews (2001). [Comment/Reply]. Emotion, 1(3), 243-248. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1528-3542.1.3.243

Shulman, T. E., & Hemenover, S. H. (2006). Is Dispositional Emotional Intelligence Synonymous with Personality? Self and Identity, 5(2), 147-171. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15298860600586206

Spector, P. E. (2005). Introduction: Emotional intelligence. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(4), 409-410. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/job.316

van der Zee, K., & Wabeke, R. (2004). Is Trait-Emotional Intelligence Simply or More Than Just a Trait? European Journal of Personality, 18(4), 243-263. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/per.517

Van Rooy, D. L., & Viswesvaran, C. (2004). Emotional intelligence: A meta-analytic investigation of predictive validity and nomological net. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 65(1), 71-95. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0001-8791%2803%2900076-9

Van Rooy, D. L., Viswesvaran, C., & Pluta, P. (2005). An Evaluation of Construct Validity: What Is This Thing Called Emotional Intelligence? Human Performance, 18(4), 445-462. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15327043hup1804_9

Van Rooy, D. L., Whitman, D. S., & Viswesvaran, C. (2010). Emotional intelligence: Additional questions still unanswered. [Comment/Reply]. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 3(2), 149-153. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9434.2010.01216.x

Walter, F., Cole, M. S., & Humphrey, R. H. (2011). Emotional intelligence: Sine qua non of leadership or folderol. The Academy of Management Perspectives, 25(1), 45-59. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.5465/AMP.2011.59198449

Warwick, J., & Nettelbeck, T. (2004). Emotional intelligence is...? Personality and Individual Differences, 37(5), 1091-1100. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2003.12.003

Zeidner, M., Matthews, G.,& Roberts, R. D. (2001). Slow down, you move too fast: Emotional intelligence remains an "elusive" intelligence. [Comment/Reply]. Emotion, 1(3), 265-275. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1528-3542.1.3.265

Zeidner, M., Matthews, G.,& Roberts, R. D. (2004). Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace: A Critical Review. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 53(3), 371-399. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2004.00176.x

Zeidner, M., Roberts, R. D.,& Matthews, G. (2004). The emotional intelligence bandwagon: Too fast to live, too young to die? [Comment/Reply]. Psychological Inquiry, 15(3), 239-248. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1503_04

Zeidner, M., Roberts, R. D.,& Matthews, G. (2008). The science of emotional intelligence: Current consensus and controversies. European Psychologist, 13(1), 64-78. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040.13.1.64

News and Events

Check out our new EVENTS section to find out about the latest conferences and training opportunities involving members of the EI Consortium.

NEW Doctoral Program in Organizational Psychology

Rutgers University - Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) is now offering a doctoral program in Organizational Psychology and is accepting applications for students. The Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations is headquartered within Rutgers, providing students the opportunity to conduct research and collaborate with leading experts in the field of emotional intelligence. Click here for additional information.

NEW Research Fellowship

think2perform Research Institute’s Research Fellowship program invites proposals from doctoral candidates, post-docs and junior faculty pursuing self-defined research focused on moral intelligence, purpose, and/or emotional intelligence. Click here for more information.

Listen to Consortium member Chuck Wolfe interview some of the thought leaders in emotional intelligence.

Harvard Alumni Panel - Why is interest in Emotional Intelligence Soaring?

Consortium member Chuck Wolfe hosts a panel of world class leaders in the field of emotional intelligence (EI) to talk about why interest in EI is soaring. Panel members include EI Consortium members Dr. Richard Boyatzis, Dr. Cary Cherniss and Dr. Helen Riess. Click here to view the panel discussion.

Interview with Dr. Cary Cherniss and Dr. Cornelia Roche

Host, Chuck Wolfe interviews Drs. Cary Cherniss and Cornelia Roche about their new book Leading with Feeling: Nine Strategies of Emotionally Intelligent Leadership. The authors share powerful stories of cases involving outstanding leaders using strategies that can be learned that demonstrate effective use of emotional intelligence. Click here to see the interview.

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Interview with Dr. Marc Brackett

Marc Brackett, Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, has written a wonderful book about feelings. I worked with Marc when he was first crafting his world class social and emotional learning program, RULER. Our interview highlights how Marc has achieved his own and his Uncle's vision for encouraging each of us to understand and manage our feelings. My conversation with Marc is inspiring, humorous, and engaging at times. Click here to listen to the interview.

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Click HERE to listen to an interview with Dr. Cary Cherniss co-chair of the EI Consortium. Dr. Cherniss discusses the issue of emotional intelligence and workplace burnout.

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Click HERE to listen to an interview with Dr. Marc Brackett, the newly appointed leader of the Center of Emotional Intelligence which will begin operation at Yale University in April, 2013. In this interview Dr. Brackett shares his vision for the new center.