When Emotional Intelligence Backfires

Abstract

Abstract. While emotional intelligence is generally associated with positive outcomes, little is known about the specific contribution of its intra- and interpersonal dimensions, even less about their interaction. By taking a variable that a priori involves both dimensions, that is, parenting, this study aimed to examine the possibility that intra- and interpersonal emotional competencies (EC) sometimes interact in such a way that the highest is not always the best. In this study, 842 parents (92% of mothers) completed self-reported measures of EC and parental burnout. Hierarchical multiple regression and moderation analyses showed that the level of intrapersonal EC mainly and negatively predicted parental burnout. On the other hand, the level of interpersonal EC positively predicted parental burnout and moderated the relation between intrapersonal EC and parental burnout. As interpersonal EC increased, the protective effect of intrapersonal EC on parental burnout decreased. Our findings therefore highlight the fact that intra- and interpersonal EC do not always work in a cumulative manner and emphasize the importance of studying intra- and interpersonal EC separately. As mothers were overrepresented in our sample, more data on fathers are needed to further generalize these findings.