Emotional Intelligence: A Theoretical Overview and Implications for Research and Professional Practice in Sport Psychology

Abstract

Over the past five years, sport psychology researchers and practitioners have become increasingly vocal in their suggestions that emotional intelligence (EI) may be an important construct in the sport domain. Initial research in sport has been valuable for gaining preliminary insights, but use of disparate theoretical frameworks and assessment techniques confuses rather than clarifies potential links between EI and sport. Specifically, the use of different definitions, conceptualizations, and assessment inventories may yield different EI profiles of the same individual or team. This disparity has important implications for applied sport psychology, where there is a call for the use of theoretical paradigms, objective and subjective assessments, and empirical research to inform practice. The purposes of this paper, therefore, are to: (a) review EI models and assessment inventories; (b) review research on EI in business, health, and sport; and (c) identify directions for future research and professional practice in sport psychology.

Notes

¹Other measures examined include the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS), EQ-i, ECI, Multi-Factor Intelligence Scale (MEIS), and miscellaneous measures. It should be noted that studies utilizing the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) were not included in this meta-analysis (Van Rooy & Viswesvaran, 2004).

²Although literature exists to refute EI as a true intelligence we believe an adequate volume of literature exists to support the characterization of EI as a true intelligence. As this debate is not the purpose of the current paper, readers should see Locke (2005) for further discussion.