Measuring Trait Emotional Intelligence

This chapter provides a brief introduction to the construct of emotional intelligence (EI), focusing on the conceptual distinction between trait EI (or emotional self-efficacy) and ability EI (or cognitive-emotional ability). The former encompasses emotion-related behavioral dispositions and self-perceived abilities measured via self-report, whereas the latter concerns actual emotion-related cognitive abilities and must be measured via maximum-performance tests. Salient measures of both types of EI are succinctly reviewed. It is argued that in terms of measurement most success has been achieved in relation to trait EI rather than ability EI. The overarching message of the chapter is that progress in the field is contingent on recognizing the fundamental differences between the two EI constructs.