Influence of Goal Orientation on Emotional Intelligence of Sports Persons

The present study aims to investigate the influence of goal orientation on emotional intelligence in sports persons. It also aims to look into the gender difference of these variables, as well as the type of sport they are involved in. The tools used in this study are the Task and Ego Orientation in Sports Questionnaire (TEOSQ) (Duda 1989) and the Emotional Intelligence Scale by Hyde, Pete, and Dhar (2007). The sample consisted of 182 sportspersons in the age range of 10-25 years and was chosen using the purposive sampling method. Statistical analysis, including Pearson’s product moment correlation, a t-test, and regression analysis were used for this study. The results indicate significant relationships between goal orientation and emotional intelligence. There was a significant gender difference with respect to emotional intelligence, but there was no significant gender difference on the levels of goal orientation. Similarly, there was no significant difference found in the types of sports in which they were involved in, with relation to both goal orientation and emotional intelligence as well. Further, the results show a significant influence of task orientation and ego orientation on emotional intelligence.