Emotional Intelligence and Forgiveness in adults: A study Across Gender

Emotional intelligence by and large is the ability to understand and manage the feelings and emotions in positive way. Individuals having high degree of emotional intelligence have knowledge of their own emotions and tends to handle difficult circumstances, relieve stress, building positive relationships, and create a proper understanding of how their emotions can affect them or others. Their emotional intelligence promotes and guides them in dealing effectively with the life. There are essentially five elements of emotional intelligence- self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, motivation and social skills (Daniel Goleman, 1998). Forgiveness, on the other hand, is a conscious and voluntary decision to let go of feeling of resentment and vengeance towards a person or a group who has harmed you. Enright stated that forgiveness is primarily the “foregoing of resentment or revenge” when the wrongdoers actions deserve it and instead giving the offender gifts of mercy, generosity and love or beneficence when the wrongdoer does not deserve them (Robert Enright). Emotional Intelligence and Forgiveness both involves content related to emotions and feelings. Both concepts show commonalities in their elements. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between Emotional intelligence and Forgiveness. The sample of 60 young adults (age 20-40) was taken. The collection of data was done using two questionnaires- Schutte Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT) and Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS). The result showed a moderately positive correlation coefficient (r = 0.54), which indicated that there is possibility of connection in the relationship between EI and Forgiveness. No significant difference was observed between the scores of males and females in EI as well as in Forgiveness.