Exploring the Role of Emotional Intelligence in Shaping Attitude towards Homosexuality among College Students

In Indian society, “homosexual behavior” continues to be stigmatized as immoral, against the law, and contrary to nature. This is one of the least explored areas in Indian research. Recognizing this research vacuum, the current study sought to investigate the influence of emotional intelligence (EI) in moulding college students’ opinions about homosexuality. With a sample size of N = 122, the research used a convenience sampling procedure. For data collection, two standardized instruments, the Emotional Intelligence Scale created by Hyde, Pethe, and Dhar (20011) and the Attitude towards Homosexuality Scale developed by Kite and Deaux (1986), as well as a socio-demographic form, were used. To investigate the associations between emotional intelligence and attitudes towards homosexuality (ATH), Pearson product-moment correlation and multiple regression analyses were used with the help of SPSS. The findings demonstrated a link between emotional intelligence and attitudes towards homosexuality. Specifically, among the eight elements of emotional intelligence, empathy and commitment were shown to be significant predictors of ATH. This research implies that those with greater degrees of empathy and commitment are more likely to have favourable views about homosexuality. The findings suggest that developing emotional intelligence, especially in the aspects of empathy and commitment, may help to promote favourable views towards homosexuality among college students.