Research on ability and trait emotional intelligence in Serbia: Efforts to validate the constructs and latest insights into their relationships with demographic variables

Abstract

This chapter aims to provide an overview of extant findings and present some original research data on ability and trait emotional intelligence (EI) gained in the Serbian context. We open the chapter by reviewing the first decade of EI research in Serbia, going over its conceptual foundations, available assessment procedures, and major contributions to empirically validating the constructs of both ability and trait EI. We continue with a report on our most recent study into the demographic correlates of the two EIs – specifically, their associations with age, gender, and three socio-economic status-related variables (educational attainment, job position, and income) – focusing on and discussing the following findings: First, that both EIs were lower in the eldest group (45–61 years) than in younger adults; second, that gender differences in ability EI were present only in the youngest age group (21–31 years), while gender differences in trait EI appeared only at the factor-level, namely in Sociability and Self-Control; and third, that both EIs were substantially related to socio-economic status, in particular to educational attainment and job position. We conclude the chapter by placing Serbian EI research within a broader context, highlighting its contributions to the general understanding of the two EIs, and uttering the questions to be addressed by further research.