BPCS-183 Block 3 Unit 4 – Models of EI and Assessment | IGNOUNotes.in

BPCS-183 | Block 3 — Models of Emotional Intelligence

Unit 4: Models of EI and Assessment

Full Notes · IGNOUNotes.in

📋 What's in this Unit?

Quick Overview — All 5 Models
Ability Model (Mayer, Salovey & Caruso)
Trait Model (Petrides)
Genos Model (Palmer & Stough)
Mixed Models — Bar-On & Goleman
Key Words
Unit End Questions with Answers

🎯 Objectives

Describe the most popular frameworks of emotional intelligence
Differentiate between models of EI
Discuss various methods of assessing emotional intelligence

The field of EI has several theories and models, each offering a different angle on what emotional intelligence is and how to measure it. What all models agree on: recognising, regulating, and leveraging emotions is crucial for personal and professional effectiveness.

📊 Quick Overview — All 5 Models at a Glance

Model	Core Idea	EI is…	Measured By
Ability Model Mayer, Salovey & Caruso	EI is a true mental ability — a "hot intelligence"	4 abilities: Perceiving, Facilitating, Understanding, Managing emotions	MSCEIT (performance test)
Trait Model Petrides	Emotions are subjective, so EI is a self-perception / personality trait	A constellation of emotional self-perceptions in personality	TEIQue (self-report, 153 items)
Genos Model Palmer & Stough	EI competencies determine productive vs. unproductive workplace behaviour	6 core workplace-focused EI competencies	Genos EI Inventory (behaviour-based, 70 items)
Bar-On Mixed Model Bar-On	EI = non-cognitive abilities enabling adaptation and well-being	Array of abilities across 5 domains	EQ-i / EQ-i 2.0 (self-report, 133 items)
Performance Model Goleman	EI competencies directly drive workplace performance and leadership	Learned competencies in 4 quadrants	ECI 2.0 (18 competencies, 6-point scale)

1. Ability Model of Emotional Intelligence Mayer, Salovey & Caruso

The ability model was put forward by Mayer, Salovey & Caruso (2004). Mayer and Salovey had first coined the term "emotional intelligence" in 1990. Their core argument: EI is a genuine mental ability — not a personality trait — and should be measured the same way we measure other intelligences.

❄️ Cool Intelligence

Not personal — purely intellectual. Includes verbal, mathematical, and spatial abilities. Facts and logic only.

🔥 Hot Intelligence (EI)

Deeply personal — involves processing information about social acceptance, emotional well-being, and identity. EI is a hot intelligence.

📌 Definition: "The ability to perceive emotions, to access and generate emotions so as to assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional meanings, and to reflectively regulate emotions in ways that promote emotional and intellectual growth." — Mayer, Salovey & Caruso

It is a step-wise developmental model from childhood to adulthood, moving from basic to complex skills. There are 4 branches:

The Four Branches

Branch	Name	What it Involves	Level
1	Emotional Perception	Identifying emotions in faces, body language, pictures, voice, and in oneself. The most basic and earliest to develop.	🟢 Basic
2	Emotional Facilitation	Using emotions to assist and guide thinking — prioritising attention, aiding judgment and memory, generating emotions to relate to others' experiences.	🟡 Low-Med
3	Emotional Understanding	Labelling emotions, understanding transitions between emotions (e.g., frustration → anger), recognising complex/mixed emotions, affective forecasting.	🟠 Med-High
4	Emotional Management	Regulating emotions in self and others to promote personal and interpersonal effectiveness. Deciding when to engage or disengage from emotions. Most complex branch.	🔴 Complex

Updated Four-Branch Model (Mayer, Caruso & Salovey, 2016)

Branch	Key Updated Abilities (simplified)
Branch 1 Perceiving	Identify emotions in faces, body language, voice, and visual arts Distinguish accurate vs. inaccurate emotional expressions Identify deceptive emotional expressions Understand how emotions vary with context and culture Express emotions accurately when desired
Branch 2 Facilitating	Prioritise thinking by directing attention according to present feeling Leverage mood swings to generate different cognitive perspectives Generate emotions to relate to another person's experience Use emotions as an aid to judgment and memory
Branch 3 Understanding	Label emotions and recognise relations among them Understand emotional transitions (e.g., frustration → anger) Understand complex and mixed emotions Recognise cultural differences in evaluating emotions Understand how a person might feel in the future (affective forecasting — new addition)
Branch 4 Managing	Stay open to both pleasant and unpleasant feelings Engage with helpful emotions; disengage from unhelpful ones Evaluate strategies to maintain, reduce, or intensify emotional responses Effectively manage one's own emotions to achieve desired outcomes Effectively manage others' emotions

Assessment Tool: MSCEIT Performance Test

The Mayer, Salovey, Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) is the primary assessment tool. Unlike self-report tools, it measures performance directly — questions have right or wrong answers, just like an IQ test.

Feature	Details
Items	141 items, 8 tasks (2 per branch)
Target group	17 years and above; normed on 5,000 men and women
Time	30–45 minutes
Scores	15 main scores: Total EI + 2 Area scores + 4 Branch scores + 8 Task scores + 3 Supplemental scores
Branch 1 tasks	Identify emotions in facial photos; identify emotions in abstract images like landscapes
Branch 2 tasks	Associate emotions with types of tasks (e.g., planning a birthday party)
Branch 3 tasks	Identify increasing/decreasing emotional intensity; transformation between emotions (e.g., frustration → anger)
Branch 4 tasks	Respond to scenarios about regulating emotions in a given context

Self Assessment Questions 1

Q1. What is the central assumption of the ability model of EI?

EI is not a personality trait but a genuine mental ability — a type of "hot intelligence" concerned with processing emotional information about the self and one's social identity. It can be measured objectively with right/wrong answers.

Q2. Which is the most basic and early-developing branch? Which is the most complex?

Most basic and earliest to develop: Branch 1 — Emotional Perception. Most complex: Branch 4 — Emotional Management.

Q3. What abilities constitute the second and third branches?

Branch 2 — Emotional Facilitation: the capacity of emotions to assist and aid thinking — prioritising attention, aiding judgment and memory. Branch 3 — Emotional Understanding: analysing and labelling emotions, understanding transitions between emotions, understanding complex/mixed emotions.

Q4. How is EI measured within the ability model?

Using the MSCEIT — a performance-based test where questions have right or wrong answers. It has 141 items across 8 tasks (2 per branch) and is normed on individuals aged 17 and above. Takes 30–45 minutes.

2. Trait Model of Emotional Intelligence Petrides

The trait model, developed by Petrides and colleagues, takes almost the opposite stance. Their argument: because emotions are deeply subjective, EI cannot be treated as an objective ability. Instead, it is an individual's own perception of how well they can work with emotions.

📌 Definition: Trait EI is "a constellation of emotional self-perceptions located at the lower levels of personality hierarchies." — Petrides et al. (2007). Petrides calls this trait emotional self-efficacy.

🧩 Key Implications of the Trait Model

EI is subjective — it is what you believe about your own emotional abilities.
There is no standard profile of an emotionally intelligent person.
A trait may be adaptive in one context but unhelpful in another — e.g., being reserved helps in research roles but not in customer service.
EI traits are part of personality, assessed through self-report questionnaires.

Assessment Tool: TEIQue Self-Report

Feature	Details
Full form items	153 items
Facets / traits assessed	15 facets: adaptability, assertiveness, empathy, impulsiveness, optimism, self-motivation, emotional self-perception, emotion regulation, expression of emotions, self-esteem, happiness, social awareness, stress management, management of others' emotions, and relationships
Higher-order factors	4 factors + global trait EI score
Short form	TEIQue-SF: 30 items (2 per facet)
Languages	Translated into 15 languages
Other versions	360-degree version; adolescent form; child form

3. Genos Model of Emotional Intelligence Workplace-Focused

The Genos model was developed by Ben Palmer and Con Stough at Swinburne University specifically for workplace contexts — to help HR professionals and business leaders identify employees for learning and development. It has 6 core EI competencies:

Competency 1

Emotional Self-Awareness

Being aware of how you feel and the impact your feelings have on decisions, behaviour and performance.

Disconnected ✗Present ✓

Competency 2

Emotional Awareness of Others

Perceiving, understanding and acknowledging how others feel — demonstrating empathy.

Insensitive ✗Empathetic ✓

Competency 3

Authenticity

Openly and honestly expressing oneself, being transparent and keeping commitments.

Untrustworthy ✗Genuine ✓

Competency 4

Emotional Reasoning

Using your own and others' feelings in decision-making, integrating them with facts and technical information.

Limited ✗Expansive ✓

Competency 5

Self-Management

Managing your own mood, emotions, time and behaviour — even in high-pressure situations.

Temperamental ✗Resilient ✓

Competency 6

Positive Influence

Creating a positive work environment by impacting others' feelings through problem solving, feedback and support.

Indifferent ✗Empowering ✓

Assessment Tool: Genos EI Inventory Behaviour-Based

Originally published as the SUEIT (Swinburne University Emotional Intelligence Test), now revised to the Genos EI Inventory.

⚡ Key Point

Genos EI does not directly measure EI. Instead, it measures how well a person shows emotionally intelligent behaviour — which is then used as an indicator of EI.

Feature	Details
Items	70 items — behaviour-based ratings
Scale	1 (Almost Never) to 5 (Almost Always) — frequency of behaviour
Formats	Self, 180-degree, and 360-degree
Target group	Ages 17–75; takes ~10 minutes
Emotions covered	Positive: satisfaction, enthusiasm, optimism, engagement Negative: anxiety, anger, frustration, disappointment
Output	Development Report with individual strengths and improvement suggestions
Short versions	31-item Concise version; 14-item Short version

Self Assessment Questions 2

Q1. What is the central assumption of the trait model of EI?

Because emotions are highly subjective, EI cannot be considered an objective ability. It is a personal characteristic — an individual's own perception of their ability to work with emotions. There is no standard "emotionally intelligent" profile since traits are context-dependent.

Q2. What is the difference between the trait and ability models of EI?

The ability model treats EI as a real, objective intelligence — measurable with right/wrong answers. The trait model treats EI as a subjective self-perception rooted in personality. The ability model can identify individuals with high or low EI; the trait model argues no universal EI profile is possible since emotions and context vary.

Q3. Explain the Genos model of EI.

The Genos model identifies 6 core workplace EI competencies: Emotional self-awareness, Emotional awareness of others, Authenticity, Emotional reasoning, Self-management, and Positive influence. Each competency leads to either a productive state (e.g., authentic → genuine) or unproductive state (e.g., low authenticity → untrustworthy) at the workplace.

Q4. How is EI measured within the trait model?

Using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue) — a self-report tool with 153 items measuring 15 personality facets related to EI, yielding a global trait EI score.

Q5. How is EI measured within the Genos model?

Using the Genos Emotional Intelligence Inventory — a 70-item behaviour-based rating scale available in self, 180-degree and 360-degree formats. Raters indicate how frequently an individual displays emotionally intelligent behaviour on a 5-point scale.

4. Mixed Models of Emotional Intelligence

Mixed models combine EI abilities/skills with personality characteristics. As Goleman put it: "There is an old-fashioned word for the body of skills that emotional intelligence represents: character." Two models fall under the mixed category:

4.1 Bar-On Model of EI Bar-On

Reuven Bar-On coined the term "Emotional Quotient (EQ)" in his doctoral dissertation — the EI equivalent of IQ. His definition: EI is "an array of non-cognitive abilities, competencies and skills that influence one's ability to succeed in coping with environmental demands and pressures" (Bar-On, 2002).

The model has 5 main domains:

Domain	Key Sub-Skills
Intrapersonal Skills	Emotional self-awareness · Assertiveness · Self-regard · Self-actualisation · Independence
Interpersonal Skills	Interpersonal relationships · Social responsibility · Empathy
Adaptability	Problem solving · Reality testing · Flexibility
Stress Management	Stress tolerance · Impulse control
General Mood	Happiness · Optimism

Assessment Tool: EQ-i (Bar-On EQ Inventory)

133 items — self-report, rated on a 5-point scale ("very seldom/not true of me" → "very often true of me")
For individuals aged 17 and above; takes ~30 minutes
Updated to EQ-i 2.0 (2011) — includes a 360-degree multi-rater version
EQ-i:YV — Youth Version for children and adolescents aged 7–17
Low scores on stress tolerance, impulse control, reality testing, and problem solving indicate possible maladaptive behaviour

4.2 Goleman's Performance Model of EI Workplace-Focused

Goleman's model is unique in specifically targeting workplace performance and leadership effectiveness. It was expanded (with Boyatzis & Rhee, 2000) into a 4-quadrant matrix created by two intersecting dimensions: Self ↔ Social and Awareness ↔ Management.

Quadrant	Focus	Competencies
Self-Awareness	Knowing your internal states, preferences, resources, and intuitions	Emotional awareness · Accurate self-assessment · Self-confidence
Self-Management	Managing your own internal states, impulses, and resources	Self-control · Transparency · Adaptability · Achievement · Initiative · Optimism
Social Awareness	Awareness of others' feelings, needs, and concerns	Empathy · Organisational awareness · Service orientation
Relationship Management	Skill at inducing desirable responses in others	Developing others · Inspirational leadership · Change catalyst · Influence · Conflict management · Teamwork & collaboration

💡 What Makes the Performance Model Unique?

It specifically targets workplace performance and leadership — not just general wellbeing.
Having an underlying EI capacity (e.g., social awareness) does NOT automatically mean you have the related competency (e.g., empathy). Competencies must be actively learned.
Possessing an EI capacity makes learning the related competency easier, but training is still required.
Emotional competencies become increasingly important as people climb higher up the corporate ladder.

Assessment Tool: ECI 2.0 (Emotional Competence Inventory)

Developed by Goleman and Boyatzis; current version is ECI 2.0
Assesses 18 competencies across the 4 quadrants
6-point scale: 1=Never · 2=Rarely · 3=Sometimes · 4=Often · 5=Consistently · 6=Don't know
Measures frequency of observed behaviour — not self-report
Feedback used for targeted training, mentoring, and competency development

Self Assessment Questions 3

Q1. What is the central assumption of the mixed models of EI?

EI is best represented as a combination of abilities/skills and personality characteristics. Both what you can do and who you are contribute to emotional intelligence.

Q2. What is the difference between Bar-On's model and Goleman's Performance model?

Bar-On's model discusses EI in a general context of wellbeing and adaptation — it is applicable broadly to life. Goleman's Performance Model was designed specifically for workplace performance and leadership effectiveness — it targets how EI impacts job outcomes.

Q3. How is EI measured within Bar-On's model?

Using the Bar-On EQ-i — a 133-item self-report measure rated on a 5-point scale, normed for individuals aged 17 and above. Updated to EQ-i 2.0 in 2011, with youth version EQ-i:YV for ages 7–17.

Q4. Explain the quadrants of the Performance model of EI.

The 4 quadrants are: (1) Self-Awareness — knowing your own emotions, strengths and limitations; (2) Self-Management — managing your internal states and impulses; (3) Social Awareness — being aware of others' emotions and needs; (4) Relationship Management — skill at influencing, inspiring, and managing others. Each quadrant has specific learned competencies within it.

Q5. How is EI measured within the Performance model?

Using the Emotional Competence Inventory (ECI 2.0) — developed by Goleman and Boyatzis. It assesses 18 competencies across the 4 quadrants using a 6-point behavioural frequency scale.

📝 Let Us Sum Up

There are three broad categories of EI models: Ability models (EI as mental ability), Trait models (EI as personality self-perception), and Mixed/Competency models (combination of abilities and personality).
The Ability Model (Mayer, Salovey & Caruso) has 4 branches: Perceiving, Facilitating, Understanding, and Managing emotions. Assessed by MSCEIT.
The Trait Model (Petrides) treats EI as subjective self-perception within personality. Assessed by TEIQue.
The Genos Model (Palmer & Stough) focuses on 6 workplace EI competencies producing productive or unproductive states. Assessed by Genos EI Inventory.
The Bar-On Mixed Model focuses on 5 domains of non-cognitive abilities for adaptation and wellbeing. Assessed by EQ-i.
The Goleman Performance Model targets workplace performance through 4 quadrants. Assessed by ECI 2.0.
All models share a focus on recognising, processing, and using emotions. They are complementary rather than contradictory — the diversity reflects the "robustness" of the EI field (Goleman, 2001).

🔑 Key Words

Term	Meaning
Ability Model of EI	Mayer, Salovey & Caruso's model defining EI as 4 mental abilities — perceiving, facilitating thought with, understanding, and managing emotions. A "hot intelligence" measured by MSCEIT.
Trait Model of EI	Petrides' model defining EI as a constellation of emotional self-perceptions within personality hierarchies — a subjective self-efficacy, not an objective ability.
Mixed Model of EI	Models that consider both abilities/skills and personality traits — e.g., Bar-On's model and Goleman's Performance Model.
Genos Model of EI	A workplace-focused EI model by Palmer, Stough, Harmer & Gignac (2009) with 6 core competencies that produce productive or unproductive emotional states at work.
MSCEIT	Mayer, Salovey, Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test — 141-item performance test assessing the 4 branches of the ability model. Has right/wrong answers.
TEIQue	Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire — 153-item self-report tool assessing 15 personality facets of EI. Developed by Petrides.
EQ-i	Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory — 133-item self-report tool assessing 5 domains of EI. Updated to EQ-i 2.0 (2011).
ECI	Emotional Competence Inventory — Goleman & Boyatzis' tool assessing 18 competencies across 4 quadrants using a 6-point behavioural frequency scale (ECI 2.0).
Self-Awareness	Knowing one's internal states, preferences, resources, and intuitions.
Self-Management	Managing one's internal states, impulses, and resources.
Social Awareness	Awareness of others' feelings, needs, and concerns — and how people handle their relationships.
Relationship Management	The skill or adeptness at inducing desirable responses in others.

📋 Unit End Questions with Answers

Q1. What are the most prominent theories within the domain of EI? What are the commonalities and differences among them?

Prominent theories: Ability Model (Mayer, Salovey & Caruso), Genos Model (Palmer & Stough), Trait Model (Petrides), Bar-On's Mixed Model, and Goleman's Performance Model.

Commonalities: All acknowledge the importance of recognising, regulating, and leveraging emotions for personal and professional effectiveness. All deal with the role of emotions in human behaviour and relationships.

Differences: The Ability Model treats EI as a genuine mental intelligence with objective right/wrong answers (MSCEIT). The Trait Model treats it as a subjective personality self-perception (TEIQue). The Genos and Performance Models focus specifically on workplace competencies (Genos EI, ECI). Bar-On's model covers broader life adaptation. Assessment methods differ: performance tests, self-report inventories, and behaviour-based rating scales.

Q2. Which EI theories have been especially tailored to workplace contexts?

The Genos Model and Goleman's Performance Model are both specifically designed for workplace application. The Genos model targets HR professionals and business leaders to identify learning and development areas, assess employees, and identify potential for excellence. The Performance Model specifically targets leadership effectiveness and workplace performance excellence — its four quadrants are built around what makes people effective at work. Both models acknowledge that emotional competencies become increasingly important as individuals advance in their careers.

Q3. Match the central premises with the theories: (a) EI is essentially a personality characteristic → ? (b) EI is a hot intelligence → ? (c) One aspect of EI is its personality characteristic → ? (d) EI comprises learned competencies → ?

(a) → Trait Model (Petrides)
(b) → Ability Model (Mayer, Salovey & Caruso)
(c) → Mixed Model (Bar-On / Goleman)
(d) → Performance Model (Goleman)

BPCS-183 Study Notes — Block 3 Unit 4: Models of EI and Assessment

Unit 4: Models of EI and Assessment

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