University of Windsor: Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale Evaluation

This report provides an evaluation of the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale (SEIS). It begins with an introduction to emotional intelligence, tracing its evolution and the development of the SEIS by Schutte et al. (1998), influenced by earlier scales. The report details the scale's structure, including its items on expression, appraisal, and regulation of emotion, and use of emotion for problem-solving. The discussion section examines the psychometric properties of the SEIS, highlighting its reliability and validity as supported by various studies, including those by Mackay & Cramer (2017) and Cakan et al. (2005). The report also acknowledges the limitations of the scale, such as its reliance on self-reporting and potential for social desirability bias, as well as the limited generalizability of some studies. The report concludes by summarizing the key findings and implications of the SEIS, emphasizing its role in assessing emotional intelligence while acknowledging its constraints.

Running head: PSYCHOLOGY
Evaluation of Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

PSYCHOLOGY
Introduction
The adaptive use of cognition has been the focus of the studies on intelligence for
several decades in the past. The assessment of other encompassing approaches for better
understanding of intelligence was suggested by theorists. The very first use of the term
‘emotional intelligence’ was made by Salovey and Mayer (1990), where the expressions ad
experiences of emotions were reviewed as a domain of intelligence. Emotional intelligence,
as defined by Schutte et al. (1998), is the ability of an individual to know someone’s emotion
and understand them. The ability to identify emotions determines intrapersonal intelligence
and ability to understand emotions determines interpersonal intelligence. Emotional
intelligence contains several adaptive abilities, which includes regulation of emotion,
expression and appraisal of emotion and use of emotion for problem-solving. The initial
scales to measure the concept of emotional intelligence were Bernet’s Style in the Perception
of Affect Scale and the Bar-On’s Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory, both from the year
of 1996. The other scales relevant to the field of emotional intelligence in the past were the
Trait Meta Mood Scale and Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Toronto Alexithymia Scale measured
the difficulties in identification and proper description of feelings whereas, Trait Meta Mood
Scale measured the mood repairs, clarity of feelings and attention to feelings.
The development of Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale was influenced by the
previous scales that measured several different aspects of emotional intelligence. It included
optimism, impulse control, happiness, stress tolerance, flexibility, reality testing, problem-
solving, interpersonal relationships, empathy, independence, self-actualisation, self-regard,
emotional self-awareness, and assertiveness. Schutte et al. (1998) initially developed as 62
items, five-point response scale, where each of the items, within the model framework,
reflected an adaptive inclination towards emotional intelligence. Post completion of the study
where the participants rated themselves using the response scale, the researchers finalised

PSYCHOLOGY
down to a 32-item scale that covered all the portions of the conceptual model developed by
Salovey and Mayer in 1990. Expression and appraisal of emotion constituted to 13 items in
the scale, regulation of emotion category constituted 10 items, and use of emotion for
problem-solving category constituted the rest of the 10 items.
Discussion
Several different tests conducted to measure the reliability and validity of the scale
included internal consistency replication, predictive validity, test-retest reliability, and
discriminant validity. An excellent psychometric property will determine the Schutte
emotional intelligence scale to reliable and valid. Schutte et al. (1998) examined the
psychometric properties, where internal consistency showed 0.87 Cronbach’s alpha, test-
retest reliability was 0.78, and predictive value stood at r= 0.32.
In the study conducted by Mackay & Cramer (2017), the researchers focused on
finding a relationship between the predicting variables that includes emotional intelligence.
The research findings concluded that emotional intelligence was associated with constructive
communication patterns in males and was mediated by communication in female
heterosexual couples. This study also reviewed the reliability of the Schutte Emotional
Intelligence Scale, where the internal consistency has Cronbach’s alpha score of 0.857 on all
standardised items. This result complies with the results from the Schutte et al. (1998) study
and states that the scale has right internal consistency. In another study conducted by Cakan
et al. (2005), which was based on the Turkish employees, the researchers reported
Cronbach’s alpha of 0.88, showing the right internal consistency and high reliability. All of
the three studies and their research findings are consistent with each other and are crucial in
concluding the statement that the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale developed by Schutte
et al. (1998) has sufficient psychometric properties and has right internal consistency. Thus,

PSYCHOLOGY
the use of the scale to assess emotional intelligence of an individual will help in reliable and
valid data collection and analysis.
There are several critical limitations associated with the Schutte Emotional
Intelligence Scale. These include the self-reporting characteristic of the data collection using
the scale, which deters the credibility of the data as it is vulnerable to social desirability
motives. The scale is less likely to reflect the actual levels of functioning of emotional
intelligence. It is more focused towards reflecting the perceived functioning of emotional
intelligence and heavily relies on the ability of a person to self-assess and present insight &
knowledge on their abilities. In the study conducted by Mackay & Cramer (2017), the sample
population consisted of only heterosexual couples, who were mostly undergraduate students,
indicating their young age. These couples lived in a separate home with their partners, thus
generating a different emotional state of mind than other subjects. Such sample population
has very limited generalisability, and the results do not apply to other sections of the
population, such as homosexual couples.

PSYCHOLOGY
References
Bar-On, R. (1996a). The Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i): A test of emotional
intelligence. Toronto: Multi-Health Systems.
Bernet, M. (1996). Emotional intelligence: components and correlates. Toronto: Annual
Convention of the American Psychological Association.
Cakan, M. (2005). Adaptation of an Emotional Intelligence Scale for Turkish
Educators. International Education Journal, 6(3), 367-372.
Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam Books.
Mackay, S., & Cramer, K. (2017). Communication as a Mediator Between Personal
Characteristics – Five-Factor Personality Traits, Emotional Intelligence, Self
Disclosure – and Romantic Relationship Satisfaction. Journal of Interpersonal
Relations, Intergroup Relations and Identity, 10, 10–24.
Salovey, P.. & Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and
Personality, 9, 185-211.
Schutte, N.S., Hall, L. E., Haggerty, D. J., Cooper, J. T., Golden, C. J., & Dornheim, L.
(1998). Development and validation of a measure of emotional
intelligence. Personality and individual differences, 25, 167-177.