Social Intelligence

Abstract

This article provides a brief historical overview of the area of social intelligence and tabulates definitions and findings from all major studies that have been conducted since the inception of the concept. A number of key operationalization obstacles and possibilities are discussed with parallel references to the cognate field of emotional intelligence, and with particular emphasis on the period of adolescence. Subsequently, the construct of trait social intelligence (trait SI or trait social self-efficacy) is introduced in the context of a general, systematic, and testable theory that can help overcome the range of challenges identified in the field. Trait SI concerns people's perceptions of their social abilities and is formally defined as a constellation of social self-perceptions located at the lower levels of personality hierarchies. The entry concludes with a detailed description of the 14 distinct facets that form the sampling domain of trait SI. © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.