GENDER DIFFERENCES IN EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AMONG FIRST YEAR MEDICAL STUDENTS

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Emotions are our feelings; if properly used are essential tools for successful and fulfilling life. Emotional Intelligence (EI) is defined as " the composite set of capabilities that enable a person to manage himself / herself and others " . Six important facets of Emotional Intelligence are: self–awareness, self–confidence, self-control, empathy, motivation and social-competency. The stereotype of women being the more " emotional " sex survives to this day and women tend to have an edge over men when it comes to basic skills for a happy and successful life. AIMS: The objective of the study was to determine the gender differences in Emotional Intelligence among first year medical students. SETTINGS & STUDY DESIGN: The study included 150 first year medical students. Informed consent and ethical clearance was obtained. METHODS: Emotional Intelligence was assessed using emotional quotient self-assessment checklist to which subjects responded on five-point Likert scale. RESULTS: The mean scores of Emotional Intelligence in males and females were compared using unpaired students t-test. Emotional Intelligence was significantly high in females (105.34+7.73) compared to males (102.06+8.87) (p =0.02). CONCLUSION: The reason might be due to the fact that women tend to be more emotionally expressive than men and understand emotions better. In addition, some evidence exists that certain areas of the brain dedicated to processing emotions could be larger in women than in men. Hence the present study may provide a better insight into individual's emotional development and also psychoeducational intervention on individual's emotional balance which might indirectly influence their success in career and family life. INTRODUCTION: Emotions are our feelings; if properly used are essential tools for successful and fulfilling life. But if emotions are out of control, it can result in disaster. In day-to-day life, they affect our relations with other people, our self-identity and our ability to complete a task. The famous psychologist E.L. Thorndike, through his concept of social intelligence, laid down a solid foundation of the essence of emotional intelligence (EI) in 1920.In modern times, the term EI was popularized by Goleman (1).