Negative interactions were assessed with scales that had questions pertaining
to behaviors such as getting screamed at by a parent or drinking alcohol
heavily with a friend. Results of the study showed that EI was associated with
more positive interactions and fewer negative interactions, although the lat-
ter effect was only significant for men.
EXECUTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS
Flow Experiences
Flow entails a state of balance in consciousness between psychological re-
sources and task demands, enjoyment of the activity at hand, lack of self-
preoccupation, and a sense of personal growth. EI may contribute to flow ex-
periences because of the crucial role of emotional regulation and attention in
flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1992). Entering the flow state entails a delicate emo-
tional equilibrium: avoiding both anxiety, usually associated with excessive
challenge for one’s level of skill, and boredom, associated with insufficient
challenge.
Maladaptive Behaviors
The ability to manage emotions and their expression is vital for coping with
life’s challenges. The excessive use of recreational drugs and alcohol, as well
as the involvement in high risk and violent behavior are likely to reflect defi-
cits in EI. EI theory posits that a person’s ability to accurately perceive, use,
understand, and regulate emotions may help to prevent involvement in po-
tentially harmful behaviors.
In an initial study, Formica (1998) reported a negative correlation (r=
–.37) between a measure of destructive behavior (e.g., drug and alcohol use,
selling drugs, engaging in acts of mischief–destruction) and the MEIS, an
earlier measure of EI. Brackett et al. (in press) extended Formica’s findings
using the new MSCEIT and more extensive behavioral criteria. College stu-
dents’ self-reported use of illegal drugs (e.g., number of times smoked mari-
juana, used cocaine, or both), alcohol consumption (e.g., most amount of
beer drank in one evening, number of times fallen asleep because of intoxi-
cation), and violent–mischievous behavior (number of fights in the last
month, number of times arrested in the last year) all correlated negatively
with the MSCEIT (r’s = –.28 to –.45). The previous findings remained sig-
nificant after controlling for the Big Five and verbal SAT scores. The corre-
lations in Brackett et al.’s study were only significant for males, however.
- EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE 187