Profiles of emotional intelligence and social behavior in Spanish adolescents

This work had two objectives. First, to identify different profiles of emotional intelligence (EI), and second, to verify the existence of significant statistical differences between the profiles identified in relation to social behavior. The participants were 1071 Spanish adolescents (50.2% girls), ranging in age from 14 to 17 years, who completed the Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24 (TMMS-24) and the Socialization Battery BAS-3. Cluster analysis identified four EI profiles: a group of adolescents with a low EI profile, a group with high scores in perception, a group with predominantly high emotional regulation, and a group of adolescents with high EI. The results also indicated statistically significant differences in the profiles in most of social behaviors. The students from the groups with high general EI scores and high scores in emotional regulation also show higher scores in several positive social behaviors. Findings are discussed in terms of their practical implications for Spanish adolescents.