Emotional Intelligence in Adolescence and Early Adulthood.

This chapter considers why EI might be helpful for adolescents and young adults. Young people’s capacity to successfully adapt to adversity (stressors) is important for maintaining mental health and educational achievement. It is suggested that EI represents a cluster of skills and emotion-related self-perceptions that could be useful for buffering the effects of stress in young people. The notion of resilience is examined together with a review of current evidence linking EI to mental health and academic success. Inconsistent stress-buffering effects are found for EI; these appear contingent on the type of stressor encountered, outcome measured, and type/level of EI examined. It is suggested that EI may operate indirectly to support other resources useful for combating stressors including coping, social support/social competence, cognitive skills and mood regulation. Directions for future research are suggested alongside a cautionary note about the potential costs of having high levels of EI.