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Social Anxiety, Emotional Intelligence, and Interpersonal Adjustment

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Abstract

There has been no published investigation made of the relationship between social anxiety and emotional intelligence (EI), or of their shared impact upon interpersonal adjustment. This study examined these questions using structural equation modeling with self-report data from a large nonclinical sample (N = 2629). EI was found to be highly related to social interaction anxiety, but not performance anxiety. A model permitting these three predictors to inter-correlate indicated that the EI factor was the dominant predictor of interpersonal adjustment, substantially reducing the unique contribution made by interaction anxiety. This pattern reflected the principal contributions made to interaction anxiety by the interpersonal and, particularly, intrapersonal domains of EI.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

    Laura J. Summerfeldt, Patricia H. Kloosterman & James D. A. Parker

  2. Anxiety Treatment and Research Centre, St. Joseph’s Healthcare, and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, McMaster University, Ontario, Canada

    Laura J. Summerfeldt & Martin M. Antony

  3. Department of Psychology, Trent University, K9J 7B8, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

    Laura J. Summerfeldt

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  1. Laura J. Summerfeldt
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  2. Patricia H. Kloosterman
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  4. James D. A. Parker
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Correspondence to Laura J. Summerfeldt.

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Summerfeldt, L.J., Kloosterman, P.H., Antony, M.M. et al. Social Anxiety, Emotional Intelligence, and Interpersonal Adjustment. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 28, 57–68 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-006-4542-1

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