Emotional intelligence and the career choice process

Once seen as something to be avoided when making important life decisions recent research and theories of emotional intelligence point to the interdependence of emotion and cognition in the decision making process. Emotional intelligence as conceptualized by Mayer and Salovey (1997) consists of four interrelated abilities, (a) perceiving emotions, (b) using emotions to facilitate thoughts, (c) understanding emotions, and (d) managing emotions in a way that enhances personal growth. It is hypothesized that such abilities serve to facilitate the career decision making process and lead to decisions which more fully satisfy career related interests, values, and aspirations. Emotions experienced during the career decision making process also have implications for the perception of risk related to specific career options, the amount and kind of self-exploration individuals will engage in, and how information related to the career choice process will be processed. Also reviewed are issues of reliability and validity of the Multi-Factor Emotional Intelligence Scale (MEIS) and a discussion of the implications of EI for the career counseling process.