Description

The Greek Emotional Intelligence Scale (GEIS) is a comprehensive and scientifically validated psychometric instrument designed to assess emotional intelligence among adolescents and adults in the Greek-speaking population. Developed by Tsaousis and Kotzamani (2004), the scale is grounded in the influential emotional intelligence frameworks proposed by Mayer and Salovey (1997) and Goleman (1995), which conceptualize emotional intelligence as a multidimensional set of cognitive, emotional, and social competencies that facilitate effective personal and interpersonal functioning.

The GEIS evaluates an individual’s ability to recognize, understand, regulate, express, and effectively utilize emotions, both in oneself and in interactions with others. It is widely employed in psychological assessment, educational research, organizational psychology, counseling, leadership development, and human resource management to provide a comprehensive profile of emotional competencies.

The instrument consists of 40 self-report items, organized into four core dimensions of emotional intelligence:

  • Self-Awareness: the ability to recognize and understand one’s own emotions.
  • Emotional Regulation: the capacity to manage and control emotional responses effectively.
  • Social Sensitivity: the ability to perceive and understand the emotions, needs, and perspectives of others.
  • Relationship Management: the competence to establish, maintain, and enhance positive interpersonal relationships through effective communication and emotional interaction.

Data Analysis and Applications

The GEIS provides a multidimensional assessment of emotional intelligence at both the individual and group levels. Its results can be used to:

  • Assess emotional intelligence in adolescents, university students, and adults.
  • Evaluate social and emotional competencies in educational and workplace settings.
  • Examine the relationship between emotional intelligence and psychological well-being, resilience, mental health, life satisfaction, and quality of life.
  • Measure the effectiveness of educational, counseling, coaching, and emotional skills development programs.
  • Support employee selection, leadership assessment, talent development, and organizational training.
  • Conduct scientific research in psychology, education, healthcare, management, and the social sciences.

The calculation of both an overall emotional intelligence score and separate subscale scores enables researchers and practitioners to identify individual strengths and areas requiring further personal or professional development.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Greek Emotional Intelligence Scale is to provide a reliable and valid assessment of the competencies involved in perceiving, understanding, regulating, and managing emotions. The instrument facilitates the early identification of emotional strengths and developmental needs, supporting interventions that enhance emotional well-being, interpersonal effectiveness, psychological resilience, leadership potential, and social functioning.

Scoring

The GEIS consists of 40 self-report items, each rated on a 5-point Likert scale, where:

  • 1 = Not at all
  • 2 = Slightly
  • 3 = Moderately
  • 4 = Quite a lot
  • 5 = Very much

Scoring includes:

  • Total Emotional Intelligence Score, ranging from 40 to 200, with higher scores indicating higher levels of emotional intelligence.
  • Subscale Scores for each of the four emotional intelligence dimensions.
  • Standardized Scores (Mean = 100, SD = 15), allowing comparisons with the normative population.

Statistical Analysis

The GEIS was standardized on a representative sample of 1,200 Greek participants aged 15–65 years, demonstrating strong psychometric performance. Validation studies have reported:

  • Excellent internal consistency for the overall scale (Cronbach’s α ≈ 0.89).
  • High test–retest reliability over a four-week interval (r ≈ 0.82).
  • Strong convergent validity, reflected by significant correlations with established emotional intelligence instruments (r = 0.65–0.75).

Validity

The construct validity of the GEIS has been supported through multiple psychometric studies, including factor analysis, convergent and discriminant validity testing, and comparisons across different professional groups. These findings confirm that the scale accurately measures the theoretical dimensions of emotional intelligence and effectively differentiates individuals according to their emotional competencies.

Reliability

The Greek Emotional Intelligence Scale demonstrates consistently high reliability across both the total scale and its individual subscales. Internal consistency coefficients range from 0.85 to 0.90, while test–retest reliability ranges between 0.80 and 0.85, indicating excellent temporal stability. Furthermore, inter-rater agreement exceeding 90% provides additional evidence of the instrument’s robustness and consistency across different assessment contexts.

References

Tsaousis, I., & Kotzamani, S. (2004). The Greek adaptation of Emotional Intelligence and its application in the workplace. Hellenic Journal of Psychology, 11(2), 87–105.

Mayer, J. D., & Salovey, P. (1997). What is Emotional Intelligence? In Emotional Development and Emotional Intelligence: Educational Implications (pp. 3–34).