A Literature Review On Emotional Competency And Perceived Stress

IRJMST Vol 11 Issue 5 [Year 2020] ISSN 2250 – 1959 (0nline) 2348 – 9367 (Print)
International Research Journal of Management Science & Technology
http://www.irjmst.com Page 79
A literature review on emotional competency and perceived stress
Dr Jyotirmayee Choudhury
(Lecturer, Dept of Business Administration Utkal University Vanivihar,
Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India)
ABSTRACT
Stress creates, develops and manifests unpleasant feelings, emotional psychological arousal that may
break a person both internally and externally to compel him to live in distress. But experience of
stress is individualistic in nature buffered by his/ her emotional competency. The present paper is a
theoretical analysis to understand the co-relation between emotional competency and stress
perception. Objective of the research work thrust upon to study whether emotional competency is
correlated with perceived stress. The research work found that stress is more of a sort of individual
generated and independent of external pressure buffered by emotional competency because
emotionally intelligent people nurture individual level resilience up to the level of external stressors
to perceive stress as a challenge rather than threat. Since the review of literature arrived at the
conclusion that emotional competency can be taught and learnt, the paper suggests to learn self-
management and self-awareness skill to develop personal competency and learn on social awareness
and relationship management to advance socio emotional competency in order to mature emotional
competency. Therefore the paper suggest self initiated learning and education and appropriate
organisational support for the same.
Key words: emotional competency, resilience, social emotional learning, emotion utilisation self-
management, relationship management,.
INTRODUCTION
Stress is one the special characteristics of life which every one experiences. The reason for widen
presence and inclusiveness of stress in human population is due to complexity of human social,
personal and ecological environment, multiple and simultaneous interactions of human with
surrounding issues and diversity in stress expression (Edward et al). Although stress is a common
experience to all, the degree of experiencing stress is different from individual to individual
depending upon the way the stressors are perceived by them. This difference in perception of same
stressor is attributed as emotional competency. Emotional competency and emotional intelligence is
used interchangeably in this article. Stress is defined as an adaptive response moderated by
individual differences and his psychological processes Ivancevich, Konopaske and Matteson (1987).
The individual characteristics that affect stress are tolerance for change. People with greater
tolerance perceive stress as a challenge ratherthan threat therefore experience lower degree of stress.
Stress is an integral and inevitable feature of most contemporary workplaces. Work places are
becoming a volatile stress factory both for employers and employees. Therefore, the significance of
stress, stressors and stress management has become an ingrained part of our vocabulary and daily
existence. A stressor is defined as an experience or situation within or outside the individual which
elicits a stress. Along with occupational stress, non-work personal domain such as family and
financial problem also induces stress. Emotional competence nurtures the ability of a person to
express his or her own emotions with complete freedom, and it is derived
from emotional intelligence, which is the ability to identify emotions of own as well as

others. Competence is the level of skill with which someone interacts constructively with other
people. Emotional competence (EC) is regarded here as an affect-related skill, which refers to the
ability to understand, manage, and express the social and emotional aspects of life in ways that
enable one to cope with stressful and emotionally laden situations (Kotsou et al., 2011). The present
paper is a conceptual frame work to discuss the co-relation between emotional competency and
perceived stress and provide suggestions to work on developing emotional competency by training
and education to earn more of emotional capital that can develop one’s ability to cope with life
stressors.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Stress is predominant perception both in professional and personal life. It arises out of demand on a
person and an imbalance in ability to cope. However, stress is not external pressure. It is faction of
pressure with that of individual resilience. Emotion is recognised as basic building block in the
psychological process of experiencing stressors ( Lazrous 1993) . Lazarous ( 1991) argued that
stress is actually a subset of emotion. Cooper and Marshall (1976) reached at the conclusion that
“stress is essentially individually defined and self imposed. According to Sharma, S., Sharma, J., &
Devi, A. (2012), the level of stress within a role varies because of individual differences in mind set,
age, gender and their performance in job. Stress experience is individual in nature.
emotion, it is now recognised as being the building block that the concept of stress is
constructed upon (Lazarus 1993). This has involved a broad and fundamental evolution in
psychological thought. emotion, it is now recognised as being the building block that the
concept of stress is constructed upon (Lazarus 1993). This has involved a broad and
fundamental evolution in psychological thought.
emotion, it is now recognised as being the building block that the concept of stress is
constructed upon (Lazarus 1993). This has involved a broad and fundamental evolution in
psychological thought.
Humpel, Caputi, and Martin (2001) studied the relationship between emotional competency, stress,
and experienced emotions among 43 mental health nurses in Australian regional hospitals. When
work stress and experienced emotions were measured, a significant relationship was found between
emotional competency and personal self-doubt. Association was found between emotional
competency and experienced emotions.
Anderson (2002) found that the level of emotional intelligence and ethical behavior of peers has a
significant impact on ethical behavior of nurses. A work climate that fosters independence, providing
support that cherishes willingness to question when something is unclear, appears to have a
significant impact on ethical behavior of nurses, encouraging their critical thinking and thereby
reducing self-doubt and stress. The potential resilient behaviors and emotional intelligence interplay
between the individual and his or her broader environment.
Lam L.T., Kirby S.L. (2002) found that overall emotional intelligence contributed to individual
cognitive-based performance over and above the level attributable to general intelligence, and this
relationship was positive.
Wagner P.J., Moseley G.C., Grant M.M.,Gore J.R., Owens C. (2002) investigated the relationship
between patient satisfaction and physicians’ emotional intelligence and found a positive
relationship between two.
Hunt, Evans (2003) conducted a study on “Predicting traumatic stress using emotional intelligence”.
The study investigated whether emotional intelligence (EI) can predict how individuals respond to

traumatic experiences. The results showed that participants with higher emotional intelligence
reported fewer psychological symptoms relating to traumatic experiences.
Pau, Croucher (2003) studied the emotional intelligence and perceived stress in dental
undergraduates. Correlation analysis showed low Emotional Intelligence scorers report more
perceived stress.
Jaeger (2003) studied the effects of emotional intelligence instruction on academic performance
among a convenience sample of 150 students in 5 sections of a general management graduate-level
course in the north eastern United States. Study found statistically significant increases in EQi
scores among the students who completed the emotional intelligence curriculum compared with
scores of students in the group that was not given the emotional intelligence curriculum. At the end
the association of emotional intelligence with academic performance was studied. The findings led
researchers to conclude that emotional intelligence could be taught or learned and is not a fixed
parameter. Additionally, greater levels of emotional intelligence can be expected to correlate with
better academic performance.
Edward & Warelow (2005) examined resilience explore factors or characteristics that assist
individuals to thrive from and in adversity. The study concluded that protective behaviour can be
learned. This study revealed that coping in the face of adversity involves EI and resilience, and both
of which can be developed through support and education.
Nina Ogińska-Bulik (2005) explored the relationship between emotional intelligence and perceived
stress in the workplace and health-related consequences in human service workers. The ability to
effectively deal with emotions and emotional information in the workplace assists employees in
coping with occupational stress. The study concluded EQ as crucial for organisations stress
management trainings.
Carol L. Gohm, Grant C. Corser, David J. Dalsky (2005) examined the association between
emotional intelligence (emotion-relevant abilities) and stress (feelings of inability to control life
events), considering personality (self perception of the meta-emotion traits of clarity, intensity, and
attention) as a moderating variable. Results suggest that emotional intelligence is potentially helpful
in reducing stress for some individuals, but unnecessary or irrelevant for others. The study found that
persons having average emotional intelligence do not appear to use it. They are highly stress intense
and confused presumably because of lack of confidence in their emotional ability.
Mikolajczak M., Luminet O., Menil C. (2006) investigated whether Trait Emotional Intelligence
(TEI) would be associated with adaptive outcomes such as enhanced self-reported mental and
physical health because trait emotional intelligence is claimed to facilitate adaptation. TEI predicts
both mental and somatic symptoms amid stress to overcome alexithymia and foster optimism.
Jansen, Karina (2006) determined the relationship between wellness and emotional intelligence in
order to develop a structural model of psychological wellbeing. Optimism, Sense of Coherence, Life
Satisfaction, Emotional Intelligence are all seen as good indicators of Psychological well-being. The
study extracted Interpersonal mastery consisting of Positive Affect, Emotional Management, Sense
of Coherence, Life Satisfaction and Optimism and Intrapersonal mastery consisting of Emotions-
Others, Emotions-Own, Happy Emotions and Non-Verbal Emotions contain the psychological well-
being model.
Moïra Mikolajczak , Clémentine Menil, Olivier Luminet (2007) endeavoured to understood the
processes explaining the protective effect of trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) regarding
occupational stress. The research endeavoured to learn widespread occupational stressor i. e

emotional labour (EL). EL refers to the act of managing emotions and emotional expressions in order
to be consistent with organizational ‘display rules’, defined as the organizationally required emotions
during interpersonal service transactions. High trait EI individuals experience lower levels of burnout
and somatic complaints and this effect was found to be mediated by the choice of emotional labour
strategies when confronted with emotional labour.
MoïraMikolajczak, Emmanuel Roy, Olivier Luminet, Catherine Fillée, Philippe de imary (2007)
examined whether trait EI also moderates the biological (i.e., cortisol) response to stress. To this end,
participants were assigned to either a neutral or a stressful condition and psychological and cortisol
reactivity were examined. Results revealed that higher trait EI scores were associated with
significantly lower reactivity to stress at both psychological (i.e., mood deterioration) and biological
(i.e., salivary cortisol) levels.
Aucamp, Juanca (2007) determined the relationship between emotional intelligence, coping and
physical and psychological health of non-professional counsellors.The study found emotion
utilisation that seek emotional support as significant predictors of psychological health.
Natalio Extremera, Auxiliadora Durán, Lourdes Rey (2007) examined the relationships between
perceived emotional intelligence (PEI)dispositional optimism/pessimism and psychological
adjustment (perceived stress and life satisfaction). Study found that adolescents with high
perceptions of emotional abilities with high clarity and repair generally show higher life satisfaction
and lower perceived stress.
Augusto Landa J.M., López-Zafra E., Berrios Martos M.P., Aguilar-LuzónMdel C.
(2008)investigated the interrelationships among EI, work stress and health. EI is shown for nurses as
a protective factor against stress and a facilitative factor for health.
Elizabeth J. Austin, Timothy C.P. Dore, Katharine M. O’Donovan (2008) examined associations
amongst personality, EI, display rule perceptions and emotional labour in a group of 247 under
graduates. EI individuals are less likely to make use of the emotionally superficial strategy because
of superior emotion regulation capabilities.
Moïra Mikolajczak, Olivier Luminet (2008) explored whether trait EI also influences the anticipation
of stressful events and how these events are appraised. The results indicate that high trait EI
individuals exhibit greater self-efficacy to cope and appraise the situation as a challenge rather than a
threat.
Moïra Mikolajczak, Delphine Nelis, Michel Hansenne, Jordi Quoidbach (2008) examined whether
adaptive coping strategies to regulate stress would extend to other emotions and whether the coping
styles used to regulate a given emotion would mediate the effect of trait EI on the propensity to
experience that particular emotion. Study revealed that trait EI promoted the choice of adaptive
strategies not only in the case of stress but also other emotions such as anger, sadness, fear, jealousy,
and shame to maintain joy. It was also found that high trait EI individuals’ choose adaptive strategies
to down regulate various negative emotions and maintain propensity to experience positive ones.
Lorenzo Fariselli, Joshua Freedman, Massimiliano Ghini, Federica Valentini (2008) studied the
effect of stress in the workplace and the extent does emotional intelligence mediate the effects of
stress. EI consisting of Self Awareness, Self-Management, and Self Direction mitigates the effect of
stress and increases ability to function in predicting high performance.
Mukti Shah and Nutankumar S. Thingujam (2008) aimed at studying coping strategy in relation to
emotional intelligence. It was found that appraisal of emotions in the self as well as others was
positively correlated with full problem solving and positive reappraisal coping styles plan.

Emotional regulation of the self was positively correlated with full problem solving, confronting,
coping, self-controlling, positive reappraisal.
Ramesar, S., Koortzen, P., & Oosthuizen, R.M. (2009) conducted research to determine the
relationship between emotional intelligence and stress management in a group of managers. Results
seem to indicate that stress management is a component of emotional intelligence while stress can be
either an input or an outflow of emotional intelligence.
Landa, López-Zafra, Aguilar-Luzón, and Fe Salguero de Ugarte's (2009) reported on factors which
define perceived EI such as attention to the emotions, emotional clarity, and emotional repair. Study
found those who are high in the “clarity of emotions” and “repair of emotions” have less stress and
anxiety. High “emotional repair” is found to be positively related to higher levels of mental health.
Stevense, Amie (2009) examined the correlation between stress and emotion intelligence, emotion
regulation and personality. The results showed that stress levels were affected by level of emotional
intelligence, emotional stability, emotion regulation conscientiousness and surgency derived from the
construct personality.
Azman Ismail, Yeo Suh-Suh, Mohd Na’eim Ajis, Noor Faizzah Dollah (2009) examined the effect of
emotional intelligence in the relationship between occupational stress and job performance. Study
found occupational stress and emotional intelligence significantly correlated with job performance.
Jordi Quoidbach, Michel Hansenne (2009) investigated the relationships between EI, performance
and cohesiveness in 23 nursing teams. Emotion regulation was found to be positively correlated with
group cohesiveness and patient/client outcomes.
Kumar Sunil, Rooprai K.Y. (2009) investigated the measurement of emotional intelligence as a
predictor in managing stress. Results indicate that there was a significant relationship between
Emotional Intelligence and the variables of Stress and Anxiety.
Alexandra Martins , Nelson Ramalho, Estelle Morin (2010) studied the association of emotional
intelligence in bringing better health. EI was more strongly associated with mental and
psychosomatic health than physical health.
Habel (2010) studied practice of quality thinking that exhibits a characteristic of EI with possible
coping stress-reducing actions. He found one essential quality for star performance is emotional
intelligence (EI) over and above IQ and technical competence that provides knowledge of how
emotions function within oneself as well as others.
Saddam Hussain Rahim (2010) assessed the relationship of EI competencies and stress among the
bank employees who work under stressful conditions in Pakistan. The study concludes that high EI
managers can control the level of stress among employees. They are willing to learn and explore
personal EI capabilities and skills. Also, the study concludes that an investment in the EI training
program to develop the EI level of employees either manager or peer, might have provided the most
advantages and benefit not only to improve the individual performance but also increase the
organizational performance.
Jafar Shabani, Siti Aishah Hassan, Aminah Ahmad, Maznah Baba (2010) investigated the link of
emotional intelligence (EI), with mental health scales and sub-scales such as somatic symptom,
anxiety, social dysfunction and depression in Iranian high schools students. The study support that
emotional intelligence influences mental health scales and subscales.
Tikhe Sham Ganpat, Nagendra H.R. (2010) conducted a study to assess emotional intelligent
quotient (EQ) in managers undergoing yoga-based Self Management of Excessive Tension (SMET)

program. Self management was found to be associated with improvement in EQ and may have
implications for “executive efficiency.”
Mallika Dasgupta (2010) explored emotional intelligence’s relationship to some of the important
psychosocial variables such as Quality of Work Life, Work Family Role Conflict and Perceived
Happiness of male IT professionals. Emotional Intelligence had been found to bear significant
positive relationships with Quality of Work Life and Happiness, indicating that it contributes towards
achieving higher Quality of Work Life and greater Perceived Happiness and was negatively
correlated to Work family Role Conflict indicating that Emotional Intelligence tunes down the
perception of Role conflict and thereby reduces the stress produced by it.
Sylvain Laborde, Anne Brüll, Julian Weber, Lena Sophie Anders (2011) explored the influence of
trait EI in athletes when they have to face the stress of competition. Study indicates that high trait EI
athletes experienced a lower level of stress compared to low trait EI counterparts.
Jitna Por, Louise Barriball, Joanne Fitzpatrick, Julia Roberts (2011)explored the EI of nursing
students and its relationship to perceived stress, coping strategies, subjective well-being, perceived
nursing competency and academic performance. The findings suggest that increased feelings of
control and emotional competence assist nursing students to adopt active and effective coping
strategies when dealing with stress, which in turn enhances their subjective well-being.
Zijlmans L.J.M., Embregts P.J.C.M., Gerits L., Bosman A.M.T.,DerksenJ.J.L. (2011) assessed that
an EQ training in combination with a video-feedback training improves emotional intelligence.
Andrew R. Armstrong, Roslyn F. Galligan, Christine R. Critchley (2011)investigated the relative
importance of six emotional intelligence (EI) dimensions in the prediction of psychological resilience
to multiple negative life events. Emotional Self-Awareness, Emotional Expression, Emotional Self-
Control and particularly Emotional Self-Management appeared central to psychological resilience in
the aftermath of multiple negative life events.
Sarah K. Davis , Neil Humphrey (2012) found EI influences mental health via flexible selection of
coping strategies, Trait EI modifies coping effectiveness. High levels of trait EI amplify the
beneficial effects of active coping and minimise the effects of avoidant coping to reduce
symptomotology.
Gina Görgens-Ekermans, Tamari Brand (2012) investigated the interrelationships between emotional
intelligence (EI), work stress and burnout in a group of nurses in the Western Cape Province, South
Africa. The moderating effect Higher EI is significantly related with lower stress and burnout which
suggests that enhanced EI may help diminish burnout development in chronic stress.
Sarah K. Davis , Neil Humphrey (2012) explored whether EI moderates between a range of stressors
i.e family dysfunction; negative life events; and socio economic adversity and self-reported mental
health such as depression and disruptive behaviour symptomatology. The study found high levels of
trait EI attenuated stressor–mental health relations.
Holeyannavar P.G., Itagi S.K. (2012) conducted an ex-post-facto study on stress and emotional
competence of 105 primary school teachers. The study concluded that increase in the emotional
competence reduced the stress levels of the primary teachers significantly.
Hamideh Sherafatmandyari, Mehrdad Moharramzadeh, Hasan Seyed Amery (2012) examined the
relationship between emotional intelligence and job stress. Findings of the study showed a significant
relationship between emotional intelligence and its components such as self-awareness, empathy,
social skills with job stress.

Kaur, Sukhpal (2012) attempted to study the well being of elementary school teachers in relation to
emotional intelligence, stress and self-esteem. There is a significant positive relationship of well
being with emotional intelligence and self-esteem but significant negative relationship between
physical emotional wellbeing and occupational stress. Emotional intelligence, stress and self-esteem
contributed significant variance in predicting the respondent variables of social, emotional,spiritual
well being and total well being. Well being of elementary school teachers having high emotional
intelligence is significantly higher as compared to their low emotional intelligence counterparts.
Elementary school teachers with high stress have significantly lower well being as compared to their
counterparts having low stress. High self-esteem and high emotional intelligence act conjointly to
enhance levels of well being though the negative effect of stress is visible.
Ruth Castilloa, José M. Salgueroa, Pablo Fernández-Berrocala, Nekane Balluerkab (2013) explored
the effects of a two-year intervention grounded in the ability model of emotional intelligence (EI) on
aggression and empathy among adolescents of Eight Spanish public schools. Students in the EI
training group reported lower levels of physical/verbal aggression, anger, hostility, personal distress
and fantasy compared to students in the control group.
Nekane Balluerkaa, Aitor Aritzetaa, Arantxa Gorostiagaa, Leire Gartziab, Goretti Soroaa (2013)
analyzed the relationship between individual emotional intelligence, group emotional intelligence
and depressed mood in adolescence from a multilevel approach. The results indicated that clarity and
the ability to regulate emotions at the individual level and emotional intelligence at the class level are
important for explaining depressed mood.
Jung-Hyun Lee, Min-su Kim, Aeeun Jeon (2013) found emotional intelligence exert positive effects
on organizational loyalty.
Linda J.M. Zijlmans, Petri J.C.M. Embregts, Anna M.T. Bosman (2013) explored the relationship
between emotional intelligence on the one hand and emotions and feelings on the other. The results
show that emotional intelligence, emotions and feelings are related. Most significant relations were
found between feelings and stress management and adaptation elements of emotional intelligence.
Tamera R. Schneider, Joseph B. Lyons, Steven Khazon (2013) examined the relationship between
emotional intelligence (EI) and the stressprocess. EI facilitates resilience by taking physiological
responses to stress as a challenge not threat.
Sharma, Manoj Kumar (2013) studied the relationship of emotional intelligence with adjustment,
stress and achievement among senior secondary students both from the urban and the rural schools.
It was found that emotional intelligence universely related in influencing stress. There exists
significant Positive Significant Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Academic
Achievement.
Anuradha Mehta’s (2013) study was based on the assumption that application of emotional
intelligence can increase effectiveness and reduce occupational stress among teachers. Study
showed that by increasing the emotional intelligence one can reduce the occupational stress and
improve their work.
Ruiz-Aranda D., Extremera N., Pineda-Galán C. (2014) examined the relationship between
emotional intelligence (EI) and well-being indicators (lifesatisfaction and happiness) and perceived
stress. Participants with higher EI reported less perceived stress and higher levels of life satisfaction
and happiness. The results of this study suggest that perceived stress mediates the relationship
between EI and well-being indicators, specifically life satisfaction and happiness.

OBJECTIVES
 To understand the concept stress as well as emotional competency
 To study the correlation between emotional competency and stress perception.
 To understand the relationship between stress, knowledge on emotion and socio-
emotional wellbeing
 To understand the role of individual as well as organisation in emotional competency
building
METHODOLOGY
The research work is conceptual in nature based on secondary data only. In this regard various
literatures on Emotional Competency, perceived stress and stress management were studied and
analysed extensively to understand the correlation between the two. Study also explored the existing
literature that analyse the relation between EC, socio emotional and overall wellbeing of people.
ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS
EI moderates psychological stress, consider it as a challenge, contribute to mental psychosomatic,
and physical health which is inevitable for individual and organisational performance. It acts as a
protective factor in perceiving stress. All of the above study recognises potential value and resilient
behaviour of EI interms of reducing emotional dissonance and emotional labour for enhancing
empathic abilities and cope in adverse situation. EI foster coping behaviour. High levels of trait EI
amplify the beneficial effects of active coping. Coping is defined as the efforts in action and intra-
psychic that helps an individual to manage external and internal demands and conflicts that results
from stressful encounters in life which exceed his personal resources (Lazarus 1978). People
exhibiting higer EQ follow emotion focused coping strategy to moderate stress outcome. The study
also found that EC can be learnt and taught through training and education. It also identified that
individual emotional intelligence regulates group EI .People with high EI can influence their
subordinates and peers to increase the level of EI as they nurture the ability and competencies to
understand and control their own emotion and emotion of others. Thereby it encourages interpersonal
relations, group cohesiveness and team work. EI also found to act conjointly with self-esteem.
People respond differently to same stressor with respect to individual emotional competency and his/
her environment and the outcome of the interaction of the two. External conditions may not create
stress unless it is felt by the mind and heart because adaptive response to stress is moderated by
individual differences and his psychological processes Often the solution to combat stress is
personal. Individuals need to learn to manage their own stress (Clarke, 2006). People with high level
of EI emotion focused coping strategy with emotional clarity, Emotion repair, Emotion regulation to
lower level of life strain.
SUGGESTIONS
EI and resilience behaviour can be developed through support, training and education management
intervention for EI training. Therefore, the study suggests incorporation of emotion education at
organisation level for psychological resilience-building and enhancement of self-efficacy.
Organisation has to provide the appropriate environment and invest on training and education to
generate more of emotional capital which subsequently provides the empathetic environment to reap

the benefit of leveraging human capital. Because environment is the breeding place in which
emotional intelligence, resilient behaviour takes birth.
Knowledge on emotion enhances EI. One has to gain knowledge continuously to embed right
thought in order to understand emotions and feelings that can nurture his own individual resilience
up to the level of stressors to neutralize its threatening experiences. Individual resilience can be
developed by developing personal, socio-emotional competencies. In order to gain personal
competencies, an individual need to learn on self awareness and self management. Similarly, in order
to nurture socio- emotional competencies it requires knowledge on socio-emotional awareness and
relationship management.
Self-Awareness involves developing a clear perception of one’s own personality, strengths,
weaknesses, thoughts, beliefs, motivation and emotions, its regulation and their effects. Self
Awareness allows in understanding other people, their perception and attitude to respond to them in
the moment. These skills prompt an individual to bring changes and alterations in the thoughts and
its interpretations in order to get over external pressure. Self Management builds on one’s self-
awareness, self assessment, self control and self esteem. Self management involves honestly
investigating and acknowledging one’s strength and weaknesses, being reflective and capable of
learning from past experiences, open to candid feedback and new perspectives, interested in
continuous learning and development with achievement orientation to strive to meet or improve a
standard of excellence with all sorts of adaptability in handling changes. It provides self direction to
have self control and put a check on disruptive emotions in developing a strong sense of self
confidence and self worth with a positive outlook directed towards persistently pursuing goals
despite obstacles and setbacks. They not only cultivate positive emotions in themselves but they
elicit positive emotions in others and thereby develop resilient.
Socio emotional competence refers to the capacity of an individual for recognizing his/ her own
feelings and of others for motivating ourselves and for managing emotions well in us and our
relationships (Daniel Goleman, 1996). Socio – emotional competencies comprise of socio- emotional
awareness and relationship management. Empathy is at the core of socio emotional awareness. It
helps one to have emotional clarity to understand what others thinking, ensures sensing others’
feelings, acknowledging the emotions of others needs and perspectives, providing the opportunity to
express their emotion and taking an active interest in their concerns. It also includes organizational
awareness to understand the politics within an organization and how these affect the people working
in them and the service including understanding and delivering the needs of clients and customers.
Essentially social awareness is concern about carefully understanding and considering peoples’
wants, being thoughtful and considerate of their feelings and planning to communicate with them in
a way that is intended to meet those needs. Interpersonal communication skills constitute the core of
relationship management. It develops one’s ability to get the best out of others to inspire and
influence them, to communicate and build bonds and help them to change, grow, develop and resolve
conflict.
CONCLUSION
Emotional competency constitutes crucial resource that buffer the perception of stress of an
individual for personal, professional and organisational development. The study suggests a two
pronged approach to build emotional competency in investing in emotional capital both at the level

of organisation and personal level. Organisation is a social system to consume emotional capital
similar to social capital. It contributes towards social cohesion for social and economic returns.
Investments in emotional capital pay off as currency. Investments on emotional capital nurtures
healthy and functional relationship and help in building subjective competency. In workplace if
somebody expends emotional capital of all teammates without breeding then one will experience
performance burnout. Emotional competency nurture compassionate behaviour that encourages
people and teams to take more risk and invest in one’s success. Proper investment of emotional
capital breeds health, happiness, employee engagement and business loyalty. Investing and nurturing
reliable relationships fosters realisation of one’s own potential in bringing sustainable success.
Emotional capital investment demand emotional labour to connect and be connected with people.
Emotional intelligent people have the know-how to build and mature emotional capital as they
consider it as personal bank account to reap it at the time of need. They learn adoptive emotional
functioning without any self-doubt in understanding, utilizing and managing emotions in the own
self and others to handle interpersonal relationship judiciously and empathetically for emotional and
intellectual growth. Yet, at workplaces emotions have always been put out of the door. In society
emotional capital is unequally distributed and damaged in different situations. Emotions are as
important as intelligence as it shapes and conditions entire human life. It acts as a catalyser to build
human capital (knowledge, skill and ability). Proper human capital formation and development will
not happen if appropriate emotional capital will go missing from human life. Emotional capital is
critical to accumulate, develop and optimise. It is a booster capital that energises human potential for
social, psychological, physical and cognitive growth. EC play intermediary role in moderating
psycho physiological responses to stress and may be one potential mechanism underlying the
relationship between emotional functioning and health.
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