Emotional Intelligence and Beliefs About Mental Illness: A Study Among Mizo and Manipur Young Adults

Abstract

The study aims to discover the levels, differences and relationships with the variables of emotional intelligence and beliefs about mental illness among Mizo and Manipur young adults. The samples consisted of 100 samples from Mizoram (50 females and 50 males) and 100 samples from Manipur (50 females and 50 males), 200 samples in total. The Brief Emotional Intelligence Scale (Wong, C. S., & Law, K. S. 2002) and Beliefs toward mental illness scale (Hirai, M., & Clum, G. A. 2000). Psychometric testing revealed reliability for Emotional Intelligence Scale is α = .719 and for Beliefs towards mental illness is α = .832 Results revealed samples from both areas to score moderately high on beliefs towards mental illness scale and moderately high on the emotional intelligence scale. As data followed normality parametric statistics were used and T-test revealed a significant difference (P<0.05) between Manipur and Mizo samples with the variable of emotional intelligence whereas no significant difference was seen with the variable of beliefs towards mental illness. T –test also revealed no significant gender differences between the variables. Correlation analysis revealed no significant relationship between the variables.