Emotional intelligence and mediation: new perspectives for psychological counseling intervention

This chapter deals with the promising role of emotional intelligence construct in mediation, offering new perspectives for psychological counseling intervention. It starts with an analysis of the literature relative to the relationships between emotions and mediation, and analyses associated with the role of emotional intelligence in mediation in particular. Then, the chapter traces the evolution of the emotional intelligence construct, also presenting the most significant and relevant theoretical models relative to emotional intelligence: the ability-based model by Salovey and Mayer (1990; Mayer & Salovey, 1997), the model by Bar-On (1997, 2002), and the model by Petrides and Furnham (2001). It goes on to describe the principal tools for measuring emotional intelligence. Furthermore, the chapter stresses the importance of promoting emotional intelligence through specific training, given that a great consent exists in the literature that emotional intelligence is a characteristic which can be increased. The chapter underlines the importance of emotional intelligence in mediation and the possible implications for training mediators and psychological counseling intervention in mediation.