International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS)|Volume I, Issue I, January 2017|ISSN 2454-6186 www.ijriss.org Page 13 Impact of Age on Emotional Intelligence and Its Components Deeksha Sharma Senior Research Fellow Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India Abstract: The present study involves the analysis of Emotional Intelligence(EI) for different age-groups ranging from 17- 60years. The age taken as continuous statistic for every respondent and clustered as:Young-Adulthood(17-23 years), Middle-age(24-34 years) and Mature-age(35-60) for analysis. EI and its components:Emotional-Competency, Emotional- Sensitivity and Emotional-Maturity were measured for 186 respondents. The results indicated significant impact of age on the EI and its components. Total EI increased with age. Emotional-Competency decreased from young adulthood to middle age and then increased for mature age. Maturity was maximum for mature age, whereas competency and sensitivity were maximum for middle age. Keywords: Emotional Intelligence (EI), Emotional Competency, Emotional Sensitivity, Emotional Maturity, Age I. INTRODUCTION t is very important to understand that emotional intelligence is not the opposite of intelligence, it is not the triumph of heart over head — it is the unique intersection of both.‖ — David Caruso Emotions have a significant role in defining the activities and behaviour of an individual on personal and professional front. And Emotional intelligence (EI) defines the ability of the individual to sense, access, control and manage emotions of oneself and others. EI is the construct that ‗‗involves the ability to perceive accurately, appraise, and express emotion; the ability to access and/or generate feelings when they facilitate thought; the ability to understand emotion and emotional knowledge; and the ability to regulate emotions to promote emotional and intellectual growth‘‘ (Mayer & Salovey, 1997). EI was defined as an aptitude by Mayer and Salovey (1997) and as mix of skills and traits (Bar-On, 1996; Goleman, 1995; Schutte et al., 1998; Petrides, 2004). The Emotional Intelligence is the key factor ability which can be developed (Emmerling & Goleman, 2003) and learned (Shapiro 1997; Goleman, 1998) at all ages as per most of the EI theories. EI is neither developed at early childhood age nor is hereditary. With age, one becomes more socially and emotionally intelligent (Bar-On, 2006). EI has tremendous impact and potential value not only for managers and HR professionals but also for educationalists, teachers and counsellors (Higgs and Dulewicz, 1999). This has led to questions on its role and ability to develop within learning managerial aspect (Fineman, 1997; Ho¨pfl and Linstead, 1997). The core capabilities which are developed at childhood stage are malleable, changeable and capable of being developed (Ho¨pfl and Linstead, 1997). Further, the life and workplace experience has an impact in shaping it. EI has an impact on work performance (Carmeli 2003; O‘Boyle et al. 2011) and on psychological and physical health (Ciarrochi et al. 2002; Tsaousis and Nikolau 2005). That‘s main reason to find the relevance and measure of EI at different stages of EI. An individual moves through different stages of life in age spans. And each stage exhibits a characteristic which comes in through learning and experience. EI in particular when taken as ability (Mayer & Salovey) also exhibit different patterns with age. It becomes imperative to understand the EI levels and its nature in different age groups. The present study aims to find the EI of different age groups involved and to find the differences among age groups for EI components. The age groups taken for the study are three- Young Adulthood(17-23 years), Middle age (24-34 years), Mature age(35-60). 1.1 Emotional Intelligence Emotions are the reactions to stimuli (1579) and Intelligence comprises the mental abilities necessary for adaptation to, as well as shaping and selection of, any environmental context (Sternberg, 1997). EI is considered as intelligence as it has the ability to solve problems and monitor emotions in themselves and others. The term EI came into account in 1985 in their doctoral thesis, ―A study of Emotion: Developing Emotional Intelligence.‖ by Wayne Payne. The term EI was used in publication by Keith Beasley in article in British Mensa Magazine in 1987. Also this term was used in work of Beldoch (1964), Leuner (1966).Mainly, there are three basic models of EI- Ability Model(John Mayer and Peter salovey),Mixed Model( Daniel Goleman) and Trait Model( K V Petrides). Mayer, Salovey and colleagues have defined EI as ability which emphasis on individual differences in cognition of impactful information and considered as an ability which can be learned and is not innate characteristic. Mixed models (Bar-On, 1997; Goleman, 1995) have included emotional abilities together with personality, motivation and affective dispositions, i.e., emphasising on array of competencies and skills. Ability EI has typically been assessed by maximal-performance measures, like IQ measures , and such measures have generally been more correlated to intelligence constructs than to personality (Brackett & Mayer, 2003; Lopes, Salovey, & Straus, 2003; O_Connor & Little, ―I