Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, March 2020, Vol. 11, No.

03 305

Ideal Self-Concept Factors influencing on Emotional

Intelligence among School Teachers and Nurses

S. Antonysamy1, J.M. Asgarali Patel2, A. Velayudhan3

1
Research scholar, Department of Psychology, Annamalai Nagar, Annamalai University, 2Head and Professor,
Department of Psychology, Annamalai University, 3Professor and Head, Department of Psychology, Bharathiar
University, Coimbatore

Abstract
The present research is an empirical effort made to study how the ideal self-concept influences on the
Emotional Intelligence. The sample-size is 350 (comprised of 200 Teachers and 150 Nurses). The stratified
random sampling method is adopted. The age ranges from 22 to 56 (Mean Age= 31.87). The research is
executed with non-clinical samples. The tools adopted are: (1) Emotional Intelligence scale4 and (2) Self-
concept ration scale13. The participants are contacted individually by the researcher and data is obtained with
the help of the above mentioned tools. The descriptive statistics and correlation are used for the statistical
analyses. Results indicated that all dimensions of the emotional intelligence are positively and significantly
correlated with the dimensions of the ideal self-concept at 0.01 percent level of significance. The physical
self-concept is significantly correlated at 0.05 percent level of significance with the value orientation. This
finding supports the understanding and the development of effective strategies for strengthening the self-
concept of client in psychotherapy.

Keywords: Ideal Self-Concept, Emotional Intelligence, non-clinical samples.

Introduction person with positive self-concept are confident, believe

Self-concept is defined as the overall image or
awareness of one’s own self, including the beliefs and
values. It is considered as contextualized dynamic
cognitive structure3 that adapts and regulates the
behavior. The self-concept is viewed as a multifaceted
phenomenon of images, schemas, conceptions and
prototypes15. The core characteristic of self-concept is
that it perpetuates and remains stable over time17 and
seen as a product of interpersonal interactions18where
the overall self-concept is in a state of flux being more
readily influenced by the current experience, social roles
taken and the people with whom one associates. It is a
process in which there are three stages: Self-identity, self-
evaluation and self-ideal1that are based on the positive
or negative attitudes. It is explicitly articulated in the
words we frequently engage in talking about ourselves
or while performing silent monologues. The person with
negative self-concept considers themselves as failures,
and they have pessimistic approaches, complain and
not generally open to criticism. On the other hand the
in themselves, handle different situations, overcome
challenges, respect themselves and others, and have
realistic assessment about themselves.
Emotional intelligence refers to the ability or
competency to deal effectively with emotions. It is a set
of abilities to identify, understand, use and regulate the
emotions for promoting greater emotional and personal
growth11. It embodies the inter-personal and intra-
personal intelligence8 as proposed by Gardner (1993).
The inter-personal intelligence denotes the ability
to understand other people, their moods, desires and
motivations2 which enable a person to work effectively
with others with empathy and understanding. On the
other hand, intra-personal intelligence denotes the ability
to understand one’s own emotions, moods, goals, etc.
which is important for personal success and happiness.
Thence the emotional intelligence means handling of
one’s own emotions and managing it in such a way that
it is channeled towards one’s own personal growth by
impacting other people in the social environment.
306 Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, March 2020, Vol. 11, No. 03
Emotional intelligence and self-concept: Research
done outside of India portrays thatthe emotional
intelligence is essential for building the self-concept6 and
for the mental health7. The low self-concept (inferiority
complex) would lead to low emotional intelligence
which in turn brings forth the anxiety and depression5.
It implies that the emotional intelligence significantly
and positively influence the self-concept10 15 17. In other
words, the high self-concept facilitates a greater ability
for regulating one’s own emotions as well as those of
others. The acceptance and regulation of one’s self and
emotion bring novelty in relations10.By analyzing the
earlier studies, we conclude that the self-concept and the
emotional intelligence influence each other reciprocally.
If the emotional intelligence is low then the self-concept
would be also low, and if the self-concept is high then
the emotional intelligence would be also high.
The figure-1 shows the relationship between the
emotional intelligence and self-concept
Significant of the Research: Review of literature
reveals that there has no study on ideal self-concept of
adult population in an Indian context in particular to
the service sector respondents like teachers and nurses.
This fills the research gap. This research would help the
readers to understand the interpersonal issues better.
Consequently this study will assist in counseling and
psychotherapy towards strengthening the ‘self’.
Objectives:
1. To identify the levels of Ideal self-concept among
the respondents.
2. To identify the levels of Emotional Intelligence of
the respondents.
3. To find out the relationship between the responses
of the respondents towards the Ideal self-concept
and Emotional Intelligence.
Hypothesis: The research hypothesis is a tentative
solution to a research problem9. Based on the above
stated descriptions about the self-concept and the
emotional intelligence, the following hypothesis is being
framed:
Ho: There is no significant relationship between
the factors of ideal self-concept andthe emotional
intelligence.
Ha: There is significant relationship between
the factors of ideal self-concept and the emotional
intelligence.
Method
Descriptive survey method was adopted. 350
samples were selected following the stratified random
sampling from Cuddalore district- Tamil Nadu,
consisting of 153 males and 197 females in which 200
teachers were working in private, aided and government
institutions, and 150 nurses were working in private and
government healthcare centers. The age was ranging
from 22 to 56 (Mean Age= 31.87). The participants were
contacted individually by the researcher and data was
obtained with the help of the selected tools. Before the
data collection was made, oral permission was obtained
from the correspondent and principles of the concerning
schools and healthcare centers.
Instruments Used:
Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS): The Emotional
Intelligence scale is developed and standardized by
Hyde, A., Pethe, S., & Dhar, U. (2002)for Indian Milieu.
It contains 34 itemswith five- point rating scales as
5-strongly agree, 4- Agree, 3-uncertain, 2-disagree,
and 1-strongly disagree. The scale measures the ten
dimensions of Emotional Intelligence namely, self-
awareness, empathy, self-motivation, emotional stability,
managing relations, integrity, self-development, value
orientation, commitment and altruistic behavior. It has
split-half reliability value of 0.88 and validity with
0.93. This scale is used only for individual assessment,
research and survey purposes. It does not require the
services of highly trained test administrator. Based on
this stated reasons, the EIS-scale was selected and used
for this research purpose.
Self- Concept Rating Scale: The self-concept rating
scale is developed and standardized by Saraswat, R.K.
(2011) in an Indian context. It contains 57 personality
traits based on dimensions like physical, power, ability,
social and psychological characteristics. The responses
 Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, March 2020, Vol. 11, No. 03 307
are to be received on a three points rating scale (low, Results and Discussion
average and high) for each trait and under each self-
The research goal was to find out the relationship
concept (real, ideal and social). It is to be administered
between the Ideal self-concept and the emotional
for adult population. Test-retest reliability was found
intelligence of the teachers and the nurses. The collected
to be 0.83. Based on these stated reasons, the scale was
data was coded with IBM SPSS 21 version. The
selected and used for this research purpose.
tables were obtained through descriptive analysis and
Analysis Strategy: The statistical program IBM correlations.
SPSS 21 was used for the data analysis. The descriptive
The table-1 shows the frequency and its
statistics were adopted. For determining the relationships
corresponding percentages of the responses under low,
between the research variables of this study, Karl
average and high levels towards the five dimensions of
Pearson’s moment correlation (‘r’) was used towards
the Ideal self-concept
determining the significance, direction and strength of
the relationship between the variables.

Low Average High

Dimensions of ideal self-concept
Frequency % Frequency % Frequency %
Power self-concept 2 0.57 189 54 159 45.42
Social self-concept 1 0.28 152 43.42 197 56.28
Ability self- concept 3 0.85 175 50 172 49.14
Physical self-concept - - 144 41.14 186 53.14
Psychological self-concept 1 0.28 195 55.71 153 43.71

Source: Primary data

Table-1 shows the frequency and its corresponding
percentages of the responses under low, average and
high levels towards the five dimensions of the Ideal
self-concept. It identifies the levels of Ideal self-concept
among the respondents. It is found that 171 (48.85)
individuals have scored average and 174 (49.53)
individuals of high on the dimensions of the ideal self-
concept. Highest frequency of 197 (56.28) goes with the
Social self-concept among all the five dimensions.
The table-2 shows the frequency and its
corresponding percentages of the responses under low,
average and high levels towards the 10 dimensions of
the Emotional Intelligence

Dimensions of Emotional Low Average High

Intelligence Frequency % Frequency % Frequency %
Self-awareness 25 7.14 171 48.85 154 44
Empathy 22 6.28 212 60.57 116 33.14
Self-motivation 16 4.57 182 52 152 43.42
Emotional stability 30 8.57 207 59.14 113 38
Managing relations 21 6 201 57.42 128 36.57
Integrity 29 8.28 199 56.85 122 34.85
Value orientation 53 15.14 188 53.71 109 31.14
Commitment 40 11.42 171 48.85 139 39.71
Altruistic behavior 31 8.85 200 57.14 119 34
Self-development 31 8.85 189 54 130 37.14

Source: Primary data

308 Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, March 2020, Vol. 11, No. 03
It is vivid from the table-2 that the dimensions of (36.62)individuals have scoredhigh onthe dimensions of
Emotional Intelligence are measured with low, average emotional intelligence.
and high with their percentage. It identifies the levels
of Emotional Intelligence of the respondents. It is found The table-3 shows the correlation between the
that overall 30 (8.51)individuals have scored low, dimensions of emotional intelligence and ideal self-
192 (54.85) individuals have scored average and 128 concept

Dimensions of ideal self-concept

Dimensions of emotional
intelligence Power self- Social self- Ability self- Physical self- Psychological
concept concept concept concept self-concept
Self-awareness .266** .231** .278** .267** .269**
Empathy .252** .204** .243** .273** .231**
Self-motivation .255** .248** .283** .280** .285**
Emotional stability .235** 192** .241** .230** .234**
Managing relations .280** .170** .250** .218** .202**
Integrity .272** .230** .277** .293** .295**
Value orientation .142** .165** .173** .127* .174**
Commitment .188** .180** .210** .192** .223**
Altruistic behavior .228** .262** .262** .228** .262**
Self-development .184** .181** .174** .165** .146**

Source: Primary data **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed)., *. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

Table 3 shows the results of Karl Pearson’s moment
correlation (‘r’) which is used to elicit the relationship
between the dimensions of the emotional intelligence and
the ideal self-concept. It is found that the dimensions of
the emotional intelligence are positively and significantly
correlated with the dimensions of the ideal self-concept
at the 0.01 level. But the physical self-concept alone is
significant and correlated at the 0.05 level with the value
orientation. Even though the responses are more in the
average and high levels in both the responses through the
two scales, the correlation results show the relationship
as positive and significant. But the Correlational
values ranges from 0.127 – 0.295. This indicates the
low correlation. Even then the correlation seems to be
significant and positive.
Discussion
The primary intension of the research is to find out
the relationship between the dimensions of the ideal
self-concept and the emotional intelligence. The ideal
self-concept is the persons’ perceptions of aspirations
and beliefs that one ought to be. These aspirations
and beliefs may be within the reach of the person, or
it may be so unrealistic that it can never be reached in
real life14. According to Carl Rogers (1951) -founder of
the humanistic approach- states that everyone strives to
reach an “Ideal self”. It implies that the person is striving
to become by fulfilling the expectation of others which
do not match their experiences. When the person is
forced to fulfill the conditions and expectations of others,
the person leaves behind one’s organismic beliefs and
values, and forms the conditional positive self-regard.
As the result, the person develops the ideal-self: being
afraid to accept one’s own experiences as valid, looking
for winning approval from other12 and being movedor
controlled by the external factors or forces. From table-1
it is clear that the 174 (49.53) individuals have the high
ideal self-concept. This indicates that the individual’s
aspirations are unrealistic which would never be reached
in real life where the person would look for winning the
approval from others.
This higher score on the ideal self-concept reflects
the higher score on the dimensions of the emotional
intelligence. From the table-1 and table- 2, it is vivid that
174 (49.53) individuals have the high ideal self-concept,
correspondingly 128 (36.62) individuals have score
high on the dimensions of emotional intelligence. This
indicates that there is a positive relationship between
the ideal self-concept and the dimensions of emotional
 Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, March 2020, Vol. 11, No. 03
intelligence where increasing in one dimensions would
induce to increase in another dimensions. This also
confirms the theoretical aspects of cognitive therapy
as envisaged by Aaron Temkin Beck (1994) where the
thinking influences the emotions of the persons.
Further analyzing the relationship between the
dimensions of the emotional intelligence with the
dimensions of ideal self-concept with the help of
Karl Pearson’s moment correlation (‘r’), it is clear
from the table-3 that all dimensions of the emotional
intelligence are positively and significantly correlated
with the dimensions of the ideal self-concept at the 0.01
level,while the physical self-concept from the ideal self-
concept dimensions alone is significantly correlated at
the 0.05 level with the value orientation of emotional
intelligence. Thus the present research confirms with the
earlier findings15 10 17 and accepts the research hypothesis
that there is significant relationship between the factors
of ideal self-concept and the emotional intelligence.
Implication and Limitation: There research
is done in an Indian context. This would help us to
understand the relationship between the dimensions
of Ideal self-concept and Emotional Intelligence, and
how the thinking (self-concept) would influence the
emotions of the persons. The finding would be helpful
for developing strategies effectively in psychotherapy
where the person’s self-concept would be strengthened
in order to encounter the emotions that come in intra
and inter-personal relationships. On the other hand
the limitations as such, the sampling area covered in
the present research is from non-clinical populations.
Though the data were collected following the stratified
random sampling, covering teachers and healthcare
professionals working in private, and government
institutions and centers, but the data was collected at
the convenience of the researcher as well. Regarding
the target population, young and middle adults were
only included. The data analyzed for this study were
originally meantfor research purpose rather than clinical
analysis or making diagnosis.
Conflict of Interest: The conflict of interest is nil.
Source of Funding: The source of funding is self-
funded.
Ethical Clearance: Ethical Clearance is taken from
Center for Academic Research (CARE) Annamalai
University, Psychology wing.
309
Conclusion
From above the empirical study we conclude that
the dimensions of the ideal self-concept and emotional
intelligence are positively related. Based on the cognitive
therapy, we also affirm if the self-concept (cognition)
about oneself and other is positive, then the emotions
related to oneself and other would also be positive,
moving in the positive direction. On the other hand, if
the self-concept (cognition) about oneself and other is
negative, then the emotions related to oneself and the
other would also be negative. Strengthening the self
(intra-personal) facilitates the inter-personal relationship,
through enhancing the emotional intelligence.
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