Bar-On developed a conceptual and psychometric model of
emotional intelligence originally referred to as “emotional and social competence” in his doctoral dissertation. Since 1982, he has been examining the ability of this model to predict various aspects of human behavior and performance. The Bar-On model is described as one of the three major models of
emotional intelligence in the
Encyclopedia of Applied Psychology, although other variations of these models have surfaced over the years.
The Bar-On concept of emotional and social intelligence Bar-On created his model of emotional and social intelligence to expand psychological assessment. The focus of his doctoral research was
psychological well-being. He wanted to include a wider range of contributors to behavior and performance. While working as a
clinical psychologist, he became influenced by the emerging field of
positive psychology and began shifting his interest from
psychopathology to assessing and developing
emotional intelligence which he argued is an integral part of
positive psychology (in 2010). In a review of the theoretical foundations for his model, Bar-On refers to the influence of
Charles Darwin's work on the adaptive importance of
emotional expression, as recorded in Darwin's 1872 publication,
The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. Bar-On's conceptual model describes an array of interrelated emotional and social competencies that determine how effective individuals are at understanding and expressing themselves, understanding others and interacting with them as well as coping with daily demands and challenges. These competencies are clustered into the following five meta-factors: (1) the ability to be aware of emotions as well as to understand and express feelings; (2) the ability to understand how others feel and interact with them; (3) the ability to manage and control emotions; (4) the ability to manage change, adapt and solve problems of a personal and interpersonal nature; and (5) the ability to generate positive affect to enhance self-motivation, in order to facilitate emotionally and socially intelligent behavior. These five meta-factors comprise a total of 15 factors.
Bar-On's measure of emotional and social intelligence In 1982, Bar-On began developing the precursor of the
Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory™ (
EQ-i™), which was designed to study and assess the emotional and social competencies he identified. A youth version for children and adolescents – the
Bar-On EQ-i:YV™ – was developed before that in 2000, based on the Bar-On model as well. The
Bar-On EQ-i:YV™ was the first psychometric instrument to be published that was specifically designed to assess emotionally intelligent behavior in children and adolescents. In addition to being reviewed in the
Mental Measurement Yearbook, it was selected by a team of
psychometricians at the
University of Oxford as the emotional intelligence test of choice for children, and was recommended to the British Department of Education for use in schools throughout the United Kingdom. Bar-On's original 1997 version of the
EQ-i™ was revised in 2011 by Multi-Health Systems; and the resultant
EQ-i 2.0™ was released in 2012. According to the publisher's technical manual, the
EQ-i 2.0™ is described as a revised
psychometric instrument based on the original Bar-On model. findings indicate that the Bar-On model of emotional intelligence significantly affects: (1) physical health; (2) cognitive functioning, academic performance and career decision-making; (3) occupational performance and leadership,
job satisfaction and organizational effectiveness; (4) creativity and innovative thinking; and (5) psychological health and well-being. In addition to the validity studies referenced here as well as the reviews mentioned in the
Encyclopedia of Applied Psychology Additionally, Bar-On has authored or co-authored more than 40 publications describing his model including its predictive ability and applicability; and these publications have been cited in thousands of other publications, including peer-reviewed articles and doctoral dissertations. == Academic honors ==