Investigating the Roles of Emotional Intelligence and Self-Esteem in Psychological Well-Being among Emerging Adults

Year 2025, Volume: 15 Issue: 79, 717 - 732, 29.12.2025

Hadeel Basman Mousa Abu Rmilah Arzu Buyruk Genç

https://doi.org/10.17066/tpdrd.1311382

Abstract

Understanding the factors contributing to psychological well-being during emerging adulthood is essential, as this life stage involves significant emotional and identity-related development. Emotional intelligence and self-esteem are known to influence mental health individually; however, their combined impact and interaction with demographic variables remain underexplored. This study aims to examine the predictive role of emotional intelligence, self-esteem, and some demographic variables (age, gender, and socio-economic status) on the psychological well-being of emerging adults. This study was conducted with 347 emerging adults, including 190 females, 122 males, and 35 individuals who identified as other gender. The mean age of participants was 23.5 years. Participants completed the Demographic Information Form, Emotional Intelligence Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Psychological Well-being Scale. The results indicated that emotional intelligence, self-esteem, and higher socio-economic status are significant predictors of psychological well-being among emerging adults in Turkish society. These findings suggest that individuals with higher emotional intelligence, a stronger sense of self-esteem, and greater economic resources tend to experience better mental health during this critical life stage. It is recommended to implement psychoeducational programs focused on enhancing emotional intelligence and self-esteem among university youth. Further research is encouraged to explore these variables more deeply across diverse cultural contexts.

Keywords

Emerging adults , Emotional intelligence , Self-esteem , Psychological well-being

References

• Adler, N. E., Epel, E. S., Castellazzo, G., & Ickovics, J. R. (2000). Relationship of subjective and objective social status with psychological and physiological functioning: Preliminary data in healthy, White women. Health Psychology, 19(6), 586. https://doi.org/10.1037//0278-6133.19.6.586
• Afolabi, O. A., & Balogun, A. G. (2017). Impacts of psychological security, emotional intelligence and self-efficacy on undergraduates’ life satisfaction. Psychological Thought, 10(2), 247–261. https://doi.org/10.5964/psyct.v10i2.226
• Akyıl, Y., & İme, Y. (2024). The Mediating Role of Mental Well-Being Between Psychological Resilience, Life satisfaction and emotional intelligence. E-Kafkas Journal of Educational Research, 11 (742-752). https://doi:10.30900/kafkasegt. 1433531
• Arnett, J., Žukauskienė, R., & Sugimura, K. (2014). The new life stage of emerging adulthood at ages 18–29 years: implications for mental health. Lancet Psychiatry, 1, 569–576. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2215-0366(14)00080-7
• Benjet, C., & Hernandez-Guzman, L. (2001). Gender differences in psychological well-being Mexican early adolescents. Adolescence, 36(141).https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1020259019866
• Branden, N. (2001). The Psychology of Self-Esteem. Jossey-Bass.
• Burris, J. L., Brechting, E. H., Salsman, J., & Carlson, C. R. (2009). Factors associated with the psychological well-being and distress of university students. Journal of American College Health, 57(5), 536-544. https://doi.org/10.3200/JACH.57.5.536-544
• Burrus, J., Betancourt, A., Holtzman, S., Minsky, J., MacCann, C., & Roberts, R. D. (2012). Emotional intelligence relates to well‐being: Evidence from the Situational Judgment Test of Emotional Management. Applied Psychology: Health and Well‐Being, 4(2), 151-166. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1758-0854.2012.01066.x
• Cai, H., Wu, Q., & Brown, J.D. (2009). Is self-esteem a universal need? Evidence from the People's Republic of China. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 12, 104-120. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-839x.2009.01278.x
• Chang, E., Maydeu-Olivares, A., & D'Zurilla, T. (1997). Optimism and Pessimism as Partially Independent Constructs: Relationship to Positive and Negative Affectivity and Psychological Well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 23(3), 433-440. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0191-8869(97)80009-8
• Crocker, J., & Park, L.E. (2004). The costly pursuit of self-esteem. Psychological Bulletin, 130, 392-414. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.130.3.392
• Çuhadaroğlu, F. (1986) Adolesanlarda Benlik Saygısı (Yayımlanmamış doktora tezi). Hacettepe Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Psikiyatri Anabilim Dalı, Ankara.
• Deniz, M. E., Özer, E., & Işık, E. (2013). Duygusal zekâ özelliği ölçeği–kısa formu: geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması. Eğitim ve Bilim, 38(169).
• Di Fabio, A. & Kenny, M.E. (2016). From decent work to decent lives: Positive self and relational management (PS&RM) in the twenty-first century. Frontiers in Psychology. 7, 361. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00361
• Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95, 542-575. https://doi.org/10.1037//0033-2909.95.3.542
• Diener, E. & Biswas-Diener, R. (2002). Will money increase subjective well-being? A literature review and guide to needed research. Social Research Indicators, 57(2), 119-169. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2350-6_6
• Dittmann, M. (1992). Self esteem that’s based on external sources has mental health consequences, study says. Monitor on Psychology Journal 33, 11-16. https://doi.org/10.1037/e300122003-014
• Duru, E., Balkis, M. (2018). Procrastination, self-esteem, academic performance, and well-being: A moderated mediation model. International Journal of Educational Psychology, 6(2), 97-119. https://doi.org/10.17583/ijep.2017.2584
• Dust, S. B., Rode, J. C., Arthaud-Day, M. L., Culbertson, S. S., & Ramaswami, A. (2016). The role of self-esteem and emotional intelligence in managing employment gaps and employment fit. Academy of Management Proceedings,1. https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2016.13264abstract
• Enoksen, E., (2016). "Perceived discrimination against immigrants in the workplace: Influence of personal values and organizational justice", Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. An International Journal, 35 (2), 66-80. https://doi.org/10.1108/edi-07-2015-0058
• Ferguson, S. J., & Goodwin, A. D. (2010). Optimism and well-being in older adults: The mediating role of social support and perceived control. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 71(1), 43-68. https://doi.org/10.2190/ag.71.1.c
• Ferkany, M. (2008). The Educational Importance of Self-Esteem. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 42(1), 119-132. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9752.2008.00610.x
• Field, A. (2009) Discovering statistics using SPSS. 3rd Edition, Sage Publications Ltd.
• Fullam, A. (2002). Adult attachment, emotional intelligence, health and immunological responsiveness to stress (Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation). The State University of New Jersey.
• Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. Bantam Books.
• Greenfield, E.A., & Marks, N.F. (2004). Formal volunteering as a protective factor for older adults' psychological well-being, Journals of Gerontology, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 59(5), 258-264. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/59.5.s258
• Ghorbani, N., Bing, M. N., Watson, P. J., Davison, H. K., & Mack, D. A. (2002). Self-Reported emotional intelligence construct similarity functional dissimilarity. Journal of Emotional and Behavioural Problems, 4, 242- 249. DOI: 10.1080/0020759024400009 8
• Johar, S.S.H., Shah, I.M., & AbuBakar, Z. (2012). The impact of emotional intelligence towards relationship of personality and self- esteem at workplace. Procedia-Social and Behavioural Sciences, 3(65), 150-155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.11.104
• Hasnain, N., Wazid, S., & Hasan, Z. (2014). Optimism, hope, and happiness as correlates of psychological well-being among young adult assamese males and females, Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 19(2), 44-51. https://doi.org/10.9790/0837-19224452
• Hui, Q., Li, Y., Zhu, R., Li, Y., Wang, T., Che, X., & You, X. (2025). Emotional intelligence moderated the mediating effect of professional identity between social support and psychological well-being among pre-service teachers. Scientific Reports, 15(1), Article 13107. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-93537-w
• Kabasakal, Z. & Uz Baş, A. (2013). Öğretmen adaylarında yaşam doyumunun yordayıcısı olarak problem çözme becerileri. Eğitim ve Öğretim Araştırmaları Dergisi, 2(1), 27-35.
• Kim, S. (2017). The effect of self-efficacy and positive thinking on subjective happiness of nursing students. Asia-Pasific Journal of Digital Convergence, 15 (12), 435-444. https://doi.org/10.47116/apjcri.2024.01.35
• Kirkbir, F. (2020). Effect of emotional intelligence education on psychological well-being and aggression of athlete students at the Karadeniz Technical University. African Educational Research Journal, 8(S1), 146-151. https://www.netjournals.org/pdf/AERJ/2020/S1/20-023.pdf
• Llamas‐Díaz, D., Cabello, R., Megías‐Robles, A., & Fernández‐Berrocal, P. (2022). Systematic review and meta‐analysis: The association between emotional intelligence and subjective well‐being in adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 94(7), 925-938.
• Murphy, B. (2016). How to increase your self-esteem. Mind. https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/self-esteem/
• Nagar, S., & Saxena, T. (2022). Self-esteem, Mental Well-Being and Life Satisfaction among Young Adults. International Journal of Indian Psychology, 12(2), Article 314. https://doi.org/10.25215/1202.314
• Pallant, J. (2020). SPSS survival manual: A step by step guide to data analysis using IBM SPSS (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
• Penacoba, C., Garvi, D., Gomez, L., & Alvarez, A. (2020). Psychological well-being, emotional ıntelligence, and emotional symptoms in deaf adults. American Annals of the Deaf, 165(4), 436-452. https://doi.org/10.1353/aad.2020.0029
• Petrides, K. V., & Furnham, A. (2003). Trait emotional intelligence: Behavioural validation in two studies of emotion recognition and reactivity to mood induction. European Journal of Personality, 17(1), 39–57. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.466
• Petrides, K. V., Mikolajczak, M., Mavroveli, S., Sanchez-Ruiz, M. J., Furnham, A., & Pérez-González, J. C. (2016). Developments in trait emotional intelligence research. Emotion Review, 8(4), 335–341. https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073916650493
• Orth, U., & Robins, R. W. (2014). The development of self-esteem. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23(5), 381–387. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721414547414
• Pimple, J. (2023). Correlational analysis of emotional intelligence and psychological well-being. Indian Journal of Positive Psychology, 14(1), 39-42. https://iahrw.org/our-services/journals/indian-journal-of-positive-psychology/
• Pryor, J. (2011). Self-esteem and attitudes toward gender role, contributing factors in adolescents, Australian Journal of Psychology, 46 (1) 48-52. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049539408259469
• Rahim, H., Mooren, M., Brink, V. F., Jeroen, W.K., & Paul, A.B. (2021). Cultural identity conflict and psychological well-being in bicultural young adults. Do self-concept clarity and self-esteem matter? the journal of nervous and mental disease, 209(7), 525-532. https://doi: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000001332
• Rehman, B., & Sohail, S. (2018). Perceived emotional intelligence and psychological well-being among medical students. International Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research, 9(1), 232–242.
• Rathi, N., Rastogi, R. (2007). Meaning in Life and Psychological Well-Being in Pre-Adolescents and Adolescents. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, 33(1), 31-38.
• Ritika, N., & Imran, M. (2024). Exploring the interplay of emotional intelligence and self-esteem on the general well-being of university students. International Journal of Indian Psychology, 18(1), Article 428. https://ijip.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/18.01.428.20241202.pdf
• Ryff, C., Magee, W., Kling, K., & Wing, E. (1999). Forging Macro-Micro Linkages in the Study of Psychological Well-being. In C. Ryff & V. Marshall (Eds.), The self and society in aging processes (pp. 247-278). Springer Publishing Company.
• Saad, N. (2016). Raising Confident: 10 Ways to foster self-esteem and avoid typical parenting mistakes. New Horizon: Best of Parenting Publishing.
• Salovey, P., Mayer, J. D., & Caruso, D. (2002): The positive psychology of emotional intelligence. In C.R. Snyder & S.J. lopez (Eds.) Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 159-171). London, Oxford University Press.
• Schutte, N. S., & Malouff, J. M. (2011). Emotional intelligence and self-esteem. Personality and Individual Differences, 50(1), 111–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2010.09.022
• Schutte, N. S., Malouf, J. M., Simunek, M., McKenley, J. & Hollander, S. (2002). Characteristic emotional intelligence and emotional well- being. Cognition and Emotion, 16(6) 769-785. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699930143000482
• Schutte, N. S., Malouff, J. M., Hall, L. E., Haggerty, D. J., Cooper, J. T., Golden, C. J., & Dornheim, L. (1998). Development and validation of a measure of emotional intelligence. Personality and Individual Differences, 25(2), 167–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(98)00001-4
• Olenik-Shemesh, D., Heiman. T., Keshet, N. (2018). The role of career aspiration, self-esteem, body esteem, and gender in predicting sense of well-being among emerging adults. The Journal of Genetic Psychology,179(6), 343-356. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221325.2018.1526163
• Petrides, K. V., & Furnham, A. (2003). Trait emotional intelligence: Behavioral validation in two studies of emotion recognition and reactivity to mood induction. European Journal of Personality, 17(1), 39-57. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.466
• Sánchez-Álvarez, N., Extremera, N., & Fernández-Berrocal, P. (2020). Longitudinal analysis of subjective well-being in preadolescents: The role of emotional intelligence, self-esteem, and perceived stress. Journal of Adolescence, 79, 70–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2020.01.010
• Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics. (6th ed.). Pearson Education.
• Telef, B. B. (2011). Psikolojik İyi Oluş Ölçeği (PİOO): Türkçeye uyarlama, geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması. 11. In Psikolojik Danışma ve Rehberlik Kongresi, 3–5 Ekim, Selçuk- İzmir.
• Van de Vijver, F. J. R., & Leung, K. (1997). Methods and data analysis for cross-cultural research. Sage.
• Vilca-Pareja, V., Luque Ruiz de Somocurcio, A., Delgado-Morales, R., & Medina Zeballos, L. (2022). Emotional intelligence, resilience, and self-esteem as predictors of satisfaction with life in university students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(24), Article 16548. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416548
• Yamawaki, N., Nelson, J. A. P., & Omori, M. (2011). Self-esteem and life satisfaction as mediators between parental bonding and psychological well-being in Japanese young adults. International Journal of Psychology and Counselling, 3(1), 1-8.
• Zeidner, M., Metthews G. & Roberts R.D. (2004), Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace: A Critical Review. Applied Psychology, 53(3), 371-399. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2004.00176.x