Polyanina O.I., Shlykova N.I. The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and The Level of Satisfaction with Marriage for Men and Women

Abstract: The subject of the research is the relationship between emotional intelligence and the level of satisfaction with marriage for men and women. The object of the research is the emotional intelligence and satisfaction with marriage. Particular attention is paid to the study of the relationship between emotional intelligence and the level of satisfaction with marriage for men and women. The study is based on the definition of emotional intelligence offered by D.V. Lyusin that comes from the fact that the ability to understand emotions and to manage them is closely related to the general commitment of a person to the emotional sphere, i.e., with his interest for the inner world of people (including himself). In their turn, the authors like V.V. Stolin, T.A. Romanova and G.P. Butenko proceeded from the idea of satisfaction with marriage as a quite persistent emotional phenomenon, i.e. the feeling that can manifest itself in direct emotions that arise in various situations as well as through opinions, evaluations, and comparisons made by a person. The following methods have been used by the authors in their study: empirical methods, in particular, The Emotional Intelligence Inventory (EnIn) created by D. Lyusin (2009); The Marital Satisfactino Inventory by E.Y. Alyoshina, L.Y. Gozman and E.M. Dubovskaya (1987); The Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire by V.V. Stolin, T.A. Romanova and G.P. Butenko (1984); mathematical and statistical methods including the methods of descriptive statistics; comparative analysis based on the Mann-Whitney U test; Spearman's correlation analysis; two-factor analysis of variance; and factor analysis. The novelty of this study is defined by the fact that for the first time in the academic literature the authors have studied the emotional intelligence and marital satisfaction together. The analysis of the indicators of emotional intelligence and their relation to the level of marital satisfaction in groups of men and women has allowed the authors to make the following conclusions: 1. Groups of men and women demonstrate different levels of emotional intelligence. 2. Both women and men involved in the research express rather high levels of marital satisfaction. 3. The comparative analysis of emotional intelligence and marital satisfaction has showed compared to women men exhibit higher levels of management and control of their emotional expression. On the other hand, women have better understanding of emotions than men. No significant differences have been recorded with regard to marital satisfaction indicators in groups of men and women. 4. According to the correlation analysis, men who have different levels of emotional sensitivity, do not show different levels of marital satisfaction. At the same time according to the analysis of variance, a high level of emotional intelligence is the factor that reducies men's level of marital satisfaction. 5. According to the correlation analysis, women's satisfaction with marriage is associated with a high level of emotional intelligence. Data analysis of variance allows to clarify that it is the high marital satisfaction that contributes to the development of emotional intelligence of women. 6. The results of the factor analysis of indicators of emotional intelligence and marital satisfaction allow to make a conclude that men and women demonstrate different relations between these indicators. 

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