Abstract
In the midst of recession, this paper examines previous research which indicated that perceived stress may be moderated by emotional intelligence (“EI”), the emotional dimensions of the Big Five personality measures (extraversion and emotional stability), and personality hardiness, and whether EI is a construct distinct from personality. Across 81 participants from a multitude of work domains, significant correlations in the expected direction were found between EI and perceived stress, with EI accepted as a unique entity despite strong relationships with the emotional dimensions of personality. The hypoFinal Year Project that perceived stress is negatively correlated with both personality hardiness and the emotional dimensions of personality was rejected. Therefore EI was found to be predictive of better stress management, with potential impacts discussed. Author keywords: Emotional intelligence, perceived stress, personality, hardiness, big five, recession
