interaction anxiety but not performance anxiety. A model permitting these three predictors to intercorrelate indicated that the EI factor was the dominant predictor of interpersonal adjustment–substantially reducing the unique contribution made by interaction anxiety. As such, this pattern reflected the principal contributions made to interaction anxiety by the interpersonal and particularly intrapersonal domains of EI.
As defined, emotional intelligence is the ability to “monitor one’s own and others’ emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use the information to guide one’s thinking and actions” (Summerfeldt et al. 57). The general concept of EI is partly rooted in Thorndike’s concept of “social intelligence” and Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences–particularly “intrapersonal” and “interpersonal” intelligence. These intrapersonal and interpersonal competencies are central to contemporary conceptualizations of EI. The association between social anxiety and various indices of impaired interpersonal functioning is very well demonstrated throughout studies. Individuals with clinical levels of social anxiety are likely to live alone, remain single, and to report impaired relationships with family and peers. On the other hand, in nonclinical populations, social anxiety and its variants have been linked with loneliness, lessened social support, and quality of relationships. This significant differentiation may be best represented by the relative contribution of two distinct social anxiety constructs: fears solely about activities where one might be observed or scrutinized by others and fears about interpersonal interactions.
There exist several mechanisms that may underlie the connection between social anxiety and impaired social functioning–two of which can be considered as problems with interpersonal competencies. Social skill deficits and distorted cognitive appraisals of the self and social interactions (leading to the inaccuracy of judgement both of one’s own and others’ social behaviors) are a result of these. Despite fundamental differences, these two mechanisms may have a comparable impact on functioning, possibly leading to disruptive levels of situational distress, the appearance of social ineptness, and negative evaluation by others. Intrapersonal variables such as increased self-focus, anxiety over one’s potential emotional responses, and inaccurate appraisals of one’s emotional displays figure prominently in cognitive appraisal models of social anxiety. As such, social anxiety is simply a trait with negative inter- a