Project – The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Interpersonal Relationships among Undergraduates of the University of Ibadan

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

University education involves more than the acquisition of academic knowledge and professional qualifications; it also provides an environment in which young adults develop social, emotional and interpersonal competencies that influence their adjustment and general well-being. Undergraduates interact regularly with lecturers, course mates, roommates, friends, student organisations and members of the wider university community. The quality of these interactions can influence students’ sense of belonging, psychological adjustment, academic engagement and ability to function effectively within the university environment. Emotional intelligence has become an important psychological construct in this context because it concerns the ability to perceive, understand, regulate and use emotions in ways that facilitate adaptive behaviour and social interaction. Salovey and Mayer (1990) conceptualised emotional intelligence as a set of abilities involving the monitoring of one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions and the use of emotional information to guide thought and action. Subsequent work by Mayer, Salovey and Caruso (2004) further established emotional intelligence as an important framework for understanding how individuals process emotional information and use it in interpersonal and social situations. 

Emotional intelligence is particularly relevant to university students because the transition into higher education often requires individuals to manage new academic demands, social relationships, personal responsibilities and emotional experiences. Students may encounter academic pressure, competition, homesickness, interpersonal disagreements, financial concerns, relationship difficulties and uncertainty about the future. The ability to recognise one’s emotional state, regulate emotional reactions, understand other people’s feelings and respond appropriately may therefore influence how students interact with others. The major dimensions commonly associated with emotional intelligence include self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. Research among Nigerian students provides evidence that these dimensions are associated with student adjustment and functioning. For example, a study of first-year students at the University of Ibadan found significant relationships between self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, social skills and students’ adjustment, with the emotional-intelligence dimensions jointly accounting for a substantial proportion of the variance in adjustment (Ogunyemi, 2024). 

Interpersonal relationships refer to the social connections and interactions individuals establish and maintain with other people. Among university students, such relationships may include friendships, peer relationships, roommate relationships, academic relationships with lecturers and other staff, romantic relationships and relationships within student associations. Healthy interpersonal relationships are generally characterised by communication, mutual respect, empathy, trust, cooperation, emotional support and constructive conflict resolution. Conversely, difficulties in communication, poor emotional regulation, lack of empathy and inability to manage interpersonal conflicts may contribute to misunderstanding and strained relationships. Agu and Nwankwo (2019), writing from a Nigerian context, emphasised the relevance of emotional intelligence to the maintenance of healthy interpersonal relationships and argued that the ability to monitor and understand emotions is particularly important for university students. Their work provides a Nigerian basis for considering emotional intelligence as a factor that may be related to the quality of students’ interpersonal relationships. 

The relationship between emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationships has also received empirical attention outside Nigeria. Individuals with greater emotional awareness may be better positioned to understand their own reactions and interpret the emotional experiences of others, which can support communication and relationship maintenance. Similarly, the capacity for emotional regulation may enable individuals to respond to disagreement without immediately resorting to hostility, withdrawal or other counterproductive behaviours. A study involving 609 university students found that emotional intelligence was significantly associated with the quality of interpersonal relationships, while narcissism was negatively associated with relationship quality; the researchers further reported that narcissism mediated the relationship between emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationship quality (Malik & Shah, 2011). These findings provide empirical support for examining emotional intelligence in relation to students’ interpersonal experiences and suggest that emotional competencies may have implications for how young adults initiate, maintain and manage relationships. 

Within the Nigerian university environment, emotional intelligence has also been examined in relation to students’ broader psychological and educational functioning. Babatunde (2018), in a study involving undergraduate students in Nigerian universities, investigated students’ emotional intelligence alongside parental involvement and academic achievement. The study found a linear relationship between the predictor variables and academic achievement and reported that emotional intelligence formed part of the factors associated with students’ educational outcomes. Similarly, research involving 443 Nigerian pre-university students found that perceived interpersonal and intrapersonal emotional intelligence positively predicted academic performance after controlling for gender and age (Pekrun et al., 2021). Although academic performance is different from interpersonal relationships, these findings demonstrate the broader relevance of emotional intelligence to students’ functioning and provide a basis for examining its possible relationship with social and interpersonal outcomes. 

The University of Ibadan provides an important context for examining the relationship between emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationships because it is a large university environment in which students from different cultural, socioeconomic, geographical and educational backgrounds interact. The university experience requires students to establish relationships across differences while coping with academic responsibilities and the developmental demands associated with emerging adulthood. Existing research at the University of Ibadan has already demonstrated the relevance of emotional intelligence to undergraduate students. Adeyemo (2007), for instance, studied 300 undergraduate students at the University of Ibadan and examined emotional intelligence in relation to academic self-efficacy and achievement. More recent University of Ibadan research has examined emotional-intelligence dimensions and adjustment among first-year students, reporting significant relationships between emotional-intelligence dimensions and adjustment. These studies establish that emotional intelligence is a relevant psychological variable among University of Ibadan undergraduates, but they do not specifically establish its relationship with interpersonal relationships across the undergraduate population. 

Despite the growing literature on emotional intelligence and student functioning, there remains a need for further empirical examination of the specific relationship between emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationships among undergraduates of the University of Ibadan. Existing research has examined emotional intelligence in relation to academic achievement, adjustment, social functioning and other outcomes, while studies conducted internationally have linked emotional intelligence with interpersonal relationship quality. In Nigeria, Agu and Nwankwo (2019) have highlighted the importance of emotional intelligence in maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships, and recent Nigerian research among university students has continued to investigate emotional intelligence and relationship outcomes. However, the specific association between emotional intelligence dimensions and interpersonal relationships among undergraduates at the University of Ibadan requires focused investigation. The present study therefore seeks to examine whether emotional intelligence is related to the quality of interpersonal relationships among University of Ibadan undergraduates, with particular attention to self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy and social skills. 

1.2 Statement of the Problem

University students are expected to establish and maintain relationships that enable them to function effectively within the academic and social environment. However, interpersonal difficulties such as misunderstanding, poor communication, disagreement, social isolation, difficulty trusting others and ineffective conflict resolution can affect students’ experiences within the university environment. Emotional intelligence may be relevant to these difficulties because students who have difficulty identifying or regulating their emotions may also experience challenges in responding appropriately during interpersonal interactions. Agu and Nwankwo (2019) specifically emphasised the importance of emotional intelligence in maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships and noted its relevance to university students. The problem, therefore, is that although interpersonal relationships are important to students’ social and psychological functioning, the emotional competencies that may facilitate or hinder these relationships require further empirical examination among undergraduates in Nigerian universities. 

A second problem concerns the difficulty some students may experience in regulating emotions during interpersonal disagreements. University students encounter situations involving conflicting opinions, competition, criticism, friendship problems, romantic disagreements and other social pressures. Without adequate self-awareness and self-regulation, emotional reactions may become difficult to manage and may contribute to strained interpersonal interactions. Research among University of Ibadan undergraduates has demonstrated significant relationships between emotional-intelligence dimensions, including self-awareness and self-regulation, and students’ adjustment (Ogunyemi, 2024). However, adjustment to the university environment is broader than the quality of interpersonal relationships. Consequently, it remains important to determine whether the emotional competencies demonstrated by students are specifically associated with how they establish and maintain relationships with peers and other members of the university community. 

Another problem concerns the role of empathy and social skills in students’ interpersonal relationships. Effective interpersonal interaction requires individuals to understand the perspectives and emotional experiences of others, communicate appropriately, cooperate with others and respond constructively to disagreement. Students who experience difficulties in these areas may have challenges developing supportive and stable relationships. Evidence from research on students’ interpersonal competence has shown positive relationships between emotional intelligence and interpersonal competencies such as initiating relationships, self-disclosure, providing emotional support and conflict resolution. Similarly, Nigerian research has identified emotional intelligence as relevant to healthy interpersonal relationships among students (Agu & Nwankwo, 2019). These findings suggest a relationship between emotional competence and interpersonal functioning, but there is still a need to examine this relationship within the specific social and educational context of University of Ibadan undergraduates. 

The central problem addressed by this study is therefore the limited empirical evidence specifically examining the relationship between emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationships among undergraduates of the University of Ibadan. Although studies at the University of Ibadan have examined emotional intelligence in relation to academic achievement and student adjustment, and Nigerian and international studies have examined emotional intelligence in relation to social functioning and interpersonal relationship quality, these areas of evidence do not fully establish the relationship between emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationships among the undergraduate population of the University of Ibadan. Adeyemo (2007) examined emotional intelligence among University of Ibadan undergraduates in relation to academic self-efficacy and achievement, while Babatunde (2018) examined emotional intelligence and academic achievement among Nigerian university students. The present study consequently seeks to address this gap by investigating whether emotional intelligence is significantly related to interpersonal relationships among undergraduates of the University of Ibadan. 

1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The broad aim of this study is to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationships among undergraduates of the University of Ibadan.

The specific objectives are to:

1. examine the relationship between self-awareness and interpersonal relationships among undergraduates of the University of Ibadan;
2. determine the relationship between self-regulation and interpersonal relationships among undergraduates of the University of Ibadan;
3. assess the relationship between empathy and interpersonal relationships among undergraduates of the University of Ibadan; and
4. examine the relationship between social skills and interpersonal relationships among undergraduates of the University of Ibadan.

1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions will guide the study:

1. What is the relationship between self-awareness and interpersonal relationships among undergraduates of the University of Ibadan?
2. What is the relationship between self-regulation and interpersonal relationships among undergraduates of the University of Ibadan?
3. What is the relationship between empathy and interpersonal relationships among undergraduates of the University of Ibadan?
4. What is the relationship between social skills and interpersonal relationships among undergraduates of the University of Ibadan?

1.5 Research Hypothesis

The following null hypothesis will be tested at the 0.05 level of significance:

H₀: There is no statistically significant relationship between emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationships among undergraduates of the University of Ibadan.

1.6 Significance of the Study

The study will be significant to undergraduates because it may provide greater awareness of the importance of emotional competencies in developing and maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships. Understanding the relevance of self-awareness, emotional regulation, empathy and social skills may encourage students to pay greater attention to how their emotions influence their interactions with peers and other members of the university community.

The study will also be useful to university counsellors and student-support professionals. Findings from the study may assist counsellors in identifying emotional and interpersonal competencies that could be incorporated into counselling programmes, orientation activities, student development initiatives and interventions aimed at improving students’ social adjustment.

The study may also be useful to the management of the University of Ibadan. Evidence concerning the relationship between emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationships may inform student-welfare programmes, peer-support initiatives, counselling services and other interventions designed to promote positive social interaction within the university environment.

The study will contribute to existing academic literature in Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Education, Sociology and related disciplines. It will provide empirical evidence from the University of Ibadan and may serve as a reference for researchers investigating emotional intelligence, interpersonal relationships, student adjustment and related psychological variables among university students.

1.7 Scope of the Study

The study focuses on the relationship between emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationships among undergraduates of the University of Ibadan.

Geographically, the study will be limited to undergraduate students of the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.

In terms of content, the independent variable is emotional intelligence, operationalised through four dimensions: self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy and social skills. The dependent variable is interpersonal relationships, which refers to students’ ability to establish, maintain and manage relationships with peers and other people within the university environment.

The study will focus specifically on undergraduate students and will not cover postgraduate students, university staff or students of other universities. It will also concentrate on the relationship between emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationships rather than examining emotional intelligence in relation to academic performance, although relevant literature on academic outcomes may be discussed to provide contextual understanding.

1.8 Operational Definition of Terms

Emotional Intelligence: The ability of an individual to recognise, understand, regulate and appropriately use emotions in oneself and in interactions with other people.

Self-Awareness: The ability of a student to recognise and understand his or her own emotions, feelings, strengths, weaknesses and emotional reactions.

Self-Regulation: The ability to control and manage emotional reactions, impulses and behaviours, particularly in situations involving stress, disagreement or interpersonal conflict.

Empathy: The ability to understand and appreciate the feelings, perspectives and emotional experiences of other people.

Social Skills: The abilities used to communicate, interact, cooperate, establish relationships, manage social situations and resolve interpersonal disagreements effectively.

Interpersonal Relationships: The social and emotional connections established and maintained between an individual and other people, including friendships, peer relationships, academic relationships and other social interactions.

Undergraduate: A student enrolled in a bachelor’s degree or other first-degree programme at the University of Ibadan.

Interpersonal Communication: The exchange of information, feelings, ideas and meanings between individuals through verbal and non-verbal communication.

Conflict Resolution: The process through which individuals address disagreements and seek peaceful and constructive solutions to interpersonal conflicts.

Social Adjustment: The process through which students adapt to the social, emotional and environmental demands of university life.

University of Ibadan: A Nigerian university located in Ibadan, Oyo State, and the institutional setting selected for this study.

Project – The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Interpersonal Relationships among Undergraduates of the University of Ibadan