Associations of the Managing the Emotions of Others Scale (MEOS) with HEXACO personality and with trait emotional intelligence at the factor and facet level

This paper extends previous work on the personality associations of the Managing the Emotions of Others Scale (MEOS) by examining its associations with HEXACO personality. Previous results on MEOS associations with trait emotional intelligence (EI) at the global score level were also extended by examining associations at the trait EI factor and facet levels, using the full-length TEIQue. All scales were self-report and were completed by 380 participants. The personality associations of the MEOS could be interpreted within the theoretical framework of the HEXACO personality model. In particular the Inauthentic MEOS factor was strongly associated with (low) Honesty-Humility (H), as would be expected given the interpersonally manipulative tendencies which are core to both low H and Inauthentic interpersonal emotion management. For trait EI, the most noteworthy finding was that in regression models the Sociability factor and the Emotion Management facet were positive predictors of all of the Enhance, Divert, Worsen and Inauthentic MEOS factors, i.e. of both prosocial and non-prosocial interpersonal emotion management. This contrasts with the pattern of respective positive/negative associations with total EI for the prosocial/non-prosocial MEOS scales.