Reuven Bar-On () is an Israeli

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and explanation, interpretatio ...

and one of the leading pioneers, theorists and researchers in

emotional intelligence Emotional intelligence (EI), also known as emotional quotient (EQ), is the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions. High emotional intelligence includes emotional recognition of emotions of the self and others, using ...

. Bar-On is thought to be the first to introduce the concept of an “EQ” (“Emotional Quotient”) to measure “emotional and social competence”,The "Emotional Quotient" ("EQ") was described on page 419 of a copy of Reuven Bar-On’s doctoral dissertation submitted to Rhodes University in July 1985. In that it was accepted by two of the three readers and not unanimously, it was revised, resubmitted and eventually accepted. although the acronym was used earlier to describe ideas that were not associated with

''per se''. In the first copy of his doctoral dissertation, which was submitted in 1985, Bar-On proposed a quantitative approach to creating “an EQ analogous to an IQ score”.

Contributions to the field of emotional intelligence

Bar-On developed a conceptual and psychometric model of

(or “emotional and social competence” as he originally referred to this construct in his doctoral dissertationBar-On, R. (1988). The development of a concept of psychological well-being. Doctoral dissertation, Rhodes University, South Africa.); and since 1982, has been examining the ability of this model to predict various aspects of human behavior and performance. The Bar-On model is described as one of the three major models of

in the ''Encyclopedia of Applied Psychology'', although other variations of these models have surfaced over the years.

The Bar-On concept of emotional and social intelligence

Bar-On created his model of emotional and social intelligence to expand psychological assessment. The focus of his doctoral research was

psychological Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

well-being. He wanted to include a wider range of contributors to behavior and performance.Multi-Health Systems (2011). ''The Emotional Quotient Inventory 2.0:'' ''User’s handbook''. Toronto, ON: Multi-Health Systems. While working as a

clinical psychologist Clinical psychology is an integration of human science, behavioral science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well ...

, he became influenced by the emerging field of

positive psychology Positive psychology is the scientific study of conditions and processes that contribute to positive psychological states (e.g., contentment, joy), well-being, Positive psychology of relationships, positive relationships, and positive institutio ...

and began shifting his interest from

psychopathology Psychopathology is the study of mental illness. It includes the signs and symptoms of all mental disorders. The field includes Abnormal psychology, abnormal cognition, maladaptive behavior, and experiences which differ according to social norms ...

to assessing and developing

which he argued is an integral part of

(in 2010). In a review of the theoretical foundations for his model, Bar-On refers to the influence of

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English Natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...

's work on the adaptive importance of emotional expression, as recorded in Darwin's 1872 publication, ''

The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals ''The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals'' is Charles Darwin's third major work of evolutionary theory, following ''On the Origin of Species'' (1859) and '' The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex'' (1871). Initially in ...

''. Bar-On's conceptual model describes an array of interrelated emotional and social competencies that determine how effective individuals are at understanding and expressing themselves, understanding others and interacting with them as well as coping with daily demands and challenges.Plake, B. S., & Impara, J. C. (Eds.) (2001). Test reviews of the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory. ''The fourteenth mental measurement yearbook''. Lincoln, NE: Buros Institute for Mental Measurement. These competencies are clustered into the following five meta-factors: (1) the ability to be aware of emotions as well as to understand and express feelings; (2) the ability to understand how others feel and interact with them; (3) the ability to manage and control emotions; (4) the ability to manage change, adapt and solve problems of a personal and interpersonal nature; and (5) the ability to generate positive affect to enhance self-motivation, in order to facilitate emotionally and socially intelligent behavior. These five meta-factors comprise a total of 15 factors.

Bar-On's measure of emotional and social intelligence

In 1982, Bar-On began developing the precursor of the ''Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory™'' (''EQ-i™''), which was designed to study and assess the emotional and social competencies he identified. The specific process involved in developing this self-report measure, how it was normed and validated as well as its

psychometric Psychometrics is a field of study within psychology concerned with the theory and technique of measurement. Psychometrics generally covers specialized fields within psychology and education devoted to testing, measurement, assessment, and rela ...

properties are described elsewhere in much greater detail and by the author in numerous other publications. The 1997 published version of this assessment

instrument comprises 133 items clustered into 15 scales, which loaded on the five composite scales assessing the five meta-factors described above. The ''EQ-i™'' was the first measure of

to be published by a psychological test publisher and the first such measure to be peer-reviewed in the '' Mental Measurement Yearbook'', which described it as valid and reliable measure of the

concept. According to what has been posted on the publisher's website (www.mhs.com), the ''EQ-i™'' was translated into more than 30 languages and used extensively worldwide. In addition to the self-report measure described here, a multi-rater version – the ''Bar-On EQ-360™'' – was developed in 2003 and also peer-reviewed in the '' Mental Measurement Yearbook''. A youth version for children and adolescents – the ''Bar-On EQ-i:YV™'' – was developed before that in 2000, based on the Bar-On model as well. The ''Bar-On'' ''EQ-i:YV™'' was the first psychometric instrument to be published that was specifically designed to assess emotionally intelligent behavior in children and adolescents. In addition to being reviewed in the '' Mental Measurement Yearbook'', it was selected by a team of

psychometrician Psychometrics is a field of study within psychology concerned with the theory and technique of measurement. Psychometrics generally covers specialized fields within psychology and education devoted to testing, measurement, assessment, and rela ...

s at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

as the emotional intelligence test of choice for children, and was recommended to the British Department of Education for use in schools throughout the United Kingdom. Bar-On's original 1997 version of the ''EQ-i™'' was revised in 2011by Multi-Health Systems; and the resultant ''EQ-i 2.0™'' was released in 2012. As is the case with other assessment instruments, the revision was conducted in an effort to avoid the language from becoming dated. According to the publisher's technical manual, the ''EQ-i 2.0™'' is described as a revised

instrument based on the original Bar-On model. The manual reveals that the overall correlation between the ''EQ-i 2.0™'' and the original ''EQ-i™'' is .90 and that the correlations between the scales of the two versions range from .49 to .90; and based on a series of factor analyses that were conducted, the findings support, for the most part, the original 15-factor structure and the 5-meta-factor structure of the Bar-On conceptual model.

The predictive ability of the Bar-On model

Although a few scholars have questioned the construct validity of the Bar-On model, findings indicate that the Bar-On model of emotional intelligence significantly affects: (1) physical health;Fund, S. (2001). ''The emotional intelligence study''. Tel-Aviv, Israel: IDF Department of Human Resources. (2) cognitive functioning, didactic effectiveness, academic performance and career decision-making; (3) occupational performance and leadership, job satisfaction and organizational effectiveness; (4) creativity and innovative thinking; and (5) psychological health and well-being. In addition to the validity studies referenced here as well as the reviews mentioned in the ''Encyclopedia of Applied Psychology'' and in the '' Mental Measurement Yearbook'', other researchers have also concluded that the Bar-On model is a valid and reliable measure of emotional and social intelligence. Additionally, Bar-On has authored or co-authored more than 40 publications describing his model including its predictive ability and applicability; and these publications have been cited in thousands of other publications, including peer-reviewed articles and doctoral dissertations.

Academic honors

For his contribution to the field of

, Bar-On was nominated for an

Honorary Doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

Degree by the

University of Pretoria The University of Pretoria (, ) is a multi-campus public university, public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and ''de facto'' capital of South Africa. The university was established in 1908 as the Pretoria campus of the Johan ...

in 2006, received a Fellowship in the

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

in 2008, and was invited to present a keynote address at the 30th International Congress of Psychology, held in Cape Town in 2012.

International Union of Psychological Science The International Union of Psychological Science, abbreviated IUPsyS, is the global umbrella organization for psychology. History Starting in 1889, an International Congress of Psychology has been held every few years. The International Congr ...

International Congress of Psychology
accessed 14 October 2021

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bar-On, Reuven Israeli psychologists 1944 births People from San Diego San Francisco State University alumni Pepperdine University alumni Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni Rhodes University alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni Living people 20th-century American psychologists 21st-century American psychologists