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Individual Differences in Emotional Complexity: Their Psychological Implications
Author(s) -
Kang SunMee,
Shaver Phillip R.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of personality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.082
H-Index - 144
eISSN - 1467-6494
pISSN - 0022-3506
DOI - 10.1111/j.0022-3506.2004.00277.x
Subject(s) - psychology , interpersonal communication , construct (python library) , personal distress , openness to experience , cognitive complexity , test (biology) , social psychology , sentence completion tests , cognition , developmental psychology , empathy , paleontology , neuroscience , computer science , biology , programming language
Two studies explored the nature and psychological implications of individual differences in emotional complexity, defined as having emotional experiences that are broad in range and well differentiated. Emotional complexity was predicted to be associated with private self‐consciousness, openness to experience, empathic tendencies, cognitive complexity, ability to differentiate among named emotions, range of emotions experienced daily, and interpersonal adaptability. The Range and Differentiation of Emotional Experience Scale (RDEES) was developed to test these hypotheses. In Study 1 ( N =1,129) students completed questionnaire packets containing the RDEES and various outcome measures. Study 2 ( N =95) included the RDEES and non‐self‐report measures such as peer reports, complexity of representations of the emotion domain, and level of ego development measured by a sentence completion test. Results supported all of the hypotheses, providing extensive evidence for the RDEES's construct validity. Findings were discussed in terms of the role of emotional complexity in ego maturity and interpersonal adaptability.