Keywords: Emotional Intelligence; Individual Well-Being; Individual Achievement; Social Relationships; Work Success.
The first definition of "Emotional Intelligence" was proposed by Salovey and Mayer
(1990) that describe this construct as "the ability to monitor one's own and others' feelings
and emotions, and to use this information to guide one's thinking and actions". Since
then, many researchers have dealt with Emotional Intelligence, considering it the "key
variable" for individual and organizational success. Here, it will be proposed a review of
development of emotional intelligence through a synthesis of the many contributions that
provide it a theoretical and experimental framework, since the origin to recent studies.
In particular, there will be examined: 1. the definition of Emotional Intelligence; 2. theoretical
models of Emotional Intelligence; 3. the most used scale used for measurement
of Emotional Intelligence; 4. applications of Emotional Intelligence with regard to educational
and organizational settings. Finally, a short critical discussion will be proposed.