The Level of Emotional Intelligence Among Psychology Students at the Faculty of Arts, University of Benghazi

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the level of emotional intelligence among undergraduate psychology students at the University of Benghazi and to explore the levels of its five dimensions: self-awareness, emotion regulation, empathy, self-confidence, and social skills. A descriptive research design was employed. The study population consisted of all psychology students enrolled during the 2025 academic year. A random sample of 181 students was selected based on Morgan’s sampling table.

Data were collected using the Emotional Intelligence Scale (E–Intelligence Test) developed by Saeed (2025). The scale demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .80). Descriptive statistics, including means and standard deviations, were used for data analysis.

The results revealed that the overall level of emotional intelligence among the participants was high (M = 3.96). Empathy ranked highest among the dimensions (M = 3.97), followed by self-confidence (M = 3.93) and emotion regulation (M = 3.87). Self-awareness showed a moderate level (M = 3.43), while social skills recorded the lowest mean score (M = 3.22).

The study highlights the need for targeted training programs focusing on self-awareness and social skills to enhance students’ emotional competence. The findings contribute to the growing literature on emotional intelligence in higher education within Arab and North African contexts.