Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire – 360 (TEIQue-360)

Abstract

The Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire- 360 (TEIQUE 360) is a comprehensive, multi-rater assessment tool designed to measure an individual’s emotional self-perceptions across a wide array of facets. Developed within the framework of Trait Emotional Intelligence theory, the TEIQUE 360 collects feedback not only from the respondent (self-report) but also from multiple sources, such as peers, supervisors, and subordinates, providing a holistic, 360-degree view of their emotional profile. This format is particularly valuable in organizational, coaching, and developmental settings where convergent validity across different observers is critical for performance evaluation and targeted intervention.

The instrument is based on the hierarchical model of Trait EI, positing that emotional intelligence is a constellation of emotional self-perceptions located at the lower levels of personality organization. The 360 version allows for detailed analysis of discrepancies between self-perception and observer perceptions, offering crucial insights into an individual’s emotional blind spots and strengths, thereby enhancing the utility of the scale in high-stakes professional environments.

Keywords

Trait Emotional Intelligence, TEIQue, 360 Assessment, Emotional Self-Efficacy, Personality, Organizational Psychology, Psychometrics, Multi-rater Feedback.

Authors

K. V. Petrides, F. Furnham, and colleagues.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the TEIQUE 360 is to provide a detailed and multi-faceted assessment of an individual’s dispositional emotional profile using feedback gathered from various raters. Unlike standard self-report measures, the 360 format is specifically employed to mitigate common response biases (such as social desirability) and to provide ecologically valid data regarding how an individual’s emotional traits manifest in interpersonal and professional contexts.

The scale aims to map the individual’s emotional landscape across 15 distinct facets, which aggregate into four major factors, ultimately yielding a Global Trait EI score. The resulting profile is used for development planning, selection processes, coaching interventions, and general psychological assessment, particularly in adult populations within academic and corporate settings.

Construct

The TEIQUE 360 measures Trait Emotional Intelligence (Trait EI), a concept defined as a constellation of emotional self-perceptions and dispositions located at the lowest levels of personality hierarchies. Trait EI is conceptually distinct from Ability Emotional Intelligence, which focuses on maximum performance on emotional tasks. Trait EI concerns typical behavior and emotional self-efficacy, making it amenable to measurement via self-report and observer reports.

The hierarchical model measured by the TEIQUE 360 consists of four major factors: Well-being (including optimism and self-esteem), Self-control (including stress management and impulse control), Emotionality (including empathy and emotion perception), and Sociability (including assertiveness and social competence). These factors are comprised of 15 lower-level facets that provide granular data on the respondent’s emotional functioning.

Validity

Extensive research supports the Validity of the TEIQUE framework, which extends to the 360 version. Construct validity has been demonstrated through factor analytic studies confirming the hypothesized hierarchical structure across diverse samples and cultures. Convergent validity is established by showing significant positive correlations with established personality dimensions, particularly neuroticism (negative correlation) and extraversion (positive correlation).

Furthermore, the TEIQUE consistently exhibits high predictive validity. Trait EI scores have been shown to predict important life outcomes, including academic performance, job satisfaction, leadership effectiveness, and mental and physical health indicators. The 360 format enhances ecological validity by integrating observer reports, which often correlate strongly with objective performance measures and organizational outcomes, thereby strengthening the instrument’s utility in applied settings.

Reliability

The TEIQUE 360 demonstrates robust psychometric properties, particularly in terms of Reliability. Internal consistency, typically measured using Cronbach’s alpha, is consistently high across the Global Trait EI score and the four main factors, generally exceeding acceptable thresholds (e.g., α > .85 for Global Trait EI).

Test-retest reliability studies confirm the temporal stability of Trait EI scores, indicating that the construct measured by the TEIQUE is stable over time, consistent with its conceptualization as a personality trait. The reliability of the multi-rater feedback is ensured through standardized administration protocols and clear instructions for observers, minimizing noise and maximizing the correlation between different rater perspectives.

Factor Analysis

The structure of the TEIQUE, foundational to the 360 version, has been rigorously tested using exploratory and confirmatory Factor Analysis. These analyses consistently support the four-factor oblique structure (Well-being, Self-control, Emotionality, and Sociability) that underpins the 15 primary facets.

The hierarchical model is validated by demonstrating that these four factors load onto a higher-order factor representing Global Trait EI. This robust factor structure indicates that the scale items effectively measure the intended dimensions of the Trait EI construct, allowing for meaningful interpretation of scores at both the global and facet levels, which is essential for accurate feedback in the 360 context.

Instrument

Test Type: Multi-rater (360-degree feedback) and self-report questionnaire.

Format: Typically uses a 7-point Likert scale (1 = completely disagree to 7 = completely agree).

Language Available: Available in numerous translations worldwide (e.g., English, Spanish, German, French, Chinese, etc.).

Population Group: Adults and adolescents.

Age Group: Generally 18 years and older for the standard adult version; specific versions exist for children (TEIQue-CF).

Population Details: Used extensively in organizational, educational, clinical, and general population research.

Test Methodology: Standardized administration, usually online. The 360 process involves simultaneous rating by the focal person and multiple nominated raters (e.g., colleagues, supervisors). Scoring is proprietary, providing norm-referenced feedback.

Keywords

Emotionality, Self-control, Well-being, Sociability, Personality Assessment, Psychometric Tool, Organizational Development, Leadership.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Information varies by specific author; K. V. Petrides’ academic profiles can be consulted for current identification details.

Affiliation Email addresses: Managed through the official TEIQue licensing body (e.g., TEIQue Ltd. or academic departments).

Correspondence Address: Correspondence is typically directed to the Centre for the Study of Trait Emotional Intelligence, London, UK.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The TEIQUE 360 is a proprietary instrument. Permission for use, scoring, and materials must be obtained directly from the copyright holder, K. V. Petrides, and the authorized distributors (e.g., TEIQue Ltd.). Fees apply for administration, scoring, and professional reports, particularly for commercial or organizational use of the 360 version. The original foundational research for the TEIQue began in the late 1990s, with the full-form questionnaire and subsequent 360 adaptations being developed and standardized around the early 2000s and continuously updated since then.

Reference’s

• Petrides, K. V. (2009). Technical manual for the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaires (TEIQue). London: K. V. Petrides.

• Petrides, K. V., & Furnham, A. (2003). Trait emotional intelligence: Behavioural validation studies of the TEIQue. European Journal of Personality, 17(5), 399-406.

• Petrides, K. V., Pita, R., & Kokkinaki, F. (2007). The assessment of trait emotional intelligence in children and adolescents. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 25(2), 297-314.

• Mikolajczak, M., Luminet, O., Leroy, V., & Roy, E. (2007). Psychometric properties of the French version of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue). Journal of Personality Assessment, 88(3), 338-348.

Items of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire- 360 (TEIQUE)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

The original source content containing the scale items was removed based on a request from the publisher due to copyright restrictions. Therefore, the specific items for the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire- 360 (TEIQUE) cannot be provided here.