Home⇛International Journal of Multidisciplinary: Applied Business and Education Research⇛vol. 6 no. 3 (2025)

Emotional Intelligence and Aggressive Behaviors: The Case of Police Officers Frontliners Amid Covid-19 Pandemic

Teresa Jane J. Virtudazo | Rowell B. Pallega | Leo A. Naparota

Discipline: Social Sciences

 

Abstract:

This study aimed to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence and aggressive behaviors among Philippine National Police (PNP) frontliners during the COVID-19 pandemic. The respondents included 180 police officers from the Dipolog and Dapitan City Police Stations. Utilizing a descriptive-correlational research design and a quantitative approach, data were gathered through a questionnaire checklist and analyzed using frequency counting, percentages, weighted mean, standard deviation, the Mann-Whitney test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman Rank Order Correlation Coefficient.The findings revealed that police officers exhibited high levels of emotional intelligence, including self-awareness, emotion regulation, self-motivation, social awareness, social skills, and receptivity. Emotional intelligence was unaffected by age, sex, or years of experience. Meanwhile, the officers demonstrated rare physical aggression but moderate levels of verbal, emotional, and hostile aggression, resulting in an overall moderate level of aggression. Aggressive behaviors showed no significant differences based on age or years of experience but varied significantly by sex. It means that women often score higher in social awareness and empathy, while men excel in self-confidence or emotion regulation. Moreover, the study identified a marginal but significant positive relationship between emotional intelligence and aggressive behaviors at a medium level. The findings suggest that law enforcement officers should enhance their ability to monitor and manage emotions in themselves and others to guide their actions effectively. It is recommended that police stations in Dipolog and Dapitan establish partnerships with health and social care providers to support staff well-being, manage risks, and address aggressive behavior incidents through prevention, protection, and treatment strategies.



References:

  1. Adame, J. L., Perea, M., Manibo, Q. R. P. (2019). Levels of Anger, Emotion Dysregulation and Conflict Management Style Among Police Officers. Available Online [Accessed: February 22, 2021].
  2. Aldao, A., Sheppes, G., Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion regulation flexibility. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 39, 263–278. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-014-9662-4
  3. Aniţei, M., Birău, M., Chraif, M., Burtăverde, V., Mihăilă, T. (2014). Social context differences in aggressive behavior perception between police officers working in offices and police officers working in the field. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 127, 872-877. Available Online [Accessed: April 14, 2021].
  4. Arcega, A. M., Caballero, R. T. (2019). The Moderating Effects of Psychological Capital on Workplace Bullying and Burnout in the Philippine National Police. Available Online [Accessed: April 10, 2021].
  5. Arnett, J. J. (2015). Emerging adulthood: The winding road from the late teens through the twenties (4th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
  6. Baba, M. (2020). Navigating COVID-19 with Emotional Intelligence. International Journal of Social Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764020934519 [Accessed: March 5, 2021].
  7. Basilio, R. D., et al. (2017). Job Satisfaction Levels of PNP Employees in a Provincial City. Available Online [Accessed: March 4, 2021].
  8. Baumeister, R. F., Bushman, B. J. (2007). Angry emotions and aggressive behaviors. Available Online [Accessed: March 3, 2021].
  9. Bidyadhar, S., et al. (2019). The relationship between self-esteem, emotional intelligence, and empathy among students from six health professional programs. Teaching and Learning in Medicine.
  10. Blum, L. (2000). Force under pressure: How cops live and why they die. New York, NY: Lantern Books.
  11. Carmeli, A. (2003). The relationship between emotional intelligence and work attitudes, behavior and outcomes: An examination among senior managers. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 18(8), 788–813. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940310511881
  12. Cherniss, C. (2010). Emotional intelligence: Toward clarification of a concept. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 3(2), 110-126. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9434.2010.01231.x
  13. Clark, C., Michel, J., Zhdanova, L., Pui, S., Baltes, B. (2014). All work and no play? A meta-analytic examination of the correlates and outcomes of workaholism. Journal of Management, 42(7), 1836–1873. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314522301
  14. Cordner, G., Scarborough, K. (2010). Police administration (7th ed.). New Providence, NJ: LexisNexis/Anderson Publishing.
  15. Daus, C. S., Ashkanasy, N. M. (2005). The case for the ability-based model of emotional intelligence in organizational behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(4), 453–466. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.321
  16. De la Fuente Solana, E. I., Parra-Pérez, J. (2020). Emotional intelligence as a predictor of stress and burnout in police officers. Journal of Criminal Psychology, 10(3), 123–136. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCP-03-2020-0010
  17. Ekman, P. (1992). Are there basic emotions? Psychological Review, 99(3), 550–553. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.99.3.550
  18. Engle, E. M. (2021). Stress and coping strategies among police officers in high-crime areas. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 36(1), 20–32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-020-09377-w
  19. Furnham, A., Petrides, K. V. (2003). Trait emotional intelligence and happiness. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 31(8), 815–824. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2003.31.8.815
  20. Gardner, L., Stough, C. (2002). Examining the relationship between leadership and emotional intelligence in senior level managers. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 23(2), 68–78. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437730210419198
  21. Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. New York: Bantam Books.
  22. Goleman, D. (1998). Working with Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam Books.
  23. Grant, A. M., Parker, S. K., Collins, C. G. (2009). Getting credit for proactive behavior: Supervisor reactions depend on what you value and how you feel. Personnel Psychology, 62(1), 31–55. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2008.01128.x
  24. Guy, M. E., Newman, M. A., Mastracci, S. H. (2008). Emotional Labor: Putting the Service in Public Service. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.
  25. Hansson, J., Jönsson, P., Berglund, K., Sundin, Ö. (2021). Emotional challenges and coping strategies in police work: A narrative study. Police Practice and Research, 22(5), 1331–1346. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2020.1792111
  26. Harms, P. D., Credé, M. (2010). Emotional intelligence and transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analysis. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 17(1), 5–17. https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051809350894
  27. Hsieh, C. C., Wang, D. T. (2015). The moderating effect of emotional intelligence on the relationship between task conflict and team performance. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 43(2), 229–238. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2015.43.2.229
  28. Hülsheger, U. R., Alberts, H. J. E. M., Feinholdt, A., Lang, J. W. B. (2013). Benefits of mindfulness at work: The role of mindfulness in emotion regulation, emotional exhaustion, and job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98(2), 310–325. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031313
  29. Joseph, D. L., Newman, D. A. (2010). Emotional intelligence: An integrative meta-analysis and cascading model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(1), 54–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017286
  30. Kaltner, S., Jansen, P. (2015). Emotion and expertise: The impact of emotional intelligence on performance in police officers. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 30(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-013-9139-0
  31. Karimi, L., Leggat, S. G., Donohue, L., Farrell, G., Couper, G. E. (2014). Emotional rescue: The role of emotional intelligence and emotional labour on well-being and job-stress among community nurses. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 70(1), 176–186. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12185
  32. Kaur, H., Sambasivan, M., Kumar, N. (2013). Effect of spiritual intelligence, emotional intelligence, and cognitive intelligence on employee performance: A study among public sector employees in Malaysia. Asian Journal of Business Research, 3(1), 10–17. https://doi.org/10.14707/ajbr.130002
  33. Kaur, P., Malhotra, P. (2013). Emotional intelligence and work performance: A study among managers. Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 49(1), 25–36. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23509866
  34. Kidwell, R. E., Mossholder, K. W., Bennett, N. (1997). Cohesiveness and organizational citizenship behavior: A multilevel analysis using work groups and individuals. Journal of Management, 23(6), 775–793. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0149-2063(97)90018-3
  35. Kim, H. J., Shin, K. H., Umbreit, W. T. (2007). Hotel job burnout: The role of emotional intelligence, emotional labor, and social support. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 26(2), 421–434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2006.04.001
  36. Kruml, S. M., Geddes, D. (2000). Exploring the dimensions of emotional labor: The heart of Hochschild’s work. Management Communication Quarterly, 14(1), 8–49. https://doi.org/10.1177/0893318900141002
  37. Landa, J. M. A., López-Zafra, E., Martos, M. P. B., Aguilar-Luzón, M. D. C. (2008). The relationship between emotional intelligence, occupational stress and health in nurses: A questionnaire survey. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 45(6), 888–901. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2007.01.005
  38. Langhorn, S. (2004). How emotional intelligence can improve management performance. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 16(4), 220–230. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110410537379
  39. Law, K. S., Wong, C. S., Huang, G. H., Li, X. (2008). The effects of emotional intelligence on job performance and life satisfaction for the research and development scientists in China. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 25(1), 51–69. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-007-9062-3.
  40. Lopes, P. N., Salovey, P., Côté, S., Beers, M., Petty, R. E. (2005). Emotion regulation abilities and the quality of social interaction. Emotion, 5(1), 113–118. https://doi.org/10.1037/1528-3542.5.1.113

Tools


Copyright © 2025  KITE Digital Educational Solutions |  Exclusively distributed by CE-Logic