Emotional Intelligence Exploring its Relationship with Conflict Management Occupational Stress and Job Satisfaction of Doctors

Abstract

newline vi newlineABSTRACT newlineDoctors are working in a very demanding environment. They are members of newlinehigh-stress occupations. The specific factors, which make the doctors job so stressful, newlineinvolve their responsibility for people instead of objects , and the point that their newlineactions or errors have an intense impact on human life. Unreasonable workloads, long newlineworking hours, schedule inflexibility, limited career development opportunities, shift newlinework, and night shift etc., have resulted in a worsening of working conditions for newlinedoctors. The shortage of doctors and stressful working conditions may add to the newlineconflict. Struggle for inadequate resources and the dependency of medical newlineprofessionals on one another can also generate situation for disagreements that may newlineintensify into inter-personal conflict. Inter-personal conflict is extremely prevalent newlineamong doctors. Conflict can happen between doctors and their patients, doctors and newlinethe families of patients, doctors and other staff such as nurses, and also between newlinedoctors and doctors. Consequences of unresolved conflict can be many such as newlineincreased employee turnover, absenteeism, hampered teamwork, and less work newlineefficiency. newlineVarious scholars have recognized emotional intelligence as one of the newlinemeasures to lessen the impact of occupational stress. Researchers consider that newlineemotional intelligence and occupational stress are inter-connected variables. EI is newlineconsidered as a defensive construct that can protect an individual from stress. newlineIndividuals who have higher levels of EI are more capable of realizing and managing newlinestressful situations. Such individuals tend to be more adept at identifying when they newlinebegin to feel overwhelmed by stress. This awareness allows them to look into the newlinefactors leading to their stress, thus enabling them to develop strategies to cope and newlinemanage their emotional reaction to such stressors. newlineEI is also an important antecedent for effectively managing conflict. newlineEmotionally intelligent people consider their own emotions and others emotion, newlinediscriminate among them and to use the information to guide one s thinking and newlineaction. Regulating one s own emotion is of central importance in selecting from a newlinewide range of conflict handling styles. EI is associated with superior conflict newlineresolution skills, resulting in effective conflict management. Individuals high in newlineemotional intelligence work to maintain interpersonal relationships, whereas those newlinevii newlinewith lower levels of emotional intelligence tend to report greater use of negative newlineconflict behaviors that may affect their interpersonal relationships. Hence, individuals newlineare better able to manage conflict if they have higher levels of emotional intelligence. newlineThe present study aims to contribute to the research among doctors by examining the newlinerelationship of emotional intelligence with the occupational stress and conflict newlinemanagement of doctors. The study will also examine the effect of conflict newlinemanagement style and occupational stress on job satisfaction of doctors. newlineThe first chapter gives an overview of emotional intelligence, conflict management, newlineoccupational stress and job satisfaction. newlineThe second chapter is about the review of literature pertaining to the newlinerelationship between emotional intelligence and conflict management, emotional newlineintelligence and occupational stress, emotional and job satisfaction. newlineThe third chapter deals with research methodology adopted for the present newlinestudy. It describes the research design, sampling design, tools used, data collection newlinemethods employed and statistical techniques used for data analysis. newlineThe fourth chapter presents the analysis of the relationship between emotional newlineintelligence and conflict management, emotional intelligence and occupational stress newlineand the impact of conflict management and occupational stress on job satisfaction of newlinedoctors with respect to their emotional intelligence. newlineThe fifth chapter includes the important findings of the study, conclusion and the newlineimplications of the study. newlineThe sixth chapter provides future directions and limitations of the study.