On the Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Personality Traits with Attitudes Toward a Sensitive Topic (Using the Problem of Domestic Violence as an Example)

The article presents an overview of the results of an exploratory empirical study conducted by the author with the purpose of testing the relationship between subjective factors such as emotional intelligence and the Big Five traits with attitudes toward sensitive topics in sociological surveys (using the problem of domestic violence as an example). The topic of domestic violence was chosen because it is actively discussed in the media discourse, but at the same time, it still remains rather a taboo for Russian society. The sensitivity of the questions is determined not only by the topic, but also by the personal context, so emotional intelligence and personality traits were chosen as subjective factors for the study. To measure emotional intelligence, we used the N. Schutte test as a reliable, valid and at the same time not too voluminous tool for a psychological technique, and to identify the traits of the Big Five, we used the technique of M.S.Egorova and O.V.Parshchikova. Some of the questions on domestic violence were taken from surveys by VCIOM (2011, 2019) and FOM (2019), and the author's questions were also added, including a "sincerity scale", according to which the respondent could assess at the end of the questionnaire the degree of his sincerity in answering the questions asked. The subjects were students aged 18-24 (n= 125). There was carried out a comparison of the obtained results with the results of surveys on the topic of domestic violence by VCIOM and FOM for the age group of 18-24 years, as well as a correlation analysis, which revealed the presence of a weak relationship between the indicators of emotional intelligence, extroversion and attitude towards the topic of domestic violence. As a result, a very significant conclusion was obtained that a high level of emotional intelligence is associated with the sincerity of respondents when answering sensitive topics. The article will be of interest primarily to specialists interested in the methodology of sociological research and interdisciplinary research.