Parenting and Emotional Intelligence

Parenting shapes how children learn to manage emotions, forming the basis of emotional intelligence, and different parenting practices differ across generations, culture, and family life. In this study, we examined how parenting styles and practices explain differences in emotional intelligence. A total of 360 participants took part in the study, equally divided across three generational cohorts (Partition, Transition, Post-Liberalization) and gender groups. Mediation analysis showed that parental responsiveness was a strong predictor of emotional intelligence (? = .20, p < .001). Participants from the Transition (? = .06, p = .003) and Post-Liberalization cohorts (? = .09, p < .001) reported higher responsiveness, which in turn predicted higher emotional intelligence. Parental control showed a small, nonsignificant effect (? = ?.09, p = .106). Gender differences were very small and not significant (? = ?.004, p = .940). The findings suggest that emotional intelligence is shaped mainly by responsive parenting and generational change. Parenting in Mizoram reflects both cultural traditions and historical shifts.