Personal Factors That Foster Emotional Intelligence among Consecrated Women Religious: A Case Study of Morogoro Diocese, Tanzania

Women religious are called to give Gospel witness to the world, not only through their ministry, but also through their very presence. Yet, like all human beings, they are not exempt from the ordinary struggles of emotion, struggles that, left unattended, can quietly weaken the very witness their vocation calls them to give. While there are limited studies done to the phenomenon understudy in religious setting, this study examined personal factors that foster emotional intelligence among consecrated women religious in the Catholic Diocese of Morogoro, Tanzania. A qualitative case study design was adopted, drawing on fifteen semi-structured interviews and two focus group discussions with twenty-five purposively and quota-sampled participants, comprising three Major Superiors, four Animators, four Formators, ten Perpetual Members, and four Experts serving as spiritual directors. Data were analysed thematically. Findings showed that emotional intelligence was fostered through four interrelated personal factors: formative experiences during initial formation, significant personal life experiences, spiritual reflection, and prayer as a means of emotional coping. The study concludes that emotional intelligence among women religious develops progressively through sustained formation, reflective engagement and spiritual commitment, rather than through a single formative event, and that interventions addressing only one of these factors are unlikely to be sufficient without coordinated attention across formation, personal accompaniment, and communal spiritual life.