Bienestar subjetivo y su relación con identidad de género e inteligencia emocional en personas adolescentes y adultas

Abstract

This dissertation aims to increase knowledge about subjective well-being in adolescents and adults. For this purpose, the influence of gender identity and Emotional Intelligence on subjective well-being has been analyzed. Study 1 analyzes the conceptualization of gender identity in Spanish adolescents in terms of valence, desirability and typicality, as well as the assessment of gender identity. The GRI-JUG-SP15, Spanish version of gender identity, includes both positive and negative attributes. Our results identify a slight change in gender stereotypes in Spanish adolescents. It was found a certain break with the traditional masculinity-man and femininity-woman association. Specifically, it was identified that the positive attributes were related to masculinity and femininity dimensions, while the negative ones were better described in terms of activity and passivity. This would imply that the negative has no gender, that is, it is not associated with the culturally linked to the masculine or feminine. Specifically, the results indicated that a) adolescents reported broad agreement regarding the valence of the attributes; b) an effect was found both for the gender of the participant and for the target gender; c) adolescents considered positive adjectives, feminine and masculine, desirable for girls; d) they considered the set of female attributes as more desirable for girls; they did not contemplate positive feminine attributes desirable for boys, nor did boys consider feminine attributes more desirable; e) the set of female attributes was considered more typical of girls and the male set more typical of boys, following traditional gender stereotypes and f) 50% of the adjectives were attributed by boys and girls indiscriminately, which could be interpreted as a certain dissolution of the masculine and feminine when they are used in self-definition. Study 2, aimed to analyze the relationship between subjective well-being, gender identity and emotional intelligence. The results indicated that emotional intelligence is a mediator in the relationship between subjective well-being and gender identity. In general, this study can be considered as a confirmation of the hypothesis of androgyny. Positive attributes, both male and female, increase life satisfaction and positive affect and decrease negative affect, through greater clarity and repair. Different mediation models were found for each component of emotional intelligence. It seems that clarity and repair are positively associated with subjective well-being, but attention is negatively associated with subjective well-being. Regarding the practical implications of this finding, it should be noted that programs to improve emotional intelligence in adolescents should take into account the gender identity of the people, promoting androgynous self-concept, as well as considering the negative relationship established between positive feminine and life satisfaction through emotional attention. Study 3 analyzed gender identity and emotional intelligence in different age groups, as well as the evaluation of gender identity in adults. Our results showed that gender identity become more positive with age. Young men maintain a more positive gender identity than young women. Furthermore, middle-aged women attribute negative feminine attributes to themselves more than men. Gender identity showed more relevance than gender in predicting emotional intelligence in different age groups. Gender was only relevant for repair in the middle-aged group. Emotional intelligence improves with age. The Spanish version of the gender identity measure for adults (PN-SRI-SP20), fits a 4-factor model: positive male, positive female, negative male, and negative female. It was confirmed that women and men maintain a traditional gender identity. In summary, these studies highlight the importance of including negative attributes in the conceptualization and evaluation of gender identity in adolescents and adults. This has made it possible to identify a certain break in the traditional masculinity-man and femininity-woman association in the adolescent population. The mediational effect of emotional intelligence has been found in the relationship between gender identity and subjective well-being. The relevance of gender identity in promoting subjective well-being and emotional intelligence has been identified. In addition, the androgyny hypothesis in promoting subjective well-being has been confirmed. The practical involvement is aimed at designing programs that promote subjective well-being and emotional intelligence.