The role of the excessive social media use in emotional intelligence in adolescents

Abstract

The concept of emotional intelligece is a highly complex phenomenon, and scientists have extensively studied it, developing various approaches, but have yet to reach a consensus (Altunbaş, 2018). Emotional development begins at birth, accelerates particularly in early childhood, and continues throughout a person's life. Emotional intelligence, defined as the ability to understand oneself and also expressed as the ability to understand others (Atkinson RL., Atkinson RC., and Hilgard, 1995), consists of four sub-dimensions. Subjective well-being is defined as an individual's satisfaction with their life, awareness of their potential, recognition of their strengths, and ability to look at life positively. Self-control is defined as an individual's ability to control their emotional states, make decisions in the face of situations encountered in life, and change their decisions when necessary. Emotionality is defined as an individual's ability to distinguish between the emotions and feelings they experience, to show their emotions towards the people around them, and to establish good relationships with them. Sociability refers to the ability to interact with people around you, influence their emotions, defend yourself, and take a stance in conflicts and disputes. It is known that emotions and emotional intelligence are quite important for individuals, and that they are extremely important, especially during adolescence and for developmental characteristics. During this period, adolescents experience physical and emotional development. Along with these changes, they go through a significant process of maturing both sexually and psychosocially, gaining autonomy, identity awareness, and becoming socially productive. Furthermore, for adolescents, this period is a time when, in addition to cognitive development, they develop identity characteristics, demonstrate psychological and social development, and become ready for adulthood (Derman, 2008). Adolescents prefer to act independently and be alone rather than spending time with their families. It is thought that adolescents who distance themselves from their families increase their communication and interaction with their friends, peers, and social environment. It has been observed that adolescents use technological tools and devices for interaction with their social environment and peers. The intensive use of technological tools by adolescents for communication has also brought about a number of uncontrolled use problems. These tools, used uncontrollably by adolescents, have led to problems such as addiction over time. For adolescents who aim to create a new identity and self-image in social media and the virtual world by distancing themselves from their families, self-esteem and emotional intelligence characteristics are influential (Bayraktutan, 2005). In this respect, the study revealed the relationship between internet addiction in adolescents and self-esteem and emotional intelligence