The relationship between emotional intelligence, authenticity and self-disgust levels of university students

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships between emotional intelligence, authenticity, and self-disgust levels of university students. The study group consists of university students who are enrolled in various state universities in Türkiye during the year 2022. The research model of this study is a type of quantitative research called the relational survey model. The study group consists of a total of 555 university students, 440 of whom are female and 115 are male. Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire–Short Form, Self-Disgust Scale-Revised and Authenticity Scale were used in the study to data collection. SPSS 21 package program was used for the analysis of the data obtained in the study, and independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, correlation and multiple regression analysis were conducted. As a result of the research, according to the t-test analyses conducted to determine the differentiation level of variables by gender, it was found that the emotional intelligence and authenticity levels of males were higher than those of females, while self-disgust did not show any difference between genders. According to the one-way ANOVA conducted to determine the differentiation level of variables by income status, the emotional intelligence level was higher in individuals with higher income, while self-disgust was higher in individuals with lower income. Authenticity level did not show any difference among income groups. According to the correlation analysis, there is a positive relationship between emotional intelligence and authenticity, a negative relationship between emotional intelligence and self-disgust, and a negative relationship between authenticity and self-disgust. According to the multiple regression analyses, it was observed that the subscales of emotional intelligence were significant predictors of authenticity. The subscales of emotional intelligence including well-being, self-discipline, emotionality, and sociability together explained 53% of the variance in authenticity scores. Lastly, it was found that the subscales of emotional intelligence were significant predictors of self-disgust. The subscales of emotional intelligence including well-being, self-discipline, emotionality, and sociability together explained 41% of the variance in self-disgust scores.