Social Intelligence – A Significant Attribute in Helping Professions

Abstract

The report presents the findings gained by an evaluation of individual indicators of social intelligence by Management and Social Pedagogy students. The research included the participation of 245 Management students and 206 Social Pedagogy students. The analysed data confirmed the existence of statistically significant differences between the Management and the Social Pedagogy students in the evaluation of the selected social intelligence factors. Statistically significant differences were identified between the observed groups of students in the evaluation of the social intelligence factors Empathy, Manipulation, Social information processing, and Social skills. In this sense, Management students scored higher in the attribute Empathy and are simultaneously characterized by a higher level of Social information processing and Social skills than Social Pedagogy students. Social Pedagogy students had a lower score in the factor Manipulation of people. The presented findings prove that it is inevitable to specify the approach to individual helping professions, which is related to the preparation of people for these professions, the selection of people for various positions within helping professions, as well as the continuous education of these people.

Keywords

• social intelligence
• helping professions
• Management students
• Social pedagogy students