This study was set up to construct and validate a measurement of five skills of emotional intelligence. Among the 126 items elaborated to represent the five skills 97, which demonstrated consistency after theoretical analysis, were applied to a sample of 972 individuals, both male and female, with an average age of 22,41 years. The data were submitted to analysis of the principal components and seven factors were taken with eigenvalues over 2,0. The rotation of these factors, using the orthogonal method (varimax), showed that only the first five factors presented grouping of consistent items with the definitions of the five emotional intelligence skills. Factor 1 covers empathy (14 items, alpha = 0,87); factor 2 sociability (13 items, alpha = 0,82); factor 3 self-motivation (12 items, alpha = 0,82); factor 4 self-control (10 items, alpha = 0,84), and factor 5 self-consciousness (10 items, alpha = 0,78). The method for measuring emotional intelligence resulting from this study opens possible avenues for future national research on the subject seeing that the measurement is factorially valid and has factors with levels of accuracy which indicate this measure to scientific applications.
emotional intelligence; measure; intelligence