The Relationship of Self-Concept Clarity, Social Intelligence, and Empathy to Intellectual Humility

Abstract

The construct, humility has gained in popularity as a heralded leadership attribute and focus of study. Scholars have postulated that humility may possess subdomains. Intellectual humility (IH) is one of these subdomains. It is proposed that IH differs from humility in its specificity to a particular context. This study was designed to analyze the relationship between IH and self-concept clarity (SCC), social intelligence (SI), and empathy (EM). Using data collected from students attending a public, northeast university, IH was found to have statistically significant relationships with SCC, SI, and EM. The findings suggest support for previous IH scholars’ theorized IH components of self-concept accuracy and openness to others as potential exemplars of knowledge. More research is required to determine the strength and predictiveness of these relationships over time and in relationship to other constructs and performance criteria outcomes.