Introduction

Intelligence is the ability of perception, recalling, moving and the combination of early learning in confronting with a new situation (Kaplan and Sadock 2007). The spiritual intelligence is the intelligence that shows us the spiritual and valuable issues assessing the significance of our life than other step of the life (Zohar and Marshall 2000). Spiritual intelligence holds the key for attaining our highest human potential. It frees us from the limitations of the obvious, the material and the immediate (Khavari 2000). Wigglesworth (2002) further conceptualized spiritual intelligence to be the ability to behave with compassion and wisdom while maintaining inner and outer peace (equanimity) regardless of the circumstance. Spiritual intelligence is therefore a necessary personal empowerment, which enables one to maintain both inner and outer peace and display love regardless of the circumstances whether stress or acute conflict. It could therefore help in conflict management and peaceful coexistence in the society.

Spiritual intelligence is concerned with the inner life of mind and spirit and its relationship to being in the world. Spiritual intelligence opens the heart, illuminates the mind and inspires the soul, connecting the individual human psyche to the underlying ground of being. It is related to emotional intelligence insofar as spiritual practice includes developing intrapersonal and interpersonal sensitivity (Gupta 2012). Emotional intelligence has been defined as the ability to adaptively identify, understand, manage the harness emotions both in the self and others (Salovey and Mayer 1990; Schutte et al. 1998) and to use emotions to facilitate cognitive processing (Mayer et al. 2000). College students encounter obstacles that interfere with their involvement and integration and thus prevent them from taking full advantage of the college experiences. First-year students face a number of problems in adjusting to university life. These include developing an appropriate identity and becoming socially integrated into the college as well as attaining and learning generic skills and qualities such as critical thinking and intellectual rigor (Astin 1984; Tinto 1987).

Adolescence is a period of social expansion and development. The adolescents spend a great deal of their life around the activities, interest and attitudes of their peers. As the result, the peers attain great importance during this period. Slas (1993) stated that the belongingness to the group becomes progressively important for the adolescents. Adjustment refers to utilization of skills and experiences that facilitate personal integration into the society to which one belongs. Adjustment is what everybody needs to cope on with life. There is no perfect individual, but adjustment makes the difference for excellence among individuals. Only an adjusted person can be happy, hopeful and productive in whatever environment he finds himself (Animasahun 2010). However, there are certain psychological factors that enhance individuals’ adjustment. Some of these are identified to be intelligence quotient: emotional intelligence and spiritual intelligence (Goleman 1998; Goltfredson 1998; Zohar and Marshall 2000; Zohar and Berman 2001; Akinboyeet et al. 2002; Adeyemo 2007, 2008). With this outline, the study focused on the relationship of spiritual intelligence and emotional intelligence on the life adjustments among arts and science college students.

Materials and Methods

This research is to evaluate the relationship between the spiritual intelligence and emotional intelligence on life adjustment among the arts and science college students of Tuticorin district, Affiliated to Tamil Nadu Teacher Education University. Two hundred and fifty students, among six various colleges, were chosen as sample for the investigation. A total of 11 variables comprising gender, religion, community, major subject, educational qualification of father and mother, student locality, college type, father and mother’s occupation and monthly family income were taken for this study. After gathering the questionnaire among the students, the data were collected from the related sample and then entered into the computer and analyzed by SPSS software. In order to evaluate the data, the descriptive statistics, t test, Pearson correlation coefficient and Chi-square test were applied in this case (Delavar 2010). The research method was based on the past view and result-based method in this regard. This plan based on target is of applied type. Based on research variable manipulations, it is a descriptive and correlation type of study, and of course, it is a scale-based study in the field of data collection case.

Results

The level of spiritual intelligence and adjustment among college students for the variables gender, religion community, major subject, educational qualification of father and mother, student locality, college type, father and mother’s occupation and monthly family income was analyzed (Table 1 and 2). There is no significant difference in spiritual intelligence of college students with respect to their gender, college type and major subject, since the calculated t value is lesser than table value at 5 % level of significance, and the hypothesis is accepted. There is a significant difference in spiritual intelligence of college students with respect to their locality, since the calculated t value is greater than table value at 5 % level of significance, and the hypothesis is rejected (Table 3). The test of significance for adjustment among the variables gender, college type, locality and major subject showed no significant difference at 5 % level of significance, and the hypothesis is accepted (Table 4).

Table 1 Level of spiritual intelligence among college students
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Table 2 Level of adjustment among college students
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Table 3 Test of significance in spiritual intelligence of college students
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Table 4 Test of significance in adjustment of college students
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Test of significance for spiritual intelligence and adjustment of college students with respect to religion and community showed that the calculated F value is lesser than table value at 5 % level of significance, and there is no significant difference between the variables, and the hypothesis is accepted (Tables 5, 6). Correlation analysis between spiritual intelligence and adjustment of college students showed that x 2 − value is greater than table value among the variables assessed (Table 7) at 5 % level of significance, and therefore, the hypothesis is rejected. It shows that there is association between spiritual intelligence of college students and the variables assessed.

Table 5 Test of significance in spiritual intelligence of college students
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Table 6 Test of significance in adjustment of college students
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Table 7 Correlation analysis between spiritual intelligence and adjustment of college students
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Chi-square analysis of spiritual intelligence and adjustment among college students showed that the variable father’s educational qualification of spiritual intelligence is significantly different at 5 % level of significance, and the hypothesis is rejected, and the other variables are nonsignificant at 5 % level of significance, and the hypothesis is accepted (Tables 8, 9).

Table 8 Chi-square analysis of association between spiritual intelligence of college students
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Table 9 Chi-square analysis of association between adjustment of college students
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Discussion

It is clear that there is a significant difference between urban and rural students with respect to their spiritual intelligence. Rural students have high level of spiritual intelligence than urban students because rural students believe that the religions taught the discipline and they like to do social service. They develop spiritual intelligence through meditation, yoga, spiritual practice or taking spiritual courses. They respect the culture, tradition, customs and values. Due to technological development, urban students have no time to practice spiritual intelligence, and they fully concentrate in their daily works (Kaur and Singh 2013).

Based on the analysis, it is clear that there is association between the spiritual intelligence of the college students and their father’s educational qualification and mother’s occupation. The graduate fathers have high level of spiritual intelligence, values, faith, etc. when compared to others. They follow spiritual practice, yoga and meditation for the spiritual development. They imparted high qualities of spiritual intelligence and their values to their children. But the graduate fathers spend time for the regular spiritual practice, and they have more emotional self-awareness, accurate, self-assessment, self-confidence and eagerness to help others (Khavari 2000). The government employees show very much interest in the spiritual intelligence. While the mothers who are private employee or coolie have no time to practice spiritual values, beliefs, etc., and they are mostly concentrated in their work. Tate and Forchheimer (2002) stated that mothers who are government employee follow regular prayer, meditation, contemplation, spiritual practice, etc., so they have high level of consciousness about spiritual intelligence (Jain and Meena 2013).

From the analysis, there is correlation between the spiritual intelligence and adjustment of male and female students. In the busy world, the male students want rest from the daily life, so they follow spiritual intelligence. They develop spiritual intelligence through meditation, yoga, spiritual practice, etc., as they give respect to the elders and they able to adjust with their society also. The female students had high level of holism, motivation, regular spiritual practice, etc. They develop harmonious adjustment with their teachers and friends in the college (Ishak et al. 2011).

The correlation between the spiritual intelligence and adjustment of arts and science group students believes that all religions had taught the discipline. They follow social, moral and spiritual values in the college, and due to the spiritual practice, they feel happy and adjust their friends in all situations. They respect rules and regulations of the college. They have personal, social, emotional and classroom adjustment among the science group students, and they able to face day-to-day life problem (Bhangale and Mahajan 2013).

From the analysis, there is correlation between the spiritual intelligence and adjustment of rural students with respect to the spiritual intelligence. They follow our cultural values, traditions, beliefs, etc., in the daily life. They adjust with their friends smoothly in any tie. Their highest purpose is to be service to others. Rural students have high level of intellectual, emotional and vocational environment. There is correlation between the spiritual intelligence and adjustments of urban students, and they have high awareness in spiritual intelligence as they have a good spiritual knowledge and skill physically as well as mentally they can adjust with the society (Amrai et al. 2011).

From the analysis, there is correlation between the spiritual intelligence and adjustment of self-finance students. They develop spiritual intelligence through prayer, meditation, contemplation, etc. They have complete physical, mental and social well-being in the college. They adjust with their friends in the college and they feel free for anger, emotion, frustration, etc. There is correlation between the spiritual intelligence and adjustment of government-aided students. They have high capacity to understand with others. They participate in spiritual seminars, speech, drama, etc. in the college. They encourage their friends to participate in all cultural programmes. They share all their thoughts and ideas to their friends (Mahasneh et al. 2015).

Various factors such as gender, religion, community, major subject, educational qualification of father and mother, student locality, type of college, occupation of father and mother and their income can affect life adjustment when there is variability in intelligence. On the other hand, intelligence is a variable that can have a significant effect on life adjustment. Thus, we have embarked this research to study the relation between spiritual intelligence and emotional intelligence on life adjustment among college students.

Based on the analysis, it is clear that there is association between the spiritual and emotional intelligence. Parents and teachers should do effort to increase spiritual and emotional intelligence of students. Kelley and Miller (2007) indicate that spirituality and religiousness have generally reported positive correlation between internal and well-being life adjustment regarding the positive correlation between spiritual and emotional intelligence by transcendental awareness and conscious state expansion. The concept of spiritual and emotional intelligence among college students is people who are social, cheerful and friendly enjoy all types of physical activity and positive thinking like love and affection that type student having high level of life adjustment. The statistical analysis also reveals that the spiritual intelligence and the adjustment increase among the students. So this may be reason for the relationship between spiritual intelligence on life adjustment.