The eight types of Intelligence: Which one do you most possess?
#Episode11#intelligence#explorin'
I recently came across this very interesting book called, “Frames of Mind” by Howard Gardner, a psychologist and professor at Harvard University. In this book, the author states that there are eight types of human intelligence — each representing different ways of how a person best processes information. We all have skills we excel at, some may learn a language faster than others and someone may be the best athlete. Most of the times we fall into this common misconception that we have limits and don’t identify our abilities beyond. We can be skilful in many activities and it’s okay to be focused on one but never wrong to know more of our abilities and explore further. The book mainly focuses on this theory of multiple intelligences.
The theory of multiple intelligences framed by Howard Gardner proposes the differentiation of human intelligence into specific “modalities of intelligence”, rather than defining intelligence as a single, general ability. Today we dig in deeper about these multiple intelligences and get to explore more!
How high you score in one category does not necessarily influence how (high or low) you score in another. If you want to learn to be exceptional at something, your best bet is to understand the unique areas of intelligence where you have an advantage, and then build upon those strengths.
A small note before we begin, as you scroll down do give a try to score yourself on a scale of one (doesn’t come naturally) to ten (comes very naturally).
Below are in detail eight types of intelligence:
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence
The ability to use your body in a way that demonstrates physical and athletic prowess. If you have this skill, you could be an athlete effortlessly running down a field and passing a ball, or a dancer flawlessly performing a complicated routine. So if you tend to win the maximum numbers of relay races, sure you could make the next world record if you focus right!
Naturalistic intelligence
The ability to understand the nuances in nature, including the distinction between plants, animals, and other elements of nature and life. Notable individuals with naturalistic intelligence include Charles Darwin. So if you are one of those people who tend to spend the most time with nature, bet you could be the next Darwin! I do spend time in nature but highly doubt if I could resist running away when I see a spider!!!
Interpersonal intelligence
The ability to interact effectively with others. Sensitivity to others people’s moods, feelings, temperaments and motivations. Essentially, it’s being able to understand and relate to those around you. So if you are a people’s person your sweet spot is interpersonal intelligence! Wohoo I am one of them too!!! [Conditions applied except for when I am on a psychotic rage! I rarely get those ask my friends and family ;-) ]
Intrapersonal intelligence
Sensitivity to one’s own feelings, goals and anxieties, and the capacity to plan and act in light of one’s own traits. Intrapersonal intelligence is not particular to specific careers; rather, it is a goal for every individual in a complex modern society, where one has to make consequential decisions for oneself. One of the most important intelligence every individual must possess. This is a spot most of us might struggle with but the good news is that we all possess the essential power to deal with it, we just have to look in the right direction. Never get mad at yourself, this is the worst things you could possibly choose to.
Linguistic intelligence
Sometimes called “language intelligence,” this involves sensitivity to the meaning of words, the order among words, and the sound, rhythms, inflexions and meter of words. Those who score high in this category are typically good at writing stories, memorizing information and reading. Are you one of those? Essentially people with high linguistic intelligence tend to have careers as novelists, poets etc. Famous people include Shakespeare and my all-time favourite author Enid Blyton and many more.
Musical intelligence
Sensitivity to rhythm, pitch, meter, tone, melody and timbre. This may entail the ability to sing and/or play musical instruments. Famous people with musical intelligence include Beethoven, Mozart and many more. I am trying to work on this intelligence currently by learning to play the guitar!
Spatial intelligence
The ability to think abstractly and in multiple dimensions. Scoring a ten here means you have a large capacity for spatial reasoning and conceptualization — something required for fields such as architecture, graphic design, photography, interior design and aviation. Potential career choices include pilot, fashion designer, architect, surgeon, artist, engineers etc.
Logical-mathematical intelligence
The ability to analyze problems logically, carry out mathematical operations and investigate issues scientifically. People with this intelligence, such as Albert Einstein, are skilled at developing equations and proofs and solving abstract problems. Mostly we tend to focus on this type of intelligence a lot. We measure it by the IQ test too. But to be clear as suggested there are a lot more intelligences we possess and it is never too late to identify those!
In case you struggled with scoring yourself do check out this multiple intelligence test or this one. Then again these are something that I found online, you can also check out the pdf questionnaire instead as I did! Also if you struggled to assess yourself then you can consider asking people closest to you for any observations but I am sure that you know yourself better than anyone else! Lastly, I would like to point out when we gain a deeper understanding of our natural talents, we have a better chance of figuring out how to achieve goals in both our personal and professional lives but subject to condition. There is always time to learn and succeed if you wish. No test can define your career and personality unless you decide to. As the saying goes, where there is a will there is a way is almost true when the will is yours and by your heart, mind and brain. I bought this topic to only let you know that IQ is not the only thing we should worry about and give you a boost as usual. You are intelligent just find which ones!!! This is a new concept I found intriguing and decided to share with you all. Feel free to share your thoughts, the type of intelligence you excel at and any other ideas/discussions with me in the comments or in-person at gkhop1729@gmail.com/ text me on Twitter @Nova379
Naturally, we tend to possess these kinds of intelligence but we can always learn and build more on something we love like I chose to learn guitar despite I never played an instrument professionally before. So this newsletter is to explore your natural intelligence but also to motivate you to build new ones in your life journey!
Cheers
Nova
Disclaimer: All the thoughts and ideas discussed are exclusively the author's individual thoughts and do not represent any association/foundation/individuals the author is related to. Anything that may have hurt the sentiments of any group or groups of individuals is inadvertent and without malice. The author at no point means to demonize or insult any religion, practice, gathering, or individuals.