Have you ever thought of whether you are intelligent or not? Well, how do we really define and measure intelligence? This is a question I hope to answer in this article.
Our schools taught us limited measures of intelligence. Some might think that they are not intelligent because they're not good at math, science, or other subjects. There is also this common misconception (here in the Philippines) that if you are fluent in English, you are intelligent. Let me clear this one. English fluency is not a measure of intelligence.
There are two ways to define intelligence.
It is the ability to gain and apply knowledge and skills.
It is the collection of information on military and political values.
These two different definitions of intelligence are the root of controversies regarding how we actually measure and identify intelligence. There are other theories about intelligence that was developed, but in this article, I want to focus on Gardner's theory.
In 1983, American psychologist Howard Gardner introduced the Theory of Multiple Intelligence where he describes nine general types of intelligence or areas where people can be proficient.
Musical Intelligence
People with high musical intelligence are good at recognizing rhythm, pitch, timbre, and tone. They are good at producing music and often aware of sound characteristics that others may miss.
Naturalist Intelligence
People with high natural intelligence have the ability to understand living things and read nature. They can easily distinguish between plants, animals, and other features of nature like rocks and clouds. They can also be very good at noticing changes and details in their surroundings.
Logical-mathematical Intelligence
People with high logical-mathematical intelligence are good at carrying calculations, quantifying data, and considering propositions and hypotheses. They also have good reasoning skills and abstract-symbolic thought (using letters in formulas to indicate relationships between factors).
Existential Intelligence
People with high existential intelligence are good at thinking about questions that might not have a real definite answer, such as the meaning of life, why we die, how did we get here, and others. They are good philosophical thinkers and not easily confused by their feelings.
Interpersonal Intelligence (people smart)
People with high interpersonal intelligence are good at understanding and communicating effectively with others. They are good at noticing changes in others' moods or motives, as well as taking multiple perspectives on a subject.
Bodily-kinesthetic Intelligence
People with high bodily-kinesthetic intelligence are good at manipulating their bodies to achieve what they want. They are good at moving their body parts with precision and purpose. They are also good at copying movements they've seen.
Linguistic Intelligence (language smart)
People with high linguistic intelligence are good at using and manipulating language. They can pick up new words and languages quicker than others. Their pronunciation of the foreign language is also above average because they are more attuned to subtle sound differences that indicate the difference in meaning. They also have a broader vocabulary than others.
Intra-personal Intelligence (self-insight)
People with high intra-personal intelligence are good at understanding their own feelings and thoughts and working them to achieve their goals. They are good at motivating themselves from the inside without any visible or physical reward. These people are good philosophers and psychologists.
Spatial Intelligence
People with high spatial intelligence are good at solving spatial problems of navigation. They tend to be very skilled at map reading, jigsaw puzzles, seeing or drawing objects from different perspectives, and noticing fine details. Their spatial reasoning, image manipulation, and even graphic and artistic skills are more developed than others.
After writing Gardner's theory, I want to leave this question here. It's not how smart are you. But rather, how are you smart? Feel free to answer in the comment section.
Lead image is from Unsplash.
Thank you for reading. 💕
-Gwenie
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