We always think of intelligence as one entity. We think that scientists and academics are brainy and “intelligent” people. But if we put them in a bank, they may be at a loss for words when speaking to customers.
And what about the misconceptions about people engaged in less intelligible jobs such as waiting tables or telemarketing who are deemed “unintelligent? Try giving these people an empty canvas and watch them create a masterpiece for you with just a pencil.
The point is, our perception of intelligence is skewed. Everything that seems out of our reach is automatically deemed as intelligent however on the contrary, according to psychologist, Howard Gardner, everyone is blessed with multiple types intelligence. See the infographic below to have a better understanding.
The Science Behind 9 Types Of Intelligence
The 9 types of intelligence as theorized by Gardner in his book called Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, is a great tool to find your individual strengths and weaknesses. And the scientific concept behind it is simple.
Gardner’s view on intelligence states that there are 9 abilities that simply make us the intelligent beings that we are today and these 9 are musical-rhythmic, visual-spatial, verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic and existential.
Different Types Of Intelligence To Empower Learners
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By learning the theory behind Gardner’s studies, we get to know ourselves a little bit better. However, Gardner emphasised that by understanding our strengths, it shouldn’t limit us through labelling ourselves to a specific intelligence. Instead, it should empower us to recognise our weaknesses as well as to improve them.
Understand Your Own Intelligence
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Simply by taking the test based on the 9 types of intelligence, you’ll be able to have a basic understanding of which intelligence you are strong at. Take note that you should be providing your most honest answer in order for the results to be more accurate.
Everyone Is Unique
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So here below are my results that reaffirm that embarking on a writing career is a great choice for me because I’m linguistically intelligent. It also indicates that I’m typically good at reading, writing, telling stories and memorizing words as according to Gardner.
However, apart from letting me know about my strengths, it would also mean that I’ve much work to do in other departments such as logic, interpersonal skills and maybe on my visual ability to visualize better with my mind’s eye.
So why not give this test a try and maybe it’ll just change the way you perceive your own unique intelligence forever.
