Want To Learn The 9 Secret Intelligences Of Man?

Want To Learn The 9 Secret Intelligences Of Man?

Many of you might be familiar with the right and left hemispheres of the brain. You have probably even heard people describe themselves in terms of beingĀ  “right-brained” or “left-brained.” Typically each party claiming to be either creative “right brained” or logical “left brained”

What has not been widely promoted is that there are more than just this two party system. There are in fact, according to Howard Gardner, 9 multiple intelligences, that each of us may fall under.

I found this theory quite illuminating and somewhat a relief, because, deep down, my own anecdotal evidence suggested that the modern industrial school system that the vast majority of us went through did not provide the full picture of what life had to offer.

In 1983, Dr. Howard Gardner, professor of education at Harvard University, wrote a book entitled, Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Dr Gardner suggests that the traditional notion of intelligence, based on I.Q. testing, is far too limited. Instead, Dr.

Gardner originally proposed eight different intelligences and later a ninth intelligence, to account for a broader range of human potential in children and adults.

These intelligences are:

1. Linguistic intelligence (word smart – Shakespeare, Maya Angelou, Amy Tan)

2. Logical-mathematical intelligence (number/reasoning smart – Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Isaac Newton)

3. Visual-Spatial intelligence (picture smart – Ansel Adams, Amelia Earhart, Frieda Kahlo)

4. Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence (body smart – Michael Jordan, Bob Vila, Michele Kwan)

5. Musical intelligence (music smart – Mozart, Elton John, Billie Holiday)

6. Interpersonal intelligence (people smart- Mahatma Gandhi, Cesar Chavez, Jaime Escalante)

7. Intrapersonal intelligence (self smart – Sigmund Freud, Jesse Jackson, Bill

8. Naturalist intelligence (nature smart- Charles Darwin, Jane Goodall, John Muir)

9. Existential: (spiritual smart -Socrates, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Wayne Dyer, St. Augustine)

According to the respected Multiple Intelligences Theory pioneered by Harvard professor Howard Gardner, there are a variety of intrinsic approaches and skills we use to perceive, understand, and shape our world – in other words, several different kinds of intelligence. We each possess different intelligences, or different combinations of them, that affect how we learn.

If a man does not keep pace with his companions

One of the greatest things about Gardner’s theory, was that it was and is extremely empowering and comforting in knowing that “intelligence” is not just for the bean counters, computer whizzes, or artists. There are a host of other options that can fall under the category of “genius”. Now the trick is to find those things that you are great at and that come naturally to you to do, and see which of these 9 intelligences you fall under.

The beauty is that you can have multiple intelligences, and not fall for the social conditioning trap that says you are either really creative or really logical.

From my own experience, having this knowledge has been extremely helpful when working with others. For example, when I am conducting a training workshop, IĀ  often combine this theory with whether the person(s) are dominant in visual, auditory, or kinesthetic. Invariably, I can just watch and pay attention to the words and body gestures of my audience to better understand whether they are actually following along.

I balance that with knowing that each of us has our own preferred way of learning and being in the world, and that we all can’t be just right or left brained.

 

 

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