In the increasingly competitive world we live in, intelligence is often used as a synonym for the value of people.. IQ tests are frequently used as a tool that describes who we are and what we can aspire to.

Furthermore, with astonishing ease We assume that all the complexity of the human mind can be summarized in a pole with two extremes.: sagacity and stupidity. Thus, we quickly label others and ourselves with adjectives that describe the position that one person or another occupies in that hierarchy of intelligence.

However, the reality about our mind and its potential is much richer than what is expressed in this way of conceiving the intellect. Our psyche is not limited to functioning according to the logic that takes into account IQ scores because there is no single way to measure its capabilities; This is precisely the idea behind the Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences.

What are Multiple Intelligences?

The concept of Multiple Intelligences was developed by the American psychologist Howard Gardner during the 1980s, and represents a very powerful idea: that The capabilities of our mind are not part of a single ability called intelligence, but of many that work in parallel. and that, many times, they are ignored or overshadowed simply because we do not value them.

In this way, Gardner rejected the idea that there was a unitary intelligence capable of being measured by pencil and paper tests. If human beings are known for being incredibly versatile when it comes to adapting to novel challenges and improvising, why should we make the way we measure our mind’s potential so rigid?

Why not recognize that everything that makes us unique and special is found in mental skills that don’t just have to do with solving puzzles and mathematical operationsbut also involve artistic sensitivity or the management of emotions?

Thus, Gardner developed the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, according to which each person has several types of mental abilities that are independent of each other. Thus, someone who obtains a very high IQ score could be very poor at most of the intelligences that are ignored by the test they have taken, and someone who has a very low score could be a misunderstood genius in other skills.

Multiple intelligences according to Gardner

Over the years, Howard Gardner has explored the existence of many intelligences that, added together, can give an approximate image of each person’s potential, although each must be taken into account independently.

Are different mental abilities that make up the Theory of Multiple Intelligences There are 8, although the author himself recognizes that there are probably more that have not yet been discovered. Those are the 8 multiple intelligences described by Gardner:

1. Linguistic intelligence

One of the most valued intelligences, since thanks to it we are able to use language with greater or lesser skillwhich is the tool thanks to which we relate and build complex societies.

Of course, linguistic intelligence is not limited to the way we speak, but includes the ease with which we write and understand what others say.

That is why the writers and journalists They are the ones who best take advantage of this ability.

2. Logical-mathematical intelligence

Traditionally, this has been part of the core of intelligence tests, and is highly valued because it allows us to see to what extent one is skilled in performing mental operations that have to do with a formal systemsuch as the task of solving an equation or detecting a logical fallacy.

Furthermore, these are exercises that are valid in any cultural context and almost do not depend on the knowledge we have memorized, so this intelligence is highly valued in the labor market.

The mathematicians and programmers They are especially good at this skill, as are logical philosophers.

3. Spatial intelligence

Spatial intelligence has to do with our ability to recreate spaces in our imagination and manipulate them mentally. For example, it can be used to solve puzzles with three-dimensional figures, to drive a vehicle or to find the exit in a maze.

This is the type of intelligence that characterizes architects, photographers, draftsmen and designersamong others.

4. Musical intelligence

As its name indicates, this component of the Theory of Multiple Intelligences has to do with the process of making and appreciating music; its rhythms, its variationsetc. It is not surprising, then, that people with greater musical intelligence tend to develop these skills even further and end up becoming musicians.

5. Body intelligence

The people who stand out the most through this intelligence are those who connect more easily with your body and the way in which it can be moved. The dancers, actors and athletesFor example, they exhibit this ability when they coordinate many muscle groups to perform harmonious movements and precise gestures.

6. Intrapersonal intelligence

This type of intelligence has to do with the way in which We learn to analyze everything that happens in our mindespecially if they are emotions. For example, examining an unpleasant sensation and extracting a valuable life lesson from it with relative ease is a sign that this skill is highly developed.

7. Interpersonal intelligence

This ability has to do with empathyand the way we succeed imagine what mental states are occurring in othersquickly and in real time. It is an essential type of intelligence in personal relationships, and in the professional field it is used by negotiators and salespeople, among others.

8. Naturalistic intelligence

A skill that has to do with the success we have when improvising with the elements we have in our environment to use them in a creative and novel way. For example, an explorer who improvises a shelter with special bark and other plant fibers proves to excel in this capacity.

Howard Gardner added this element to the Theory of Multiple Intelligences when the rest had already been proposed.

A broader vision of our potential

Through the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Howard Gardner has given us a richer way to value our own strengths.instead of limiting yourself to keeping in mind what the job market and the traditional educational model expect of us.

Thanks to this we canrecognize and appreciate skills that we downplayed simply because we considered them accessory, instead of true intelligences as valid and useful as those measured by IQ tests.