Seven Types of Intelligences

Tommy is so good at drawing but he can hardly spell. Melissa is a great basketball player but she is not doing so well in math. John has a fantastic ear for music but he can’t draw. Does that mean these three school kids are not intelligent just because they are under performing in one subject?

According to psychologists, the answer is no.

We are rarely aware that every day we use various types of intelligences. Psychologists today speak about 7 types of intelligences, some go even further saying there is actually 9 types. This doesn’t mean we have grown more intelligent, but rather that intelligence has some nuances.

It was Howard Gardner who, in the beginning of the 80s, came up with a definition of peoples 7 types of intelligences. He had observed that people who had suffered brain damage, despite the damage in a certain center of the brain, were doing fine in other areas.

 Dr. Howard Gardener developed the theory of multiple intelligences, going beyond the IQ test to discover the many ways humans are smart.  He identified intelligent abilities including language, music, spatial reference, kinesthesia, naturalistic, and possibly existential intelligence.

1.      Logical-Mathematical Intelligence–consists of the ability to detect patterns, reason deductively and think logically. This intelligence is most often associated with scientific and mathematical thinking.

2.      Linguistic Intelligence- involves having a mastery of language. This intelligence includes the ability to effectively manipulate language to express oneself rhetorically or poetically. It also allows one to use language as a means to remember information.

3.      Spatial Intelligence- gives one the ability to manipulate and create mental images in order to solve problems. This intelligence is not limited to visual domains– Gardner notes that spatial intelligence is also formed in blind children.

4.      Musical Intelligence- encompasses the capability to recognize and compose musical pitches, tones, and rhythms. (Auditory functions are required for a person to develop this intelligence in relation to pitch and tone, but it is not needed for the knowledge of rhythm.)

5.      Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence– is the ability to use one’s mental abilities to coordinate one’s own bodily movements. This intelligence challenges the popular belief that mental and physical activity are unrelated.

6.      Interpersonal intelligence – is the ability to understand and discern the feelings and intentions of others.

7.      Intrapersonal intelligence– is the ability to understand one’s own feelings and motivations.

Sources: Illustrated Science    

              Multiple Intelligences: Gardner’s Theory by Amy C. Brualdi