Diving inland, navigating the underground world of our thoughts or tangling ourselves in our ever-placid introspection are the traits that define this skill that Howard Gardner defined as intrapersonal intelligence. These self-reflection and metacognition skills are what ultimately allow us to live in harmony with ourselves.
Having an accurate, adequate and real picture of ourselves is no easy task. First, we must be fully aware of our mood, combine self-esteem with discipline and self-esteem; Balance the product of these three elements with the ability to solve problems, adapting to our inner world.
“There is no barrier, padlock or padlock that can be imposed on the freedom of my mind. -Virginia Woolf-
On the other hand, it should be remembered that intrapersonal intelligence is part of Howard Gardner’s revolutionary theory of multiple intelligences in the 1980s, through his book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. His approach, as we know, has awakened and aroused great passions and equally critical opinions, both academically and among education professionals, educators and teachers.
Its purpose was to serve as a counterweight to the paradigm of unique intelligence, to standardized tests so limited, and to provide, in turn, an alternative to such reductionism, opening much more the range of possibilities to what can actually be intelligence. Lives, Gardner says, require other types of skills that are much more suited to how we learn, interact, and carry out our thought processes.
While it’s true that many scientific psychologists like Robert J. Sternberg warn that there is no scientific validity in Gardner’s approach and that what he defines as intelligences are actually. Skills? or ‘skills’, we cannot ignore the positive impact of your theory when it comes to improving our human potential, seeing learning as a choreography of dimensions in which to work in our daily lives.
Is intrapersonal intelligence the seventh of these nine intelligences and certainly one of the most precious?
We could give many examples of personalities who have shown remarkable potential in this dimension that Gardner defined as intrapersonal intelligence. Virginia Woolf, for example, proposes in her essay?An angry example of this immersion in itself where it seeks to elucide thoughts, sensations present in relation to its own past.
Another example of almost stark introspection appears in? Metamorphosis? From Kafka, where Gregor Samsa wakes up to find that he has turned into an insect. Albert Einstein himself also worked his intrapersonal intelligence to infinity almost without realizing it. walks, where he explored his thoughts, where he connected with himself and in relation to his mathematical theories, with the cosmos and the workings of the universe.
Looking at these examples, we have almost come to the conclusion that such a skill, such a magical work of thought, is almost a natural capacity of writers, poets or scientists, if this happens it is for a number of very simple reasons why many of us, regardless of poets or engineers, can feel identified: they are independent people, who appreciate their loneliness , are creative and show remarkable personal autonomy.
Let’s see below what are the basic characteristics that define them
Let’s take a simple example. Marcos is 17 years old and just returned from school, it wasn’t a beautiful day. He doesn’t say hello to anyone and locks himself in his room slamping. Then you start playing with your XBox and then post aggressive phrases on social media about how you hate the world and the people who live there.
This teenager certainly needs the right tools, with which to start building a good and determined intrapersonal intelligence, where he is able to manage his emotions, balance himself and even acquire a good ethical awareness.
In this way, we could summarize intrapersonal intelligence with the following dimensions:
Intrapersonal intelligence is essentially reduced to the ability to realistically and honestly see who we are and what we want. Something so fundamental is, in essence, a dimension that, unfortunately, we do not always develop effectively and effectively. What we often do is survive with an imitation with which we believe we are in tune with our own emotions, needs and thoughts.
“In the future, we will be able to individualize, customize education as much as we want. -Howard Gardner-
While it is true that this type of intelligence must be incorporated into many curricular areas of schools and institutes, it is worth saying that we are always in time to improve it, to appropriate us to improve ourselves emotionally and personally. Here are some simple strategies.
It should be remembered, first of all, that intrapersonal intelligence, unlike Gardner’s other proposals, is visible only through attitudes and gestures, making it an inner work that requires, first of all, an optimal and profound understanding of ourselves.
Here are some basic mechanisms for achieving this
In conclusion, let us agree with Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligence, there is one aspect that we cannot ignore: they are a gateway to develop the right skills, to give us the opportunity to live life with more fullness, happiness and harmony. with ourselves. Intrapersonal intelligence is undoubtedly one of the most valuable tools.
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Images courtesy of Lucy Campbell