The Theory of Multiple Intelligences

2 minutes

The study of intelligence has many facets; one that particularly interests me is the theory of multiple intelligences proposed by Howard Gardner, in which he points out that academic intelligence—earning degrees and educational honors; academic records—is not a decisive factor in understanding a person's intelligence.

A good example of this idea can be seen in people who, despite receiving excellent academic grades, have significant problems relating to others or managing other aspects of their lives. Gardner states that Stephen Hawking is no more intelligent than Leo Messi; rather, each has developed a different type of intelligence.

Howard Gardner also notes that there are clear cases of people with some extremely well-developed cognitive abilities and others that are very poorly developed. This led Gardner to think that general intelligence does not exist, but that there are actually many independent intelligences.

What does the theory of multiple intelligences propose?

Gardner states that everyone possesses each of the eight types of intelligence, although each person excels more in some than in others, with none of the eight more important or valuable than the rest. Generally, a good number of them must be mastered to face life, regardless of one's profession. After all, most jobs require using most types of intelligence.

Education in classrooms insists on providing content and procedures focused on assessing the first two types of intelligence: linguistic and logical-mathematical. However, this is entirely insufficient for the task of educating students to their full potential. The need for a change in the educational paradigm became a subject of debate thanks to Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences.

Howard Gardner has also pointed out that what matters in his theory is not the eight intelligences he proposes, but the conceptualization of human cognition as parallel processes that are relatively independent of one another. He has therefore stated several times that the multiple intelligences may not be those he proposed, but others he has not considered or that he groups under the name of a single intelligence.

Multiple intelligences: 7 types of intelligence

Howard Gardner's research has identified and defined as many as seven different types of intelligence. Below, we will explore each of the intelligences proposed by Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences in more detail.

1. 👄 Linguistic intelligence.

2. 🔢 Logical-mathematical.

3. 🚴 Bodily-kinesthetic.

4. 🎵 Musical.

5. 🎨 Visual-spatial.

6. 👫 Social-interpersonal.

7. 👨 Social-intrapersonal.

8. 🌲 Naturalist.

These intelligences were delineated through the study of varied cognitive abilities or skills identified in particular populations: talented individuals, the effects of brain injuries, and developmental observations. For the observed abilities to qualify as intelligences, they had to meet the criteria outlined above.

I invite you to keep reading this blog, because in my upcoming articles I will explore this topic in greater depth.