"I'm not smart, I always got terrible grades in my math classes."
"I can't write an essay to save my life, why am I so bad at English?"
"I can never pay attention in class, but I'm amazing at playing guitar."
Do any of these sound familiar?
What many people don't know about intelligence is there are many kinds of intelligence, many ways of learning, and many misconceptions people form about their self-image and intelligence because they don't know... Psychology 101!
Related: Personality Types
Learning
Intelligence is developed through experience and learning. Experiences happen to us in the "real world" and we can learn from them or not. The way you learn, can also affect your intelligence whether it be intelligence levels or intelligence types. The three important aspects of learning involve
(1) observing life around you,
(2) interpreting what you see, hear, smell, touch, taste, think, or feel, and
(3) form healthy and normal responses appropriate to your observations and the situation you're in.
According to the Let Me Learn (LML) theory, there are four learning patterns people use:
Sequence- order, organization, planning
Precision- accuracy, detail, information
Technical Reasoning- autonomy, problem solving, relevance
Confluence- ideas, risk taking, uniqueness
Each of these learning patterns is used universally by humans; this means all four of these learning patterns are used by every individual in the world! So the next time you think you aren't creative, or you can't get organized, just know you already possess the learning pattern in your brain to develop those skills! Each person uses all four learning patterns, just in different amounts based on the individual.
Each of these learning patterns uses all three filters to process new information and produce a response; these three filters are affection, cognition, and conation or feelings, thoughts, and actions. Do you want to learn which learning skills you use most, and which ones you hardly use at all? I took the Learning Connections Inventory and found out my results, which you can see below!
Click here to find your results too, then share what kind of learner you are in the comments section below and see how many people are similar to you! Discovering what kind of learner you are, and which patterns will help you succeed the most is crucial to your personal, professional, and academic life!
Intelligence
Did you know there are approximately 9 different types of intelligence? So you're not a genius at math, or reading music isn't your cup of tea... maybe one of the nine types of intelligence below is the one you excel in! These types of intelligence were categorized by developmental psychologist Howard Gardner in 1983.
1. Naturalistic Intelligence // "Nature-Smart"
Having a green thumb, or being able to understand the way nature works more than most people is naturalistic intelligence. This intelligence was crucial to survival before modern day advances in technology, so the skill has become more fine-tuned in today's society. Being sensitive to the Earth, its processes, and all the living things on it falls under this category, and all nature-lovers can rejoice because they have their own type of intelligence!
You may be naturalisticly intelligent if you:
❀ Love doing outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, hunting, farming, greenhouse-growing, surfing, sailing, gardening, weather forcasting, etc.
❀ Have a knack for relating to or raising animals
Careers for the naturalisticly intelligent:
❀ Botanist, farmer, chef, grower, climatologist, weather-forcaster, park ranger, veterinarian, biologist, chemist, meteorologist, taxidermist, etc.
2. Musical Intelligence // "Music-Smart"
If you're able to carry a tune, listen to a sound and know the note, or have rhythm like nobody's business, you may be musically intelligent. Musical intelligence is found in those who pay attention to sounds others may not and those who are drawn to the musical arts!
You may be musically intelligent if you:
♫ Love listening to music, making music, and participating in the musical arts
♫ Play an instrument(s), read music, hear sounds others don't always pay attention to, hear notes in melodies and harmonies, etc.
Careers for the musically intelligent:
♫ Vocalist, DJ, composer, pianist, band member, music teacher, music collector, producer, etc.
3. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence // "Body/Movement-Smart"
Some people know exactly how their body works, moves, and looks and this is known as bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. Many people do yoga to better their kinesthetic intelligence, because it allows one to pay attention to the way their body bends, moves, and articulates. These people know their physical weaknesses and strengths, and many times participate in physical activities.
You may be bodily-kinestheitically intelligent if you:
⚕ Play sports, dance, do yoga, have graceful abilities, are good with your hands, have good/fast reflexes, and/or have good hand-eye coordination
⚕ Communicate well with body language, understand others body language well, are comfortable with physical touch and contact, enjoy creating things with your hands or with tools, etc.
Careers for the bodily-kinesthetically intelligent:
⚕ Surgeon, professional sports player, coach, yoga instructor, physical therapist, dancer, stage performer, acrobat, actor, etc.
4. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence // "Math-Smart"
I, personally, cannot relate to this intelligence very well as its not one of my stronger types of intelligence. However, many people do relate to this type of intelligence because they are good with numbers, enjoy systematic work, or working with data. These people often also enjoy finance and can spot trends or patterns that others can't. Because of the first word, logical, this intelligence doesn't always have to relate to math, because the use of logic involves critical thinking and the use of reason!
You may be logically-mathematically intelligent if you:
⚖ Enjoy solving math problems, solving tough/complex problems using critical thinking, like finding connections and solving mysteries that others can't, etc.
Careers for the logically-mathematically intelligent:
⚖ Mathematician, journalist, detective, accountant, CFO, CEO, scientist, data analyst, etc.
5. Linguistic Intelligence // "Word-Smart"
This intelligence I definitely can relate to! Linguistic intelligence is found in those who love to work with words, have a large vocabulary, love to read and write, etc.
You may be linguistically intelligent if you:
✒ Write or read for fun
✒ Speak multiple languages or enjoy language and literacy
✒ Try to constantly expand your vocabulary
Careers for the linguistically intelligent:
✒ Author, editor, publisher, screenplay writer, blogger (I'm biased but, yasss), politician, poet, lawyer, public speaker, etc.
6. Visual-Spatial Intelligence // "Art-Smart"
Many artists are visually-spatially intelligent, because they have a good conception of dimension, enjoy looking at or creating visual art, love graphic design, are spatially aware of their surroundings, etc.
You may be visually-spatially intelligent if you:
⚉ Like to draw, paint, sculpt, take photographs, videos, etc.
⚉ Tend to daydream a lot and pay attention to visually-pleasing designs
⚉ Enjoy graphic design, interior design, exterior design, landscaping, architecture, etc.
Careers for the visually-spatially intelligent:
⚉ Architect, interior designer, landscaper, artist, painter, graphic designer, sculptor, fashion designer, illustrator, etc.
7. Existential Intelligence // "Deep-Smart"
The future philosophers are today's daydreamers and "question-askers". These people ask deep and important questions, such as "why are we here?" and "what is the purpose of living?".
You may be existentially intelligent if you:
☯ Like to ask big questions, discuss and debate answers, and enjoy philosophy class
☯ Enjoy thinking about complex problems, thinking critically about them from multiple perspectives, and occasionally find yourself daydreaming
Careers for the existentially intelligent:
☯ Philosopher, non-profit worker, teacher, lawyer, lobbyist, etc.
8. Interpersonal Intelligence // "Social-Smart"
Interpersonal intelligence is the expert ability to communicate and understand other people well. These are the social butterflies of the world; these people are intelligent in the way they observe, interpret, respond to, and communicate with others. Most likely these people are very empathetic with others, and can read and feel the emotions they detect from other people.
You may be interpersonally intelligent if you:
☮ Enjoy spending time with others, have lots of friends, communicate well with leaders and peers
☮ Are extroverted (optional), empathetic, involved in their community
Careers for the interpersonally intelligent:
☮ Teacher, politician, public speaker, government worker, social worker, therapist, counselor, etc.
9. Intrapersonal Intelligence // "Self-Smart"
Self-awareness, confidence, and emotional intelligence all fall under intrapersonal intelligence, or the intelligence of people who know themselves and how to conduct themselves in the world based on their self-awareness. Intrapersonal intelligence is vastly underrated, because having a healthy and knowledgeable understanding of yourself allows you to live your best and most productive life.
You may be intrapersonally intelligent if you:
☺ Feel you have a larger understanding of the human condition than most
☺ Know what you're feeling for the most part, and can act accordingly
☺ Can write, speak, or express your thoughts clearly
Careers for the intrapersonally intelligent:
☺ Writer, public speaker, psychologist, therapist, counselor, author, poet, novelist, philosopher, actor, etc.
Which intelligence registers the most with you? Let me know about these results too in the comments section below, and try to use these learning patterns and intelligence types to better your academic, personal, and professional life!
References
Johnston, C. A. (with Hall, J.). (2013). Intentional learning for college success [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/