Intrapersonal intelligence is a crucial skill-set that can work wonders for you. Through this article, we will explore what intrapersonal intelligence is all about, how it can help in personal development, and how we can incorporate this into our lives.
1. Intrapersonal Intelligence: What Is It All About?
There is a wide variety of intelligence, and psychologist Howard Gardner focused on the eight types of intelligence, which comprised social intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence, musical intelligence, mathematical intelligence, linguistic intelligence, existential intelligence, kinesthetic intelligence, and spatial intelligence.
According to Howard Gardner, every human has a different level of intelligence, which falls in one of these domains. Intrapersonal intelligence is all about comprehending our inner thoughts and our true selves. People with intrapersonal intelligence cannot be branded as narcissists because only when we understand our emotions, can we try to understand the rest of the world.
Scientific studies have proven that children with high intrapersonal intelligence have a clearer idea of what they want to achieve in life. In addition to this, children who have higher levels of intrapersonal intelligence have a higher level of other intelligence too.
2. The Difference Between Interpersonal and Intrapersonal
2.1. Intelligence
Interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence sound very similar, and both of them belong to Howard Gardner’s type of intelligence. But these terms have subtle differences.
Intrapersonal intelligence has the term “intra,” which means within, and it focuses on self-intelligence.
Interpersonal intelligence, on the other hand, has the term “inter,” which means between, and it focuses on the intelligence of others. People with interpersonal intelligence can become remarkable psychologists because they have the right skill set needed for practice.
3. Characters Exhibited by People with Intrapersonal Intelligence
- They are excellent at understanding people around them.
- When it comes to the expression of their emotions, they are super creative. They usually love portraying their feelings via writing, music, or other art forms.
- Since self-introspection is a frequent assessment they take, they are more aware of their flaws and attitude.
- Enjoy examining theories and ideas and being able to examine their own strengths and weaknesses, and have exceptional self-awareness. and recognize the source of his or her own motivations and sentiments.
- They are equipped with higher levels of self-confidence.
- We often wish that we had control over our tongue. Well, intrapersonal intelligence helps you control negative emotions like anger!
- Modesty is a value that is well appreciated, and people with intrapersonal intelligence are much grounded in nature.
Also, read our article: “The More Cuss Words You Use, The More Intelligent You Are”: Study
4. Developing Your Cognitive Powers for The Best
To develop intrapersonal intelligence, here are a couple of techniques and routines to help you exploit your cognitive powers for the best. Although many people do not understand this until maturity, there are strategies to assist children to develop intrapersonal intelligence. Scholastic offers the following games and exercises for teachers and parents who desire to develop their students’ intrapersonal intelligence and abilities.
4.1. Social Hobbies
Since people with intrapersonal intelligence can comprehend the emotions of people around them, it is advised they engage in social activities. For instance, reaching out to the community or frequently interacting in social settings can help exercise intrapersonal skills and drive nervousness in social situations.
4.2. Read Books
Books are the treasure of wisdom and knowledge. Exposing children with intrapersonal intelligence to books about personal development will instantly catch their attention, and they will begin to work on themselves without any pressure.
4.3. Think, Think, and Think
You don’t have to think about one particular topic, just sit in the comfort of your balcony with some coffee and let the emptiness churn your rational thinking wheels. These little getaways from the routine will help you in unbelievable ways.
4.4. Diary
The best way to stay organized is to pen down brilliant ideas that might appear in the confines of your mind at a random hour and also your growth tracker.
You can routinely check your diary to keep track of your progress and development. For instance, it will provide you with tons of motivation when you revisit the journey of self-development and notice how much you have evolved since you first started.
You can also consult a developmental psychologist to help you through this journey if you feel that you are not comfortable embarking on it by yourself.
5. Career Options
There are many opportunities for people with intrapersonal intelligence, and we have some prime examples such as Aristotle and Einstein, who changed history with their intellectual abilities.
While there is no such compulsion that a person has to settle for these career options, it may be a smart choice. We often notice a lot of people becoming extremely frustrated and stressed about their work.
But when you choose a profession, you are good at it. You will definitely enjoy working. In these situations, even stressful deadlines will not pressurize you. Some of the career options which can be taken into account are psychologist, philosopher, researcher, entrepreneurship, historian, theologian, law, scientist, and counselor.
6. Benefits Added To Your Career
People with intrapersonal intelligence make excellent leaders and are team players. Intrapersonal intelligence allows people to look within and discover their own feelings, motives, and aspirations. This originates from the fact that they can comprehend the likes and dislikes of people around them, and hence they consider everyone’s opinions. This inclusive nature will make everyone admire them, as well.
The best part about this skill is that the person will recognize the potential and talent of themselves and their team. This, in turn, will help them set realistic goals and targets for the project. In other words, they will be able to think rationally and indulge in critical decision-making.
If you wish to learn more about team building: Team: A Work-Oriented Family!
7. A Little Take Away for The Readers!
Now, you may be down in the doldrums after reading this article, feeling that you are not equipped with intrapersonal intelligence, or you may question your career choices apart from the one listed above but trust us; you don’t have to feel this way.
It can be developed with discipline in lifestyle to achieve your requisite goal, and you can enhance it further as and when you grow with the tips mentioned above. Also, people possess multiple intelligences, so you need to be self aware and try to perfect the kind you belong to because this will enhance your personality.
If you are someone with high intrapersonal intelligence and have chosen a career outside of the choices mentioned, it is completely okay. This is just a list of options people can consider, but the sky is the limit. As long as you are passionate about what you do, nothing else matters.
8. FAQs
8.1. What is Musical Intelligence?
People with a high level of musical intelligence may think in terms of patterns, rhythms, and sounds. They have a deep musical appreciation and are frequently talented in musical composition and performance.
The strengths people with this intelligence possess are Music and rhythm. Individuals with musical intelligence take pleasure in singing and playing musical instruments, easily recognize musical patterns and tones, remember their favorite tunes and melodies, and understand the musical structure, rhythm, and notes thoroughly.
If you have a strong musical intelligence, you should consider the following careers:
Musician, Composer, Singer, Music instructor & Conductor
8.2. What is Gardner’s Theory?
According to Gardner’s Theory (Multiple Intelligence Theory), standard psychometric interpretations of intelligence are excessively restrictive. Gardner initially proposed his thesis in his 1983 book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, in which he proposed that everyone had multiple intelligences.
Gardner identified eight intelligences and has advocated the inclusion of a ninth intelligence known as “existentialist intelligence.”
According to Gardner theory (Multiple Intelligence Theory) humans have multiple intelligences, including musical, interpersonal, spatial-visual, and linguistic intelligences, in order to capture the complete variety of abilities and talents that people possess.
While a person may excel in one area, such as musical intelligence, he or she is likely to have a wide variety of talents. For example, a person may be gifted in linguistics, musicals, and naturalistic intelligence.
8.3. What Are Some Intrapersonal Intelligence Examples?
The 5 intrapersonal intelligence examples are Intuition, Personal Resilience, Imagination, Creativity, and Self-Direction.
8.4. Who Are Some Prominent Individuals Who Have Intrapersonal Intelligence?
Famous people that have a strong intrapersonal intelligence are Mark Zuckerberg, Albert Einstein, Virginia Woolf, Martin Luther King Jr, Michelle Obama, Amartya Sen, Anne Frank, Mahatma Gandhi, and many more.
Edited by Steffy Michael on 12/6/22
Last Updated on by Steffy Michael