According to Einstein: The Many Shapes of Intelligence
According to Einstein, the best way to identify intelligence is through imagination. Intelligence comes in many different shapes, sizes, and forms and none supersedes the other. Further, human beings express intelligence in many ways. If everyone pursued the same form of intelligence, there would be no progress. Intelligence involves more than being book smart or street smart. A person who possesses many degrees cannot be termed as intelligent. If intelligence were determined by having many degrees, people who are book smart would be referred to as intelligent. Such a notion is false because different individuals possess different learning styles. The world with all its inventions and developments would not be as it is today if there was a hierarchy of types of intelligence. There are three types of intelligence which include emotional, social and practical intelligence which are intimately interwoven together and must all be used for an individual's absolute competence.
Socrates: The Measure of Intelligence
Socrates indicated that a man is intelligent if they understand that they know nothing. For many years, philosophers have failed to pinpoint the exact measure of intelligence. A scientific perspective on the issue does not bear fruits as well since neurosurgeons cannot also pinpoint the true nature of human intelligence. There is no way to determine the brain functions of intelligent people or to determine whether intelligent people store more memories and retrieve them. Moreover, there lacks a consensus on the constitution of intelligence, and thus a problem arises when trying to measure intelligence. There are many forms of intelligence, and it is difficult to determine whether they are interconnected or exist independently. In literature, most researchers have focused on three types of intelligence which include practical, social, and emotional intelligence.
Practical Intelligence: Tackling Everyday Problems
Practical intelligence involves a person's ability to be able to deal with the problems of everyday life. It consists of the application of intuition, the use of common sense and it is commonly called being street smart. Tactic knowledge forms the foundation of practical intelligence. It is characterized by a person's ability to take action without being helped by others and it leads a person to pursue the goals they value. There are no rules and procedures that can assist in the identification of tactic knowledge. People acquire tactical learning from the experiences they go through every day. Further, a person cannot be taught tactical expertise and therefore, practical knowledge is completely different from academic intelligence. Tactical knowledge improves with experience.
Emotional Intelligence: Mastering Emotions
Emotional intelligence is a person's ability to control their emotions while at the same time managing the feelings of others and the acquisition of information that will act as a guide for thought and actions. Therefore, a person must identify the emotions in the verbal and nonverbal behavior of others, perceive them and then express the most desirable. Next, they must use their feelings to assist on how to think and solve problems. The next step involves a person's ability to conduct an analysis of emotions and discriminate against them and contemplate about their repercussions. The management of emotions entails to the maintenance or changing of emotions.
Social Intelligence: The Power of People Skills
Social intelligence or people skills include a person's ability to cooperate with other individuals in the society as well as get them to work with them. It involves awareness of situations as well as the social dynamics surrounding them and having knowledge in styles of interaction that will help the individual to deal with other people. The person must also be conversant with their perceptions and how they react to certain situations. The way a person behaves towards other individuals could have a nourishing or toxic effect. People with toxic behavior have a low level of social intelligence, and they have characteristics such as making others feel devalued, disrespected, and guilty inadequate or angry. A person with a nourishing impact on people possesses high social intelligence and makes people feel valued, respected or encouraged. It is possible to put a measure on a person's social intelligence skills by identifying their skills in interaction and the assessment of their behavior. It can also be learned through understanding that social intelligence is a composition of skills that are acquired through learned behavior.
All Forms of Intelligence: A Part of Total Competence
All types of intelligence are all a part of an individual's total competence. Practical knowledge is the tactical knowledge that person needs to face the situations of every day. Emotional intelligence involves the capability of a person to deal with the emotions of others and their ability to deal with various situations. Social intelligence encompasses people skills and consists of the ability to influence people. A person can learn any form of intelligence because all forms of intelligence consists of a combination of specific skills. Nonetheless, there is to form of intelligence that is much better than the other.
