Are you aware that your actions and decisions can be placed into different categories of your life that seem to describe you? Sometimes, these classes can tell a person a lot about you; how you solve problems, certain ways you follow directions, and how you use your imagination. Robert J. Sternberg groups these aspects into intelligences. According to him there are three intelligences: Analytical Intelligence, Practical Intelligence, and Creative Intelligence. Although he explains the different aspects of the intelligences, Sternberg points out that you should have the correct balance of each category. This balance is called Successful Intelligence. Throughout these past couple of weeks, we have been focusing on figuring out what type of intelligence best fits us, and how we can focus on strengthening our own Successful Intelligences to best suit our environment.
Analytical Intelligence is seen as intelligence that is needed to solve problems. This intelligence is best suited in a school environment. Remember when you had those statewide tests that you had to pass in order to graduate? Your teachers might take the analytical approach and only teach you what is needed to pass the test, nothing extra. Analytically, this approach is the optimal way to achieve your goal of excelling on the test. It’s a straightforward, no short-cut way of solving that problem.[i] In an educational environment, Analytical Intelligence prevails over the other two. However, you will not be able to successfully flourish solely on this intelligence. I tend to show my analytical side every once in a while. For instance, I have to do the crossword puzzle and cryptoquip from The Virginian-Pilot every single morning. If I forget to get the paper in the morning, my whole agenda for the day is thrown off until I get to complete that task. The “analytical side” to my life is blatantly displayed through my class work but does not overpower the other two intelligences in my life.
The next intelligence, Practical Intelligence, is needed in order to survive in the real world. Practical Intelligence uses ideas and analyzes it in a way to best succeed in the world.1 If you were deciding on the best route to the concert and find a way that will cut your traffic time in half, you are using your practical intelligence. Instead of taking the analytical approach by following the directions from point a to b to c, by finding the best route, practical intelligence prevails. I have had the luxury of living in New York for sixteen years where I could exercise my Practical Intelligence. I was constantly taking the trains and buses to various basketball practices, movie nights and trips to the mall. Figuring out which train or bus got me to certain places faster and with lesser number of stops was a normal, everyday thing for me. Even though Practical Intelligence would seem best suited in the outside world, it can also apply to the classroom. Certain activities such as the spaceship travel activity and the CD activity, we were able to deviate from the analytical aspect of school. By figuring out which items were most important, we were taken away from the IQ Tests and state mandated tests that teach us information that we will forget about in a couple of years. Although, my practical intelligence is highly utilized in the outside world, I must say that there still is some work to be done in the school area.
Creative Intelligence is the third intelligence that Sternberg talks about in his book. I would have to say that this intelligence is my favorite, because it allows me to express myself without having to worry about doing so the wrong way. Creative Intelligence involves formulating ideas and thoughts naturally. 1The Incas really surprised me with their brilliant ideas of building the bridge. They used grass to build a bridge that could hold five people and various animals. Their creativity is what helped them survive for decades. This intelligence is best suited for environments that challenge individuals to think and brainstorm on different concepts.
Along with many things in life, there has to be a happy medium. It is not healthy to be 100% Analytical, Practical, or Creative. That creates a problem when the intelligences overlap. Therefore, a balance is needed in order to achieve the greatness that we all would love to accomplish throughout our lives. Sternberg likes to call this “happy medium”, Successful Intelligence. In the case with the Incas, some might have felt that they only used Creative Intelligence to figure out to make the bridge out of grass. However, it was actually Successful Intelligence. Analytical Intelligence was used to figure out the dimensions of the bridge and to tell people to weave their grass pieces in groups of 150 yards per person. Creative Intelligence was used to brainstorm ideas of making the bridge out of grass. Practical Intelligence was used to show that if they braided the grass and connected it, it would be sturdier and cheaper than other ideas. Instead of focusing on perfecting one of the intelligences, it is more beneficial to have all three intelligences and know when to use each aspect as the environments in your life change. Although I might have felt that I understand all the intelligences, I have learned that I need to channel in on my ability to alternate which intelligences I use in different instances. I tend to use my Practical Intelligence more than the other two. I know that Analytical Intelligence will help me succeed better in the academic aspect of my life. I also know how Practical and Creative Intelligence fit in to my wonderful college life. However, I feel that I will not truly be successfully intelligent until I can master the art of when to use the intelligences as the environment changes.
I was never aware of "multiple intelligences" that everyone had control of in his or her lives. When reading about these aspects, I did not really believe that it applied to me. However, once we addressed it in the classroom and put it into context, I slowly began to believe in its truthfulness. Everyone is capable of becoming successfully intelligent; it’s only a matter of practice and determination. If you want to be successful in life, you have to be able to encompass all aspects of the intelligences.
[i]Robert J. Sternberg, Successful Intelligence (New York: Penguin Group, 1996) 127-128, 153, 176, 219, 246