Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences posits that individuals are not born with all intelligence they will ever need but develop as they grow (Leshkovska and Spaseva, 2016). This theory was first featured in Howard Gardner’s book published in 1983 titled “Frames of Mind.” Howard Gardener’s theory of multiple intelligence was developed to challenge the prevalent idea claiming that people only have the general intelligence. In other words, this theory refutes the claim that individuals have a single type of intelligence, which focuses on cognitive abilities. Gardener argues that human intelligence is differentiated into eight intelligence modalities, and each represents different ways of processing information.
One of the types of intelligence proposed by Gardener is linguistic and focuses on individuals’ ability to learn and coordinate language. Logical is the second type of intelligence and deals with people’s ability to logically analyze problems, solve mathematical problems, and investigate scientific issues. Spatial is the third type of intelligence and focuses on people’s ability to recognize and manipulate graphical patterns. The fourth type of intelligence is Bodily-Kinesthetic and defines the ability to solve problems either using one’s whole body or part of the body. Musical intelligence is the fifth and deals with individuals’ ability to understand musical patterns, including performance and composition. Interpersonal intelligence is the sixth type and defines the capacity to understand other people’s motives, intentions, and desires. The seventh type of intelligence is intrapersonal and deals with the capacity to understand oneself in terms of desires, capacities, fears, and special abilities. The last type of intelligence identified by Gardener is the naturalist and involves recognition and classifications of species (Leshkovska and Spaseva, 2016).
I agree with Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. However, there is one thing that I would add to this theory and that is discussing how the different types of human intelligence are linked to people’s talents, traits, and special abilities. Read more