Towson
English Essay

In MCOM 101, this was our final essay of the semester:

December 9, 2003
ENGL 102.040
Essay #3, Revised

In which of these seven forms of intelligence do you excel? Describe your achievements in these forms by giving specific examples that help your reader relate your abilities to the intelligences you have cited. Now that you have identified your primary intelligences, what implications do they suggest for the rest of your life?

In his groundbreaking thesis "Theory of Multiple Intelligences," professor Howard Gardner states that individuals possess different types of intelligences, and that varying combinations of intellect define and differentiate persons. Gardner identified seven types of intelligences: logical-mathematical, linguistic, spatial, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, and interpersonal, and intrapersonal. (Later, he added an eighth: naturalist.) As evidenced through past experiences and achievements, my strengths lie in linguistic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal intelligences. These abilities will support my future aspirations.

Understanding what each of the intelligences entails is essential. Linguistic intelligence is the ability to express thoughts through language. Lyrics, letters, sentences, symbols -- Gardner describes it as the "gift of language." Interpersonal intelligence is the ability to "notice distinctions among others; in particular, contrasts in their moods, temperaments, motivations and intentions." It enables an individual to interact socially. Intrapersonal intelligence is the ability to understand a person's own emotions, feelings, and perceptions. Gardner describes this as the "most private" type of intelligence.

Gardner distinguishes between interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence, but points out their similarities as well. "Interpersonal intelligence allows one to understand and work with others; intrapersonal intelligence allows one to understand and work with oneself," he wrote. Gardner believed that the types of intelligences often worked cooperatively to help a person excel in certain fields. He demonstrated how different types of intelligence complement each other. Referring to a quotation from Virginia Woolf, Gardner states that "linguistic intelligence is drawn upon to convey intrapersonal knowledge; it embodies the interaction of intelligences." He believed that a combination of intelligences is essential for "nearly every cultural role of any degree of sophistication."

My senior year in high school serves as an appropriate example of how I utilized my strengths of linguistic, intrapersonal, and interpersonal intelligences. My 12th grade year was a blur -- it was busy, but rewarding and memorable. My roles, on top of student, included Student Government Association vice president, school newspaper editor in chief, and web site webmaster, in addition to a variety of less time-consuming positions.

I applied my interpersonal skills most successfully with the conversations, meetings, and events that dominated my tenure as vice president. Often times, it was a high school version of behind-closed-doors Washington politicking, as pathetic as that may sound. The ability to communicate with others was a basic skill I demonstrated. Gardner pointed this out in his text, explicitly stating that politics "requires an interpersonal skill [and] a linguistic facility." I discovered this fact first-hand.

A new principal arrived the summer before my senior year. I warmed to him immediately, but I was among the minority. Many students and staff were not receptive to the changes he attempted to make over the course of the year. As a result, many interactions revolved around gossip and spiteful comments. The ability to decipher the moods of students, parents, and faculty members was an important one -- I was able to knowledgeably share thoughts with the principal in private. The ability to communicate effectively, subtly, and persuasively was also important – blunt honest criticism isn't always the best answer to a question.

Signs of interpersonal intelligence are often perceptible among executives, officials, and authority figures. Gardner pointed out that interpersonal intelligence "appears...in religious or political leaders, teachers, therapists, and parents," and I agree with its application as an asset to persons in leadership positions – the ability to judge perceptions and motivations is a valuable talent.

This ability also proved helpful in the role of newspaper editor. In retrospect, I utilized a combination of intelligences with the production of each Observer issue. I sought to improve more than just the articles in the newspaper -- I focused on improving its timeliness, relevancy, visual appearance, and even its choice of front page headlines and photos. These results did not come without initiative and intelligence.

Convincing the layout staff to conform to consistent fonts and styles required interpersonal intelligence. Understanding their opinions of how the pages should look, and knowing what would motivate them to spend time perfecting designs, helped me to reach consensus on the topics at hand.

Knowing what I hoped to achieve with the newspaper required intrapersonal intelligence. Understanding my beliefs regarding student attention spans, story relativity, and newspaper styles helped me to comprehend and communicate my vision for the newspaper.

Expressing this vision, and convincing the full newspaper staff to work with me and achieve it, required linguistic intelligence. Understanding what methods of communication are most effective with a team of students helped me to demonstrate how we could produce the best product possible.

Developing the school web site also required a combination of intelligences. Linguistic intelligence was necessary to form the words, phrases, and paragraphs to effectively convey information and promote the school. Interpersonal intelligence was necessary to consider what content an average visitor would be most likely to search for. The site development process also required logical-mathematical intelligence; these skills come less naturally to me, so I enlisted the support of fellow students in determining a logical structure and design for the site.

My future aspirations relate to the three examples I have described. I have a desire to participate in political systems; an avid and passionate interest in journalism; and a fascination with methods of providing and presenting information. These goals align with my strengths in types of intelligences. The ability to manipulate language, discern personal feelings, and understand other people have benefited me in the past, and will be valuable in the years to come.

I wonder if the connections between my interests and intelligences are more than mere coincidence. Gardner stated that "it is of paramount importance to assess the particular combination of skills that may earmark an individual for a certain vocational or avocational niche." So perhaps my aspirations are a result of my abilities. My appreciation for the art of telling a story could have led to dreams of journalism. My constant trading of opinions could have lent itself to an interest in exploring peoples' similarities and differences in more depth. (In retrospect, my posing these questions in hopes of eliciting further understanding is a notable display of intrapersonal intelligence.) My commitment to journalism is certainly, at least in part, a product of my intelligences. Drafting a lead, reading a script, and editing a paragraph are all actions that strive to communicate with audiences and help individuals make decisions.

Perceiving, persuading, knowing, understanding, expressing -- more than mere verbs, these words are actions that types of intelligences help me to excel at. Gardner was correct – the issue is not "if you are smart, but how you are smart." My strengths lie within the linguistic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal intelligences. The skills I have honed will continue to provide me with a set of abilities for future endeavors.