What Type of Intelligence Do You Have?

When you hear the word intelligence, the concept of IQ testing may immediately come to mind. Intelligence is often defined as our intellectual potential; something we are born with, something that can be measured and a capacity that is difficult to change. In recent years, however, other views of intelligence have emerged. One such conception is the theory of multiple intelligences proposed by Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner.

First introduced in his 1983 book Frames of Mind, Gardner's theory proposed seven different types of intelligence. An eighth intelligence was later added and recently Gardner has suggested the addition of yet another intelligence. According to Gardner, people have different strengths in different areas. For example, a student who excels at reading and writing would be described has have high linguistic-verbal intelligence, while a student who performs well at math would be considered high on in what Gardner calls logical-mathematical intelligence.

Since it was first introduced, the theory of multiple intelligences has become very popular, especially among educators. However, the theory has also been heavily criticized by both psychologists and educators who often suggest that these "intelligences" simply represent talents, personality traits and abilities.

Which type of intelligence best describes you? Explore each of the eight intelligences and learn more about the characterists of each in this article on Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences