The theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) is the idea that there are several different types of intelligence. A musician, for instance, may be lousy at math, but a brilliant composer. A mathematician may be a wiz at numbers, but write terrible poetry.

The theory of multiple intelligences was developed by Howard Gardner who detailed seven types of intelligence in his 1983 book, Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences.

1. Verbal-Linguistic—a knack for words and language
2. Logical-Mathematical—good at logic and numbers
3. Musical—understands rhythm, pitch, tone
4. Bodily-Kinesthetic –has command of body movement
5. Spatial-Visual—can visualize objects and images and their dimensions
6. Interpersonal—gets along with other people, has charisma
7. Intrapersonal—has a well-developed sense of self

Later, an eighth type of intelligence was added to this list: “naturalistic,” or a grasp of animal/plant life and the environment. Farmers and botanists would be examples of those with naturalistic intelligence. Gardner considered adding two further intelligence candidates: spiritual intelligence and existential intelligence. These two however, did not fit all eight of Gardner’s criteria for inclusion as types of intelligence. Gardner leaves open the possibility that other types of intelligence will yet be identified.

The theory of multiple intelligences challenges the accepted notion that people have a general level of intelligence that applies, across the board, to all tasks performed.  Standard intelligence tests, such as the Wechsler and Stanford Binet intelligence tests, measure a person’s intelligence quotient (IQ). Someone with a high IQ is expected to perform better than average on tasks in general. By the same token, someone with a low IQ is not expected to perform well in any specific area.

Predictable Gap

Even while the established view of intelligence is as a general capability, there is an understanding that a person’s intelligence will tend to fall into one of two categories, verbal or mathematical.  This means that a person may be more skilled at math than literature, but there will still be a correlation between his verbal and mathematical scores when tested on both. There may be a gap between the two scores—verbal and mathematical—but the gap will be a predictable gap, with the prediction based on IQ.

Someone with a high IQ who has an aptitude for words, may not do as well in math, but will still do better in math than someone with a low IQ who is more verbal than mathematical by nature. These two abilities will always be somewhat matched, according to the established theory.

Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences says something quite different. MI theory offers a broader, more inclusive measurement of intelligence by basing the measurement on a person’s accomplishments: the ability to solve problems or create a product. It is Gardner’s belief that a high IQ in the absence of productivity is about potential intelligence rather than actual intelligence. In other words, it is the product that proves the measure of a person’s intelligence.

In Intelligence Reframed, Gardner writes,

Both of the populations I was working with were clueing me into the same message: that the human mind is better thought of as a series of relatively separate faculties, with only loose and nonpredictable relations with one another, than as a single, all-purpose machine that performs steadily at a certain horsepower, independent of content and context.

Eight Criteria

Gardner identified specific types of intelligences according to eight criteria:

1. An intelligence must have the potential for isolation due to brain damage or disease (think of the loss of speech due to a stroke while the thought process of the stroke victim remains intact)
2. An intelligence has an identifiable core set of operations (in music this might be a sense of rhythm or perfect pitch)
3. An intelligence must have a distinct developmental progression (in math this might be counting, addition and subtraction, multiplication, division, and so forth)
4. An intelligence can be encoded (can be illustrated or notated with the use of graphs, charts, or symbols)
5. An intelligence must play a role in survival (spatial/visual intelligence, for instance, would have been necessary to ensure the survival of the species for navigating difficult terrain, naturalistic intelligence for knowing what vegetation is safe to eat)
6. The existence of those with exceptional abilities such as idiot savants and prodigies proves that a type of intelligence can be identified as distinct or discrete
7. An intelligence can be supported by experimental psychology tasks, for instance using skills in one area to carry out new tasks or using interference to isolate a single type of intelligence (for instance, a person working on a crossword puzzle will not be able to carry on a conversation because of interference, thus proving that both tasks involve the same type of intelligence—verbal/linguistic)
8. Psychometric findings lend support to the idea of an independent intelligence (A person with a single IQ may perform less well in two verbal tests and score higher in two mathematical tests proving that verbal skills and math skills are independent types of intelligence)

Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences is controversial. Critics say that the theory is based on observations and theories, rather than on hard data.  They say there is no science backing the idea, that Gardner is identifying “talents,” rather than “intelligences,” and that the idea of a general intelligence factor (g-factor) remains the most relevant and scientific method for measuring cognitive (thinking) ability.

Another criticism is that MI has no practical application. There is no way to make use of the idea in the classroom really, except to suggest (and this is yet another criticism) that all students are smart; we just need to identify their specific intelligences. Experts think this idea might lead to a distorted self-image and may even prevent a student from studying hard in difficult subjects since the student will conclude that he simply lacks the intelligence necessary to tackle that particular topic.

Teachers Love MI

Teachers, on the other hand, tend to love the theory of multiple intelligences. It explains so much to educators who actually work in the field. A student may be terrible at math and literature but be an accomplished hip hop dancer. Such a student may be told all her life that she’s a poor student. She may suffer from low self-esteem, and feel worthless. If a teacher recognizes and cultivates this student’s special aptitude for dancing, the student will begin to feel “smart.”

The experts can scoff and call MI a semantics game, but the theory has been an eye-opener for teachers and their students, and that is all Gardner ever intended in the first place. He wanted to give special skills their due, and build up students who didn’t fit the mold.

I want my children to understand the world, but not just because the world is fascinating and the human mind is curious. I want them to understand it so that they will be positioned to make it a better place. Knowledge is not the same as morality, but we need to understand if we are to avoid past mistakes and move in productive directions. An important part of that understanding is knowing who we are and what we can do… Ultimately, we must synthesize our understandings for ourselves. The performance of understanding that try matters are the ones we carry out as human beings in an imperfect world which we can affect for good or for ill. (Intelligence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century, Howard Gardner 1999: 180-181)

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