by Pat Lamb www.patlambchristianauthor.com
Train up a child…
Some Children are Self Smart
“Still water runs deep” is an expression that is often used to describe a child who may be quiet and perhaps shy and doesn’t mind being alone. This may very well be the child who has a dominant intrapersonal intelligence.
Seven intelligences have been defined. People are born with dominance in three or four of these intelligences. The intelligences are known as verbal/linguistic, logical/mathematical, bodily/kinesthetic, spatial, musical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. Other names for these intelligences are word smart, numbers smart, body smart, picture smart, music smart, people smart, and self smart.
Intrapersonal or self-smart is the capacity to understand oneself. This person can understand his/her own personal thoughts and feelings and use that knowledge to plan and direct his/her life. Intrapersonal intelligence involves not only an appreciation of self, but also of the human condition and is evident in psychologists, spiritual leaders, and philosophers.
The children who possess this intelligence to a strong degree may be thought of as “loners”. They don’t seem to mind being alone for extended periods of time. Sometimes parents worry unduly about these children for fear they may become anti-social when they are simply thinking about life and its meaning. They are usually in tune with their inner feelings, values, beliefs, and thinking processes. These children may be “wise beyond their years”, can usually motivate themselves, and have intuition. Since they spend much time in simply thinking, they may have well thought-out opinions on many issues. Others often go to them for advice. However, some may think of them as distant resulting in a small number of friends.
Teachers would do well to give children who have this intelligence opportunities to describe their feelings or the feelings of others when essays are assigned. Any essay topic that asks for an opinion is a subject to be enjoyed by these children. There will be an interest in the personalities of great mathematicians when studying math. A parent or teacher might ask for a description of the feelings of others as history is studied because they like to imagine how people felt in various circumstances.
Job skills the intrapersonal person is likely to possess include working alone, setting goals and obtaining objectives, appraising, planning, initiating, and organizing. This person is likely to be a self-motivator. Jobs that these individuals seem to fit are clergyman or religious worker, psychologist, therapist, counselor, or entrepreneur. At some point in time, they may want to write an autobiography. They may not always be good in jobs where quick action is required because they like time to reflect and think before making a decision.
I am amazed when I think about the varying personalities that God created. He knew what would be needed to sustain a society and he gave each of us unique ways of thinking and acting to meet those needs. It would be so nice if each of us learned to appreciate the differences in people rather than expecting everyone else to think and feel as we do. Ideally, we would all work together and compliment the skills and abilities of one another.