Kafli 24 - Meaningful Engagements of Talents
The artist at the moment of creating, does not experience gratification or satisfaction…Rather it
is a joy, joy defined as the emotion that goes with heightened consciousness, the mood that
comes with the experience of actualizing one’s own potentialities.
Rollo May, the courage to create
Introduction: Where Do We Go from Here? • Tapping into your natural talents, along
with healthy relationships,
Tapping into your talents is a way of finding rewards mindfulness, proper diet, and exercise
and helping to fulfill that elusive top rung of Maslow’s promote -
– physical and psychological
hierarchy: Self-actualization
health
– Enhance overall quality of life
Capitalizing on Abilities and Strengths – Provide natural highs
Howard Gardner views intelligence as a plural characteristic, that is, a set of distinct and
specific abilities. Howard Gardner outlined seven intelligences and M. K. Smith (2008)
outlined the components of Gardner’s pluralistic model of intelligence as follows:
Linguistic intelligence involves sensitivity to spoken and written language, the ability
to learn languages and the capacity to use language to accomplish certain goals. Writers, poets,
lawyers and speakers are among those that Gardner sees as having High linguistic intelligence.
Logical-mathematical intelligence consist of the capacity to analyze problems
logically, carry out mathematical operations and investigate issues scientifically…the ability to
detect patterns, reasons deductively and think logically.
Musical intelligence involves skill in the performance, composition and appreciation of
musical patterns. It encompasses the capacity to recognize and compose musical pitches, tones
and rhythms…Structural parallel to linguistic intelligence!
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence entails the potential of using one’s whole body or parts
of one’s body to solve problems. It is the ability to use mental abilities to coordinate bodily
movements. Mental and physical activities are related to this.
Spatial intelligence involves the potential to recognize and use the patterns of wide
space and confined areas.
Interpersonal intelligence is concerned with the capacity to understand the intentions,
motivations and desires of other people. It allows people to work effectively with others.
1
, Educators, salespeople, religious and political leaders and counselors need well-developed
interpersonal intelligence.
Intrapersonal intelligence entails the capacity to understand oneself and to appreciate
one’s feelings, fears and motivations. It involves having an effective working model of ourselves
and being able to use such information to regulate our lives.
After much research and scholarly discussion of the 4 proposed constructs (the possibility of
other intelligence: naturalistic, spiritual, existential and moral), naturalistic intelligence has been
added to the list. Naturalistic intelligence permits humans to recognize, categorize and draw
upon certain features of the environment
Gardner (1983) believes that the challenge of effectively utilizing human capital is “how to best
take advantage of the uniqueness conferred on us as a species exhibiting several intelligences.
Go with your flow!
The manifestation of any intellectual trait is most likely the result of the combination of innate
propensity and environmental support. Intelligence = “ability to solve problems”. Psychologists
posit a “group of ‘hot’ intelligences, because they process ‘hot’ information: signals concerning
motives, feelings and other domains of direct relevance to an individual’s well-being and
survival”
Csikszentmihalyi was intrigued by the stories of artists who lost themselves in the
passion for their work. Csikszentmihalyi (2002) characterize flow as follows:
Intense focus on what you are doing in the present
Merging of action and awareness
Loss of self-consciousness (loss of awareness of oneself as a social actor)
A sense of control and mastery of the situation because one knows how to respond to
whatever happens next
The perception that time passed faster than normal
Feeling that the activity was intrinsically rewarding – often the end goal is just an excuse
for the process
“BEING IN THE ZONE”
2
The artist at the moment of creating, does not experience gratification or satisfaction…Rather it
is a joy, joy defined as the emotion that goes with heightened consciousness, the mood that
comes with the experience of actualizing one’s own potentialities.
Rollo May, the courage to create
Introduction: Where Do We Go from Here? • Tapping into your natural talents, along
with healthy relationships,
Tapping into your talents is a way of finding rewards mindfulness, proper diet, and exercise
and helping to fulfill that elusive top rung of Maslow’s promote -
– physical and psychological
hierarchy: Self-actualization
health
– Enhance overall quality of life
Capitalizing on Abilities and Strengths – Provide natural highs
Howard Gardner views intelligence as a plural characteristic, that is, a set of distinct and
specific abilities. Howard Gardner outlined seven intelligences and M. K. Smith (2008)
outlined the components of Gardner’s pluralistic model of intelligence as follows:
Linguistic intelligence involves sensitivity to spoken and written language, the ability
to learn languages and the capacity to use language to accomplish certain goals. Writers, poets,
lawyers and speakers are among those that Gardner sees as having High linguistic intelligence.
Logical-mathematical intelligence consist of the capacity to analyze problems
logically, carry out mathematical operations and investigate issues scientifically…the ability to
detect patterns, reasons deductively and think logically.
Musical intelligence involves skill in the performance, composition and appreciation of
musical patterns. It encompasses the capacity to recognize and compose musical pitches, tones
and rhythms…Structural parallel to linguistic intelligence!
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence entails the potential of using one’s whole body or parts
of one’s body to solve problems. It is the ability to use mental abilities to coordinate bodily
movements. Mental and physical activities are related to this.
Spatial intelligence involves the potential to recognize and use the patterns of wide
space and confined areas.
Interpersonal intelligence is concerned with the capacity to understand the intentions,
motivations and desires of other people. It allows people to work effectively with others.
1
, Educators, salespeople, religious and political leaders and counselors need well-developed
interpersonal intelligence.
Intrapersonal intelligence entails the capacity to understand oneself and to appreciate
one’s feelings, fears and motivations. It involves having an effective working model of ourselves
and being able to use such information to regulate our lives.
After much research and scholarly discussion of the 4 proposed constructs (the possibility of
other intelligence: naturalistic, spiritual, existential and moral), naturalistic intelligence has been
added to the list. Naturalistic intelligence permits humans to recognize, categorize and draw
upon certain features of the environment
Gardner (1983) believes that the challenge of effectively utilizing human capital is “how to best
take advantage of the uniqueness conferred on us as a species exhibiting several intelligences.
Go with your flow!
The manifestation of any intellectual trait is most likely the result of the combination of innate
propensity and environmental support. Intelligence = “ability to solve problems”. Psychologists
posit a “group of ‘hot’ intelligences, because they process ‘hot’ information: signals concerning
motives, feelings and other domains of direct relevance to an individual’s well-being and
survival”
Csikszentmihalyi was intrigued by the stories of artists who lost themselves in the
passion for their work. Csikszentmihalyi (2002) characterize flow as follows:
Intense focus on what you are doing in the present
Merging of action and awareness
Loss of self-consciousness (loss of awareness of oneself as a social actor)
A sense of control and mastery of the situation because one knows how to respond to
whatever happens next
The perception that time passed faster than normal
Feeling that the activity was intrinsically rewarding – often the end goal is just an excuse
for the process
“BEING IN THE ZONE”
2
