Howard Garner, a developmental psychologist and author of Theory of Multiple Intelligences, offers a theoretical or global framework that includes categories relevant to the discussion of Intuition that I find helpful. He identifies these 10 different categories of Intelligence:
Visual - Spatial
Bodily - Kinesthetic
Musical - Rhythmic
Verbal - Linguistic
Logical - Mathematical
Existential - Concern with ultimate life issues.
Moral
Naturalistic - sensitivity to nature and the world.
Interpersonal - the ability to understand and interact with people effectively.
Intrapersonal - the ability to understand one’s innermost feelings.
The last three seem the most relevant to this discussion of Intuition. I combine #s 9 and 10 under the label, Emotional Intelligence.
While all intelligences are definitely touched by intuition because they are all human
capacities, Interpersonal and Intrapersonal seem the two most relevant to our present topic of developing intuition. For simplicity, we’ll call them Emotional Intelligence.
Gardner gives examples of people with strong Interpersonal Intelligence--Mahatma Gandhi, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton and Mother Teresa. His characteristics of Intrapersonal Intelligence include: Intuitive, Self-aware, Spends time reflecting, Likes to learn about self, Philosophical, Independent, Enjoys journaling, Works well alone, Usually introverted and interested in self-improvement and personal growth.
A fourth more academic approach to Intuition is presented by Phillip Goldberg in the book, The Intuitive Edge. Along with a careful auditing of life experiences through systematic journaling, Goldberg presents an interesting questionnaire to identify your “basic style of approaching problems and decision.” He feels there is a correlation between this intuitive problem-solving and decision-making style with the quality of one’s intuition. He also quotes my up and coming next resource, Frances Vaughn who wrote one of the first books on intuition in 1979 titled, Awakening Intuition. “Vaughn feels that the regular practice of meditation is the single most powerful means of increasing intuition.” Meditation will become a whole blog topic at some point. But first, the questionnaire.
“Here is a questionnaire that will help you assess your basic style of approaching problems and decisions. To the degree that there is a correlation between intuitive style and the quality of intuition, your score might reflect on the latter as well. For each item, choose the alternative, A or B that best applies to you.
1. When I don’t have a ready answer, I tend to be: A. patient or B. uneasy
2. When faced with uncertainty, I usually: A. become disoriented or B remain comfortable
3. In challenging situations, I am highly motivated and deeply committed: A. most of the time or B. infrequently
4. When my intuition differs from the facts, I usually: A. trust my feelings or B. follow the logical course.
5. When working on a difficult problem, I tend to: A. concentrate on finding the solution or B. play around with possibilities
6. When I disagree with others, I tend to: A. let them know about it or B. keep the disagreement to myself
7. Generally speaking I: A. prefer the safe way or B. enjoy taking risks.
8. When working on a problem I change strategies: A. seldom or B. often.
9. I prefer to be told: A. exactly how to do things or B. only what needs to be done.
10. When things get very complicated I: A. become exhilarated or B. become insecure.
11. When faced with a problem, I usually: A. create a plan or outline before getting started or B. plunge right in.
12. In most cases: A. change makes me nervous or B. I welcome unexpected changes
13. My reading consists of: A. A variety of subjects including Fiction or B. factual material mainly related to work.
14. When my opinion differs from the experts I usually: A. stick to my beliefs or B. defer to authority.
15. When faced with a number of tasks, I: A. tackle them simultaneously or B. finish one before going on to another.
16. When learning something new, I: A. master the rules and procedures first or B. get started and learn the rules as I go along.
17. At work I prefer to: A. follow my pre-arranged schedule or B. Make my own schedule
18. At school I am (was) better at: A. essay questions or B. short-answer questions.
19. Basically I am a: A. an idealist or B. a realist.
20. When I make a mistake I tend to: A. second guess myself or B. forget it and go on.
21. The following statement best applies to me: A. I usually explain why I know something or B. Often I can’t describe why I know something.
22. When offering a description or explanation, I am more likely to rely on : A. analogy and anecdote or B. facts and figures.
23. I can usually be convinced by: A. an appeal to reason or B. an appeal to my emotions
24. When I am wrong I: A. readily admit it or B. Defend myself.
25. I would rather be called: A. Imaginative or B. Practical.
26. When faced with a difficult problem, I am likely to: A. ask for advice or B. tackle it myself.
27. Unpredictable people are: A. annoying or B. interesting.
28. When setting an appointment for the following week, I am likely to say: A. “Let’s set an exact time now.” or B. “Call me the day before.”
29. When something spoils my plans, I: A. get upset or B. calmly make a new plan.
30. When I have a hunch, I usually react with: A. enthusiasm or B. mistrust.
31. Most of my friends and colleagues: A. believe in the value of Intuition or B. are skeptical about Intuition.
Scoring:
Give yourself 1 point if you answered A on the following items: 1,3,4,6,10,13,14,15,18,19,22,24,25,30,31,32 .
Give yourself one point if you answered B on the following items: 2,5,7,8,9,11,12,16,17,20,21,23,26,27,28,29.
If your total score is 24 or above, you tend strongly toward an intuitive approach to decisions and problems. More than likely you trust your intuition, as well you should, since it is probably highly accurate.
If your total is between 16 and 23, you tend to vary in style but are more intuitive than analytic or systematic. Your intuition is probably correct more often than not.
If your total is between 8 and 15, you tend to mix styles but lean more toward the analytic and rational than your intuitive. Your intuition might be erratic.
If your total is below 8 you lean heavily toward a systematic, rational approach to problems and decisions. Chances are you do not trust your intuition very much, perhaps due to past experiences when it has been wrong.
The authors state that in evaluating these results, do not regard this test as a definitive measure of your intuitive capacity. For one thing, there are no universally accepted standards for making such judgments; no systematic attempt to determine either intuitive ability or style, including this one, has been validated with long-term use. In addition, you are likely to be more intuitive and to trust your intuition more, in some situations than in others. A high score on the questionnaire is a good indication of positive, intuition enhancing behavior and can serve as a tool for introspection and improvement. This questionnaire can be found in The Intuitive Edge by Phillip Goldberg, p. 110-113.
I find that I sometimes “back-up” my intuitive decision by using a pendulum as my intuitive tool which is a fun thing to do to see if you get consistency. Most often, but not always, I do. I had a friend with food allergies who took her pendulum into restaurants in order to help her decide on what item on the menu would be best for her. She was remarkably accurate and trusted her result, implicitly. My rational mind would sit there and think, now how can she know that?” even when I really believed in the accuracy of pendulum use! It worked! Anyone else use a pendulum, an intuitive tool?
The fifth resource for intuition is Awakening Intuition by Frances Vaughn, written in 1979. Vaughn feels that “the regular practice of meditation is the single most powerful means of increasing intuition.” p. 179-180. This opens another door to a blog post in the future about Meditation.
Vaughn suggests that there is another form of intelligence which includes intuition as a part of it, Spiritual Intelligence. She feels that learning to quiet the mind is essential to awakening one’s inner voice.. This can bring benefits of greater ability to concentrate and relax. “Intuition comes from the silent mind; imagination is conceptual. There is a vast difference. That’s why the development of insight does not come from thinking about things, it comes from the development of a silence of mind in which a clear vision, a clear seeing, can happen.” p. 33-34.
This does not mean that the body can’t be moving. Some people can achieve a “silent mind” or meditative state through running, Tai Chi, swimming and other focused physical activities.
The final resource I have used is Listening by author Lee Coit, an interesting “little book” with some insightful comments. For example, when beginning to “listen,” we often hear two voices as though our minds are in two parts. We need to differentiate between the two. “Our daily, busy minds see much to do, and create many needs to be filled. But our contemplative side sees order, joy and harmony. This creative intuitive mind enjoys beauty and peace…...It is good to become an observer of our thoughts--to see which thoughts are based on pre-judgement, fear, prejudice and lack of trust--and thoughts which are trusting, open, loving and peaceful.” p. 16. His form of listening is what brings forward the intuitive or inner voice and gives us perspective on our lives.
I remember hearing this “split” voice as a grad student with young children at home as I stepped off the shuttle bus to get to my car. My first voice had been making lists and demands about what to do next for most of the afternoon. In that one step, the second voice unexpectedly popped up and said, “Mary Ellen, in the scheme of things, how important is all of this?” I distinctly remember feeling as though I was dropping a load of anxiety and nervous, “busy” energy. I realized what I had been nittering about wasn’t very important and was able to focus on being calm and getting back to my family. That shift brought a real feeling of clarity and calm. Ka-chunk! It became very clear to me in that moment what was important to me. I now ask that question of myself when I start “nittering” and having a “busy head”. Anyone else have an experience to share?
Resource List of Authors
K., Lisa, PhD, Intuition on Demand, Findhorn Press, 2017.
Peirce, Penney, The Intuitive Way, Beyond Words Publishing, 1997.
Nadel, Laurie, with Judy Haims and Robert Stempson, Sixth Sense Prentice Hall Press, 1990.
Coit, Lee, Listening, The Breezes of Joy Foundation, 1985.
Gardner, Howard, Frames of Mind, The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Basic Books, 1983.
Goldberg, Phillip, The Intuitive Edge, Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1983.
Vaughn, Frances, Awakening Intuition, Anchor Press, 1979.
The next post will include a variety of intuition recognizing and developing activities from all of these resources.