Your Intelligence - IQ, EQ Or SQ?

How often have we heard others talk about how 'intelligent' theyconsider someone to be? Intelligence is a description of howgood someone is at mentally doing something. Intelligenceinvolves thought. Intelligence includes the ability to reason,plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend ideas andlanguage and to learn.

Do you consider yourself to be intelligent?

Schools and the education system would have us believe that weare only intelligent if we are able to solve complex abstractproblems or remember facts and figures. I would agree that thisis a type of intelligence and this type of intelligence isnormally referred to as IQ or 'intelligence quotient' (a phrasecoined by an American psychologist named Lewis Terman).

A small proportion of the population has a high IQ and they findthe academic type of learning and activities in schoolrelatively easy. But the vast majority of people don't. So wheredoes that leave everyone else?

Well, the good news is that IQ is not a measure of success. Mostpeople with a high IQ do not go on to be as successful as theirIQ score may lead us to believe. Most people with a high IQ takereasonably well paid, but routine, employment. Most are nothappy with risk and rather limit their own success by becoming'comfortable' and fall far short of what their potentialsuggests.

There is another type of intelligence that may be more importantto success in life and this has been publicised by thebest-selling book "Emotional Intelligence" (or EQ) by DanielGoleman (although the term was first used several years earlierby two academics - Mayer and Salovey).

EQ has to do with recognizing, understanding, and choosing howwe think, feel, and act. It shapes our interactions with othersand our understanding of ourselves. It defines how and what welearn; it allows us to set priorities; it determines themajority of our daily actions.

EQ is the capacity to create positive outcomes in ourrelationships with ourselves and others. These learnable skillscreate joy, love, and success of all kinds.

Studying EQ it becomes clear that IQ has less to do with successin life than EQ. The good news is that we all have EQ and thatit can be developed. We can develop our EQ to help us build ourrelationships with others, to use our emotions appropriately, tofocus our efforts and to become more successful in life.

EQ may be so important that it could be the best predictor ofwho will succeed in any area of life.

Can we look beyond IQ and EQ?

When you look at the world, do you see only space and time, massand energy, logic and reason? Or do you also see connectivityand design, purpose and meaning, faith and mystery?

In his book "What's your SQ?" Michael Guillen has developed theidea of 'spiritual intelligence' or SQ. SQ considers your viewsbeyond the materialistic living of modern life. Withoutspirituality it is possible to become very unhappy ordissatisfied with life no matter how much material possessionswe accumulate.

Can you be successful if you are not truly happy? I would arguenot and that a balance of IQ, EQ and SQ are necessary for ahappy and successful life.

Are there any other forms of intelligence? Yes, there is anotherimportant theory on multiple intelligences and you can readabout that in another article.

To be happy and successful in life focus on your EQ and SQ. Ifyou are fortunate enough to have some IQ too then all the better- but don't rely on your IQ alone.

© 2005 Max Wisema