Psychological types and multiple intelligences
There has been a lot of discussion recently about the intellectual level of Pagans and the intellectual level of the general public. We seem less appreciative in Britain of our public intellectuals than, say, France or Italy, or even America. Indeed, if you asked most people to name a public intellectual, they might name Dawkins - that in itself is a sad indictment of what passes for an intellectual in these islands.
Now, don't get me wrong: I am all for raising the intellectual standard of Paganism and of our cultural life in general. That's why I am involved in the MetaPagan blog aggregator, to showcase the best of Pagan blogging. It's one of the reasons why I founded Pagans for Archaeology, to show the world at large that there are hundreds of Pagans who support archaeology and museums. It's the reason why I started the Pagan theologies wiki, to get Pagans thinking about theology and discussing our values and ethics and beliefs (not to end up with a standardised orthodox view, but to discuss the issues properly). And it's why I support the idea of Pax's Pagan Collegium site, and why I urge people to read the books of Ronald Hutton.
But the need for thinking is not the only requirement for a religion (or a way of life, if you prefer) that actually works. Jung identified four psychological types, and we need to develop ourselves in all four areas, not just one. Jung's types (also used in the Myers-Briggs test) are:
* Sensation (Earth)
* Intuition (Fire)
* Thinking (Air)
* Emotion (Water)
Most people have one of these modes as a dominant function, and the rest as secondary, with a deficiency in one area. But, I would argue, just because someone has a deficiency in one of these areas, doesn't mean they can't work to correct it. That is what education is for, or should be. I have met some intellectuals with the emotional intelligence of a flea; and people who are primarily emotional types who could do with developing their thinking ability; and so on.
Similarly, Howard Gardner identified multiple modes of intelligence, which are also relevant here.
* Bodily-kinesthetic
* Interpersonal
* Verbal-linguistic
* Logical-mathematical
* Naturalistic
* Intrapersonal
* Visual-spatial
* Musical
They are probably not reducible to Jung's four types; though there are some interesting similarities. The one of particular interest to Pagans might be Naturalistic intelligence, broadly defined as the ability to survive in the wild.
Source:
Posted by Yewtree at 7:32 AM, Thursday, August 13, 2009
Psychological types and multiple intelligences
The Stroppy Rabbit: "I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it." ~ Abraham Lincoln
http://stroppyrabbit.blogspot.com/2009/08/psychological-types-and-multiple.html