The etymological origin of the intrapersonal term that concerns us now is found in Latin. Specifically, it must be stated that it is the result of the union of several lexical components of said language:
-The prefix «intra-«, which means «within».
-The noun "person", which can be translated as "human being", "man" or "woman".
-The suffix "-al", which is used to indicate "relative to".
The American psychologist and researcher Howard Gardner was the one who devised the theory of multiple intelligences . According to this specialist from Harvard University , intelligence is made up of various specific abilities: therefore, we can speak of different types or kinds of intelligence.
Among them, Gardner recognizes intrapersonal intelligence . This is what it calls the ability that allows a person to know themselves and understand their own way of acting, feeling and thinking.
Intrapersonal intelligence, therefore, is a capacity that is linked to self-knowledge . Through this intelligence, a human being can operate on his own psyche according to his needs and interests.
By understanding how external stimuli affect their way of being and their state of mind, a subject can define their behavior towards certain objectives. Intrapersonal intelligence allows us to know how the mind works and take advantage of that knowledge when acting.
It should be noted that the resources provided by intrapersonal intelligence are very important to control anxiety, reduce anger and maintain control over oneself , for example. Intrapersonal intelligence should not be confused with interpersonal intelligence , associated with the discovery and interpretation of the intentions and desires of others. While intrapersonal intelligence aims at self-knowledge, interpersonal intelligence is oriented towards others.
No less important, in addition to everything stated above, is that it is considered that certain measures can be carried out in order to improve our intrapersonal intelligence. Specifically, we are referring to the following:
-Start practicing mindfulness or meditation.
-Thinking about the best way to use the knowledge we have about ourselves to achieve new goals in our lives.
-Carrying a periodic evaluation of the objectives that we are achieving.
-Maintaining at all times a reflective attitude about ourselves and the world around us.
-Writing a diary, so we can know the steps we are taking.
-Of course, another good measure to improve our intrapersonal intelligence is to be self-critical.
To these measures you can add others such as reflecting on the skills and qualities you have and even thinking about all the aspects in which you can improve significantly.
No less interesting is knowing that intrapersonal intelligence is considered to help us improve other aspects of our life, such as increasing our self-esteem or the knowledge we have of the world around us.
«My intrapersonal intelligence» , finally, is the title of a song by the Argentine rock band Intoxicados . The song is part of "Buen día" , the group's first album, which was released in 2001 .