Competence and Self-Management

Modern theorists in the area of intelligence have tried to avoid the reliance
on factor analysis and existing tests that have limited traditional research
and have tried different approaches to the subject. For example, Howard
Gardner, in his 1983 book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences,
starts with the premises that the essence of intelligence is competence and
that there are several distinct areas in which human beings can demonstrate
competence. Based on a wide-ranging review of evidence from many scientific
fields and sources, Gardner designated seven areas of competence as
separate and relatively independent “intelligences.” In his 1993 work Multiple
Intelligences, Gardner revised his theory to include an eighth type of intelligence.
This set of attributes is comprised of verbal, mathematical, spatial,
bodily/kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist
skills.
Another theory is the one proposed by Robert Sternberg in his 1985
book Beyond IQ: A Triarchic Theory of Human Intelligence. Sternberg defines intelligence,
broadly, as mental self-management and stresses the “real-world,”
in addition to the academic, aspects of the concept. He believes that intelligent
behavior consists of purposively adapting to, selecting, and shaping
one’s environment and that both culture and personality play significant
roles in such behavior. Sternberg posits that differences in IQ scores reflect
differences in individuals’ stages of developing the expertise measured by
the particular IQ test, rather than attributing these scores to differences in
intelligence, ability, or aptitude. Sternberg’s model has five key elements:
metacognitive skills, learning skills, thinking skills, knowledge, and motivation.
The elements all influence one another. In this work, Sternberg claims
that measurements derived from ability and achievement tests are not different
in kind; only in the point at which the measurements are being make.