Last Updated on February 16, 2023 by Editorial Team
Every person is unique in terms of personality and intelligence, and it is essential to understand this before choosing a career route. Psychologist Howard Gardner proposed the theory of Multiple Intelligences. According to him, there are eight kinds, and Intrapersonal Intelligence is one of them.
People with intrapersonal intelligence are reflective in nature and focus on their relationship with the self. Often, they are highly analytical and actively try to identify their flaws and work on them. Another important characteristic is that they are emotionally aware and understand how to respect their feelings and motivate themselves.
What are the beneficial traits of Intrapersonal Intelligence?
“Face the facts of being what you are, for that is what changes what you are.”
Soren Kierkegaard
Intrapersonal intelligence can be highly rewarding to a person’s success. Here’s how –
- Self-Awareness – People with high intrapersonal intelligence are aware of themselves, their interests, skills, and their aim in life. While pursuing a career, these are very important.
- Versatility – Due to the fact that they are aware of their own self, which is constantly transforming, they are easy adapt to changes. This makes them versatile in the field of work as well.
- Attentiveness – Intrapersonal intelligence helps a person to be self-reflective, which means that they perfectly understand what they want from life. Therefore, they are motivated in what they do and remain focused on it.
- Emotional Understanding – A person who is aware of themselves and spends time analyzing themselves naturally have a good grasp of emotions. This enables them to be empathetic towards others and help them in need.
- Independent Thinking – People with intrapersonal intelligence are capable of working on their own due to the kind of peace and confidence they find within.
- Ability to deal with failure – Having intrapersonal intelligence can be of immense help during failure. This is because people with this kind of intelligence prefer focusing on remedies rather than fixating on the negative aspects.
- Discipline – Intrapersonal intelligence makes people disciplined. This is because of the clarity that they have regarding their future. Their impeccable focus and motivation help them maintain a routine.
- Confidence – Intrapersonal intelligence enables one to introspect, reflect and deduce what they want and how they want it. This gives a person confidence in their skills and enhances their performance.
10 careers for people with good intrapersonal intelligence
1. Entrepreneur
One of the most successful professional fields of the 21st century, entrepreneurship is a promising field for people who have the ability to know themselves and their surroundings well. This is because creating a business from the base requires patience, confidence, maturity, motivation, discipline, and immense courage.
All of these are the central characteristics of a person with intrapersonal intelligence. To attain success in a new venture, one must also be sure of their selves and be dedicated to the cause even at the lowest of times.
2. Instructor
When someone is capable of being in charge of their own self, it is a sign that they can also manage others well. High intrapersonal intelligence facilitates one to understand others through themselves and help them in reaching their goal.
They can be wonderful guides to people because they are good at understanding people, their dreams, emotions, and motivation. Some of the career options can include Gym instructor, financial advisor, spiritual guide, yoga instructor, personal shopper, and many more.
3. Author
To become a writer, one must be consistent and passionate in their area of interest. Before writing comes observing, understanding, and analyzing. This is the reason why people with intrapersonal intelligence have the potential to attain success in penmanship.
Additionally, writers draw inspiration and insights from their own selves and the world around them. Being self-aware and empathetic helps with that as well. Creative blocks are natural and one needs to be capable to gain back confidence and determination. Fiction writer, journalist, poet, non-fiction author, scriptwriter, content writer, and copyeditor are some of the jobs related to writing.
4. Agriculturalist
The growth of crops depends on several factors that are out of human control. To excel in this field, one must be prepared, confident, and self-reliant. There are seasons with an abundant harvest, and then there are the ones with low yields.
Farming needs discipline and the zeal to survive all odds. Farming technologies are constantly developing, which demands constant change and adaptation. These are the reasons why people need to have high intrapersonal intelligence to be successful as a farmer.
5. Psychologist
In recent years, the demand for psychologists has sky-rocketed. With more and more people warming up to the idea of taking care of their mental health, this is a high-yielding profession. However, it is a tough job. To help others understand themselves and evaluate the challenges they are facing, the one facilitating it should be aware of themselves first.
Additionally, they should also be empathetic to understand their clients and help them resolve their issues. A person with intrapersonal intelligence, thus, suits the position best.
6. Planner and Manager
Being a planner is a challenging task because it includes taking care of several components simultaneously. Managing is equally tricky and takes a lot of patience and coordination. More importantly, these tasks are often long-term and require consistency.
People with intrapersonal intelligence who are aware of themselves can fit well into this role due to their attentiveness and versatility. Some of the jobs related to this field include – Event planner, personal manager, travel agent, project manager, and librarian.
7. Lawyer
Law is a wonderful area for people with intrapersonal intelligence. It is also a high-paying profession. Working on a case needs a clear vision and a passion for bringing justice to the client. Along with that, skills such as observation, analytical and intuitive thinking, and emotional understanding are also necessary.
Dealing with the justice system requires patience, and the most important thing is having empathy for the client. There are various fields that one can explore such as criminal law, corporate law, civil law, family law, and many more.
8. Researcher
Be it in the field of science, business, or humanities, research is integral for development. People with high intrapersonal intelligence can be excellent at it. This is because the research includes working in a disciplined way within a structure most of the time. On the other hand, it is also essential to think outside the box, make a discovery, and find something brand new which will be of help to the area of study.
9. Career Counsellor
The job of a career counselor entails a massive amount of responsibility. However, a person with high intrapersonal intelligence is capable of taking on this challenge because of their capability to understand people.
They are empathetic toward other people and can rightfully assess their expectations from the future, club it with their skills and guide them in an efficient way. Their confidence also helps clients to gain self-confidence and helps them to be focused.
10. Social Worker
To work with people needs resilience and the passion to bring change. A social worker should be capable of understanding situations involving people and communities. A person with high intrapersonal intelligence is both intellectually and emotionally capable of doing these.
Social work can sometimes become challenging as it involves different social and economic aspects. Empathy and determination are, thus, essential skills that are a must when it comes to this profession.
Conclusion
People who have high intrapersonal intelligence can excel in diverse fields. Their innate ability to be aware of themselves, understand their passion, and be motivated to achieve something helps in all stages of life. Empathy and emotional understanding facilitate them to work with people and provide valuable assistance and insights. Choosing a suitable career with these traits can help one achieve great success, both in professional and personal life.
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,