Content area
Abstract
The purpose of this study was, first, to unfold the unified concept or the essence of human intelligence---What is intelligence? Second, to explore factors that may influence blossoming and development of such an essence. By doing this, I aspired to expedite those elements that in any possible way may promote and manifest or hinder and limit one to transcend from the state of "human-becoming" to the state of "human-being"---utilizing one's intelligence.
A group of participants with diverse academic, vocational, experiential, and personal interests was selected. This approach was taken to answer the second research question---Is intelligence perceived differently by different people? Also, participants with different cultural and ethnic backgrounds were invited. This was to answer to the third research question---Is the essence of intelligence different in different cultures? Overall, a total of 48 individuals participated and shared their experiences and their perceptions. There were 31 male and 17 female. Qualitative research utilizing a transpersonal-phenomenological method was conducted. Each interview was constructed in a way to respond to three main themes: (1) What is intelligence? (2) What is the purpose of life? and (3) What role(s) human intelligence play to achieve that purpose? This resulted in a compilation of 477 attributes or codes related to human intelligence. From these attributes, three main categories emerged: (1) Intra-personal, (2) Interpersonal, and (3) Transpersonal. The main focus of this study was not to find individual `differences', but to explore its `commonalities'. Other findings were that the majority of the participants (1) perceived intelligence as one's potential, which cannot be measured, (2) self-centeredness and instant gratification were perceived as factors that inhibit one to become self-actualized. Perceptions of intelligence by the participants did not appear to be influenced by their cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
In summary, the emerged essence from this study was `interdependence' at the three levels: personal, social, and transpersonal. Thus, factors or behaviors causing disruption or breaking such interconnections/interdependence can be considered unintelligent, on the other hand, factors or behaviors initiating to establish such interconnection, maintain it, and/or promote it, can be considered as intelligent acts or behaviors.
