Social Intelligence

Social Intelligence

What is it about social intelligence that some people get and others don't?  Those who are considered to be "socially intelligent" often seem to "walk among the rain drops".... excuse the pun.  If you are extroverted, social and able to navigate complex social situations with relative ease you may indeed be someone who ranks pretty high on the scale of social intelligence.  One scale used to measure this capacity in individuals is the George Washington Social Intelligence Test (GWSIT).  There are several subtests to this scale and they include the categories of

1) Judgment in Social Situations;



2) Memory for Names and Faces;


3) Observation of Human Behavior;


4) Recognition of the Mental States Behind Words;


5) Recognition of Mental States from Facial Expression;


6) Social Information; and


7) Sense of Humor:



I suppose whether or not you consider the following categories to be indicative of social intelligence is a matter of opinion.  Many professionals have since scrutinized the (GWSIT)  because of its strong correlation to abstract intelligence.  J.P. Guilford researched the topic and developed his Structure of Intellect Model which postulated there were approximately 120 different "intellectual abilities."

At any rate, however the concept is measured, it would be nice if these skills could be taught, either in school at some point or at the local college.  Not that this is likely to happen any time soon but it would sure be nice for individuals such as myself.  With this in mind, I took the liberty to google what can be done to help those (such as myself) who are socially inept.  This is where I discovered the work of another blogger who beat me to the finish line.

I'm not sure what the rules are when it comes to using another blogger's name and/or work on your own blog so I thought I'd include the web address and allow you to read for yourself some fantastic ideas for developing social intelligence.

 http://minorquestionsoflife.blogspot.com/2008/12/thorndike-in-1920-divided-intelligence.html